January 21st, 1793. In Paris, the French Revolution turns bloody as King Louis XVI condemned for treason is executed on the guillotine.

 

 

 

1924. Vladimir Lenin, the Russian revolutionary who founded the Soviet Union, the world’s first Communist state, dies in Moscow.

 

 

 

1950. In New York, a case is the flashpoint of the American politics during the early years of the Cold War. Alger Hiss, the former State Department official, accused of being part of a Communist spy ring is found guilty of lying to a grand jury. Hiss, who always maintained his innocence, serves less than four years in prison.

 

 

 

1977. President Jimmy Carter pardons almost all Vietnam War draft evaders, keeping his promise he made on the campaign trail.

 

“And I’m not gonna say all those young people are guilty or not guilty. I’m just gonna say what you did but was right or wrong. You are forgiven for it. Come on back home.”

 

 

 

1976. Supersonic Concorde jet rolls in the service for the first time, beginning a run that lasts for nearly three decades.

 

 

 

And 1942. Count Basie and his orchestra, one of the most popular big bands in the U.S., recall their hit, One O’clock Jump.

 

 

 

Today in History, January 21st, Tim Maguire, the Associated Press.