January 21 Birthday
On January 21, 1793, King Louis XVI of France was executed by guillotine in the Place de la Révolution. He had been tried by the National Convention and convicted of treason by a vote of 361 to 360 — a margin of one. He was thirty-eight years old. He had been king since 1774 and had presided over the collapse of French finances, the failure of reform, and the revolution that consumed him. He attempted to flee in 1791, disguised as a valet, and was recognized from his portrait on a coin. The flight to Varennes destroyed whatever trust remained between the monarchy and the people. On the scaffold, Louis attempted to address the crowd but was drowned out by drums. His final words were lost. The USS Nautilus, the world's first nuclear-powered submarine, was launched on this day in 1954 at Groton, Connecticut. It was sponsored by Mamie Eisenhower, who broke a bottle of champagne across its bow. Nuclear power meant the submarine could stay submerged indefinitely — diesel subs had to surface regularly to run their engines and recharge batteries. Nautilus crossed the North Pole under the ice in 1958, a voyage that was classified at the time. The Soviet Union rushed to match it, and the nuclear submarine became the most dangerous weapon of the Cold War — silent, invisible, and capable of launching missiles from anywhere in the ocean. In 1976, Concorde began commercial service, with simultaneous flights from London to Bahrain and Paris to Rio. The supersonic airliner cut transatlantic flight time from eight hours to three and a half. It was a technological marvel and a commercial disaster. It carried only 100 passengers, burned enormous amounts of fuel, and created a sonic boom that limited it to overwater routes. A round-trip ticket from New York to London cost $12,000 in today's money. The crash of Air France Flight 4590 in 2000, which killed 113 people, sealed its fate. Concorde was retired in 2003. No supersonic passenger aircraft has replaced it. Plácido Domingo, born this day in 1941, has performed more operatic roles than anyone in history — over 150. He was one of the Three Tenors, whose 1990 World Cup concert was watched by 800 million people and whose album sold 10 million copies, making it the best-selling classical recording of all time. Domingo later transitioned from tenor to baritone roles, something no one of his stature had done before. His career has since been overshadowed by allegations of sexual harassment. People born on January 21 fall under the zodiac sign of Aquarius. The birthstone is Garnet and the birth flower is Carnation. Historical events on January 21 include 1793: King Louis XVI executed by guillotine in Paris, 1954: USS Nautilus launched, first nuclear-powered submarine, 1976: Concorde begins commercial supersonic service. Famous people born on January 21 include Stonewall Jackson (1824), Plácido Domingo (1941), Ethan Allen (1738).