January 21 1924: Russian revolutionary Vladimir Ilyich Lenin dies at age 53 and a major struggle for power in the Soviet Union begins. A triumvirate led by Joseph Stalin succeeds Lenin.

January 22 1957: Israel completes its evacuation of Egyptian territory, excepting the Gaza Strip and the area of Aqaba.

January 23 1556: The deadliest earthquake ever recorded in history takes place in Shaanxi Province, China, leaving 830,000 people dead.

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