 "History Today: How the Concorde took to the skies on this day")
January 21 is one of those days that have gone down well in history. You might ask why so. Well, because many important events have taken place on this day.
In our ongoing series History Today , we deep dive to relive the past and the biggest stories that took place today.
The first commercial Concodre flights took off from London’s Heathrow Airport and Paris’ Orly Airport in 1976.
In 1990, former American tennis player John McEnroe was disqualified from the Australian Open.
Meanwhile, the Women’s March took place across 400 US cities and over 160 countries on Donald Trump’s first full day as US president.
Let us take a closer look at what has happened on this day over the years.
Concorde takes its first commercial flight
On January 21, 1976, a historic moment in aviation unfolded as the first commercial Concorde flights took off simultaneously. From London’s Heathrow Airport, the British Airways Concorde embarked on its maiden voyage to Bahrain, while the Air France Concorde departed from Paris’ Orly Airport, bound for Rio de Janeiro with a stopover in Dakar, Senegal.
The Concorde, a testament to 12 years of collaborative effort between French and British engineers, was conceived not only as a technological marvel but also as a symbol of surpassing Soviet aviation capabilities. This ambitious project, however, faced numerous hurdles.
The engines required to propel the aircraft at supersonic speeds needed to be twice as powerful as those used in conventional jets, and the aircraft’s frame had to be meticulously engineered to withstand the immense pressures generated during supersonic flight.
Despite years of rigorous testing and substantial financial investment, the Concorde ultimately failed to gain widespread public acceptance. Complaints regarding noise pollution, particularly the sonic booms generated during supersonic flight and the loud engine noise during takeoff and landing, significantly dampened public enthusiasm.
Impact Shorts
More ShortsOn July 25, 2000, an Air France Concorde crashed 60 seconds after taking off from Paris en route to New York killing 109 passengers and four ground staff. The last commercial Concorde flight took place on October 24, 2003.
John McEnroe disqualified from the Australian Open
John McEnroe made tennis history in 1990, albeit for the wrong reasons. During his fourth-round match against Mikael Pernfors at the Australian Open, McEnroe’s notoriously fiery temper erupted, leading to his disqualification from the tournament.
McEnroe, a dominant force in the 1980s with three Wimbledon and four US Open singles titles to his name, had a history of on-court outbursts. However, his actions during this match crossed a line. He received multiple code violations for unsportsmanlike conduct, including verbal abuse of officials, smashing his racket twice, and even jumping on the hard court in frustration. Ultimately, chair umpire Gerry Armstrong issued a final code violation, resulting in his disqualification.
McEnroe’s expulsion from the Australian Open marked a significant event in tennis history. Prior to this incident, Willie Alvarez of Spain had been the last player to be disqualified from a Grand Slam tournament, a period of 27 years. This incident served as a stark reminder of the importance of sportsmanship and emotional control within the competitive arena.
2017 Women’s March
January 21, 2017, was the first full day of Donald Trump’s presidency. But, it became historic for another reason. On this day, scores of people held a massive protest in Washington DC to protest over the Trump administration and the threat that it posed to women’s issues, civil and human rights.
As many as three million people participated in the marches across 400 US cities and over 160 countries. This was the largest single-day protest that took place in the history of the United States, according to History.com.
The idea of the Women’s March began on the social networking website Facebook the day after the election when a woman voiced her opinion to hold a pro-woman march against Trump’s victory. Thousands of women signed up to participate in the event which led to organisers planning a large-scale protest.
The organisers had expected 200,000 people but as many as 500,000 showed up at the national capital. Interestingly, all the supporters donned pink attire, making pink the unofficial uniform for the demonstrations. Some of them also wore pink knit hats with cat-like ears, a thing that Trump called ‘pussy hats’.
This Day, That Year
On this day, the Leader of the Russian Revolution and the first head of the Soviet state Vladimir Lenin passed away in 1924.
Louis XVI, the last Bourbon king of France was executed by guillotine in Paris during the French Revolution in 1793.
Swiss Guards first arrived at the Vatican as the watchman for the pope in 1506.
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