as it was on this day in 1948 – The Flag of Quebec is adopted and flown for the first time over the National Assembly of Quebec. The day is marked annually as Québec Flag Day.

Grandmother's Day in Poland

Lady of Altagracia Day in Dominican Republic

Lincoln Alexander Day in Canada

Born on this day in 1921 – Lincoln Alexander, Canadian lawyer and politician, 23rd Canadian Minister of Labour (d. 2012)

On this day in history…

1789 – The first American novel, The Power of Sympathy or the Triumph of Nature Founded in Truth by William Hill Brown, is printed in Boston.

1908 – New York City passes the Sullivan Ordinance, making it illegal for women to smoke in public, only to have the measure vetoed by the mayor.

1911 – The first Monte Carlo Rally takes place.

1915 – Kiwanis International is founded in Detroit.

1968 – A B-52 bomber crashes near Thule Air Base, contaminating the area after its nuclear payload ruptures. One of the four bombs remains unaccounted for after the cleanup operation is complete.

1981 – Production of the iconic DeLorean sports car begins in Dunmurry, Northern Ireland, United Kingdom.

1997 – The U.S. House of Representatives votes 395–28 to reprimand Newt Gingrich for ethics violations, making him the first Speaker of the House to be so disciplined.

2004 – NASA's MER-A (the Mars Rover Spirit) ceases communication with mission control. The problem lies in the management of its flash memory and is fixed remotely from Earth on February 6.

2009 – Israel withdraws from the Gaza Strip, officially ending a three-week war it had with Hamas. However, intermittent fire by both sides continues in the weeks to follow.

2017 – Over 400 cities across America and 160+ countries worldwide participate in a large-scale women's march, on Donald Trump's first full day as President of the United States.

…and if today is your birthday, Happy Birthday To You! You share this special day with…

1813 – John C. Frémont, American general, explorer, and politician, 5th Territorial Governor of Arizona (d. 1890)

1824 – Stonewall Jackson, American general (d. 1863)

1899 – Edith Tolkien, wife and muse of J. R. R. Tolkien (d. 1971)

1905 – Christian Dior, French fashion designer, founded Christian Dior S.A. (d. 1957)

1922 – Telly Savalas, American actor (d. 1994)

1924 – Benny Hill, English actor, singer, and screenwriter (d. 1992)

1926 – Steve Reeves, American bodybuilder (d. 2000)

1938 – Wolfman Jack, American radio host (d. 1995)

1940 – Jack Nicklaus, American golfer and sportscaster

1941 – Plácido Domingo, Spanish tenor and conductor

1941 – Richie Havens, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (d. 2013)

1942 – Mac Davis, American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and actor

1942 – Edwin Starr, American singer-songwriter (d. 2003)

1947 – Jill Eikenberry, American actress

1951 – Eric Holder, American lawyer, judge, and politician, 82nd United States Attorney General

1953 – Paul Allen, American businessman and philanthropist, co-founded Microsoft (d. 2018)

1955 – Jeff Koons, American painter and sculptor

1956 – Robby Benson, American actor and director

1956 – Geena Davis, American actress and producer

1959 – Kevin Vance, KALW Announcer

1972 – Cat Power, American singer, musician and actress

Almanac - Tuesday 1/21/20

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