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Births on January 20

1971Jan, 20

Ger McDonnell

Ger McDonnell, Irish mountaineer and engineer (d. 2008)
Gerard McDonnell (20 January 1971 – 2 August 2008), mountaineer and engineer, was the first Irishman to reach the summit of K2, the second-highest mountain on Earth, in August 2008. He lost his life along with 10 other mountaineers following an avalanche on the descent, in the deadliest accident in the history of K2 mountaineering.

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Events on 1971

  • 8Jan

    Zulfikar Ali Bhutto

    Bowing to international pressure, President of Pakistan Zulfikar Ali Bhutto releases Bengali leader Sheikh Mujibur Rahman from prison, who had been arrested after declaring the independence of Bangladesh.
  • 7Jun

    First Amendment to the United States Constitution

    The United States Supreme Court overturns the conviction of Paul Cohen for disturbing the peace, setting the precedent that vulgar writing is protected under the First Amendment to the United States Constitution.
  • 11Jul

    Chile

    Copper mines in Chile are nationalized.
  • 21Sep

    Bhutan

    Bahrain, Bhutan and Qatar join the United Nations.
  • 24Nov

    D. B. Cooper

    During a severe thunderstorm over Washington state, a hijacker calling himself Dan Cooper (aka D. B. Cooper) parachutes from a Northwest Orient Airlines plane with $200,000 in ransom money. He has never been found.