What happened on July 21? There are more than 234 events that were made this day in history. Here are the important historical events, facts, and some myths about this day.
Interesting Facts & Myths About July 21
July 21 is the 203rd day of the year 2024. There are 163 days remaining until the end of this year. The day of the week is Sunday. This day falls under the 29th week of the year 2024.
On this day in Lena, Wisconsin 54139 sunrise will occur at 05:25 AM and sunset will occur at 08:32 PM (local time).
The zodiac sign of a person born on this day is Cancer. The modern birthstone for this month is Ruby while the mystical birthstone is Ruby.
According to the Chinese calendar, there are 192 days remaining before the start of the next Chinese New Year (January 29, 2025).
Is your birthday coming up in two days? Are you not curious to find out who is sharing your special day? Discover all the April 22 famous birthdays. There are fun facts about that day that you must know. (Sponsored link)
Historical Events For July 21
- 356 BCThe Temple of Artemis in Ephesus, one of the Seven Wonders of the World, is destroyed by arson.
- 230Pope Pontian succeeds Urban I as the eighteenth pope.
- 285Diocletian appoints Maximian as Caesar and co-ruler.
- 365A tsunami devastates the city of Alexandria, Egypt. The tsunami was caused by the Crete earthquake estimated to be 8.0 on the Richter Scale. 5,000 people perished in Alexandria, and 45,000 more died outside the city.
- 1403Battle of Shrewsbury: King Henry IV of England defeats rebels to the north of the county town of Shropshire, England.
- 1545The first landing of French troops on the coast of the Isle of Wight during the French invasion of the Isle of Wight.
- 1568Eighty Years’ War: Battle of Jemmingen – Fernando Álvarez de Toledo, Duke of Alva defeats Louis of Nassau.
- 1718The Treaty of Passarowitz between the Ottoman Empire, Austria and the Republic of Venice is signed.
- 1774Russo-Turkish War, 1768-1774: Russia and the Ottoman Empire sign the Treaty of Kuchuk-Kainarji ending the war.
- 1831Inauguration of Leopold I of Belgium, first king of the Belgians.
- 1861American Civil War: First Battle of Bull Run – at Manassas Junction, Virginia, the first major battle of the war begins and ends in a victory for the Confederate army.
- 1865In the market square of Springfield, Missouri, Wild Bill Hickok shoots and kills Davis Tutt in what is regarded as the first western showdown.
- 1873At Adair, Iowa, Jesse James and the James-Younger Gang pull off the first successful train robbery in the American Old West.
- 1877After rioting by Baltimore and Ohio Railroad workers and the deaths of nine rail workers at the hands of the Maryland militia, workers in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania stage a sympathy strike that is met with an assault by the state militia.
- 1904Louis Rigolly, a Frenchman, becomes the first man to break the 100 mph barrier on land. He drove a 15-liter Gobron-Brille in Ostend, Belgium.
- 1914The Crown council of Romania decides the country shall remain neutral in World War I
- 1918SMU U-156 shells Nauset Beach, in Orleans, Massachusetts.
- 1919The dirigible Wingfoot Air Express crashes into the Illinois Trust and Savings Building in Chicago, killing 12 people.
- 1925Scopes Trial: In Dayton, Tennessee, high school biology teacher John T. Scopes is found guilty of teaching evolution in class and fined $100.
- 1925Sir Malcolm Campbell becomes the first man to break the 150 mph land barrier at Pendine Sands in Wales. He drove a Sunbeam at a two-way average speed of 150.33 mph.
- 1944World War II: Battle of Guam – American troops land on Guam starting the battle. It would end on August 10.
- 1944World War II: Claus Schenk Graf von Stauffenberg and fellow conspirators are executed in Berlin, Germany for the July 20 plot to assassinate Adolf Hitler.
- 1949The United States Senate ratifies the North Atlantic Treaty.
- 1954First Indochina War: The Geneva Conference partitions Vietnam into North Vietnam and South Vietnam.
- 1959Elijah Jerry “Pumpsie” Green becomes the first African-American to play for the Boston Red Sox, the last team to integrate. He came in as a pinch runner for Vic Wertz and stayed in as shortstop in a 2-1 loss to the Chicago White Sox.
- 1961Mercury program: Mercury-Redstone 4 Mission – Gus Grissom piloting Liberty Bell 7 becomes the second American to go into space (in a suborbital mission).
- 1969Space Race: Neil Armstrong and Edwin “Buzz” Aldrin become the first humans to walk on the Moon, during the Apollo 11 mission (July 20 in North America).
- 1970After 11 years of construction, the Aswan High Dam in Egypt is completed.
- 1972Bloody Friday bombings by the Provisional IRA around Belfast, Northern Ireland – 22 bombs are detonated, killing 9 and seriously injuring 130.
- 1973In the Lillehammer affair in Norway, Israeli Mossad agents kill a waiter whom they mistakenly thought was involved in the 1972 Munich Olympics Massacre.
- 1976Christopher Ewart-Biggs British ambassador to the Republic of Ireland is assassinated by the Provisional IRA.
- 1977The start of the four day long Libyan-Egyptian War.
- 1983The world’s lowest temperature is recorded at Vostok Station, Antarctica at -89.2 °C.
- 1995Third Taiwan Strait Crisis: The People’s Liberation Army begins firing missiles into the waters north of Taiwan.
- 1997The fully restored USS Constitution (aka Old Ironsides) celebrates her 200th birthday by setting sail for the first time in 116 years.
- 2001At the conclusion of a fireworks display on Okura Beach in Akashi, Hyōgo, Japan, 11 people are killed and more than 120 are injured when a pedestrian footbridge connecting the beach to JR Asagiri railway station becomes overcrowded and people leaving the event fall down in a domino effect.
- 2005Four terrorist bombings, occurring exactly two weeks after the similar July 7 bombings, target London’s public transportation system. All four bombs fail to detonate and all four suspected suicide bombers are captured and later convicted and imprisoned for long terms.
- 2011NASA’s Space Shuttle program ends with the landing of Space Shuttle Atlantis on mission STS-135.
Who Were Born On July 21?
- 1620Jean Picard, French astronomer (d. 1682)
- 1664Matthew Prior, English poet and diplomat (d. 1721)
- 1693Thomas Pelham-Holles, 1st Duke of Newcastle-upon-Tyne, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom (d. 1768)
- 1710Paul Möhring, German physician (d. 1792)
- 1762Timothy Hinman, pioneer road builder
- 1808Simion Bărnuţiu, Romanian philosopher and politician (d. 1864)
- 1810Henri Victor Regnault, French chemist (d. 1878)
- 1816Paul Reuter, German-born British journalist (d. 1899)
- 1851Sam Bass, American train robber and outlaw (d. 1878)
- 1858Alfred Henry O'Keeffe, New Zealand artist (d. 1941)
- 1858Lovis Corinth, German painter (d. 1925)
- 1858Maria Christina of Austria, queen of Spain (d. 1929)
- 1863Aubrey Smith, English cricketer and actor (d. 1948)
- 1870Emil Orlik, Czech painter (d. 1932)
- 1880Milan Rastislav Štefánik, Slovak politician and astronomer (d. 1919)
- 1882David Burliuk, Ukrainian artist (d. 1967)
- 1893Hans Fallada, German writer (d. 1947)
- 1898Sara Carter, Carter Family vocalist/guitarist (d. 1979)
- 1899Ernest Hemingway, American writer, Nobel laureate (d. 1961)
- 1899Hart Crane, American poet (d. 1932)
- 1903Roy Neuberger, American financier (d. 2010)
- 1908Harold “Jug” McSpaden, American professional golfer (d. 1996)
- 1911Marshall McLuhan, Canadian author and media theorist (d. 1980)
- 1920Constance Dowling, American actress (d. 1969)
- 1920Constant Nieuwenhuys, Dutch painter (d. 2005)
- 1920Isaac Stern, Ukrainian-born violinist (d. 2001)
- 1922Kay Starr, American singer
- 1922Mollie Sugden, British comedic actress (d. 2009)
- 1923Rudolph A. Marcus, Canadian chemist, Nobel laureate
- 1924Don Knotts, American actor (d. 2006)
- 1925Anne Meacham, American actress (d. 2006)
- 1926Karel Reisz, British film director (d. 2002)
- 1926Norman Jewison, Canadian film director
- 1926Paul Burke, American actor (d. 2009)
- 1926Queenie Watts, English actress (d. 1980)
- 1926Rahimuddin Khan, Pakistani general
- 1928Marcel Gauthier, Canadian wrestler (d. 1998)
- 1929Bob Orton Sr., American wrestler (d. 2006)
- 1930Anand Bakshi, Indian lyricist (d. 2002)
- 1932Ernie Warlick, American football player
- 1933John Gardner, American author (d. 1982)
- 1934Chandu Borde, former Indian cricketer
- 1934Jonathan Miller, British theatre director
- 1935Kaye Stevens, singer and actress
- 1935Moe Drabowsky, baseball player (d. 2006)
- 1935Norbert Blüm, German politician
- 1938Anton Kuerti, Canadian pianist, composer and conductor
- 1938Janet Reno, 79th United States Attorney General
- 1938Les Aspin, American politician (d. 1995)
- 1939John Negroponte, 1st United States Director of National Intelligence
- 1942Kim Fowley, American songwriter, musician, manager, and record producer
- 1943Edward Herrmann, American actor
- 1944Paul Wellstone, American politician (d. 2002)
- 1945Barry Richards, Former South African cricketer
- 1945Geoff Dymock, Former Australian cricketer
- 1945John Lowe, English darts player
- 1945Lydia Shum, Hong Kong comedian and actress (d. 2008)
- 1946Barry Whitwam, British musician (Herman’s Hermits)
- 1946Kenneth Starr, American lawyer
- 1947Chetan Chauhan, Former Indian cricketer
- 1948Art Hindle, Canadian actor
- 1948Cat Stevens (Yusuf Islam), English singer/songwriter
- 1948Ed Hinton, American sportswriter
- 1948Garry Trudeau, American cartoonist
- 1948Snooty, the oldest known Florida manatee
- 1948Teruzane Utada, Japanese music record producer and manager
- 1949Al Hrabosky, baseball player
- 1949Hirini Melbourne, New Zealand musician and composer
- 1950Ubaldo Fillol, Argentinian footballer
- 1951Robin Williams, American comedian/actor
- 1952John Barrasso, American politician
- 1952Susannah Carr, Australian journalist
- 1953Brian Talbot, British footballer
- 1953Jeff Fatt, Chinese-Australian actor
- 1955Béla Tarr, Hungarian film director
- 1955Henry Priestman, British keyboardist and singer
- 1955Howie Epstein, American musician (d. 2003)
- 1955Taco, Dutch singer
- 1956Michael Connelly, American author
- 1957Jon Lovitz, American comedian
- 1959Paul Vautin, Australian rugby league player
- 1960Fritz Walter, German footballer
- 1960Lance Guest, American actor
- 1961Amar Singh Chamkila, Punjabi folk singer
- 1961Jim Martin, American musician (Faith No More)
- 1963Greg Behrendt, American comedian
- 1963Kevin Poole, English footballer
- 1963Paulo Silva, Brazilian mixed martial artist
- 1964Jens Weißflog, German ski jumper
- 1964Ross Kemp, British actor
- 1965Guðni Bergsson, Icelandic footballer
- 1965Jovy Marcelo, Filipino racing driver (d. 1992)
- 1965Mike Bordick, American baseball player
- 1966Arija Bareikis, American actress
- 1966Sarah Waters, British novelist
- 1968Brandi Chastain, American soccer player
- 1968Johnnie Barnes, American football player
- 1968Lyle Odelein, Canadian hockey player
- 1969Emerson Hart, American musician (Tonic)
- 1969Godfrey, American comedian
- 1969Klaus Graf, German racing driver
- 1970Shawn Stasiak, American professional wrestler
- 1971Charlotte Gainsbourg, French actress and singer
- 1971Emmanuel Bangué, French long jumper
- 1971Marcus Eoin, Scottish musician (Boards of Canada)
- 1971Nuno Markl, Portuguese comedian and radio host
- 1972Shinjiro Otani, Japanese professional wrestler
- 1973Ali Landry, American model and actress
- 1974Geoff Jenkins, American baseball player
- 1975Cara Dillon, Irish folk singer
- 1975Chris Bisson, British actor
- 1975Mike Sellers, American football player
- 1975Ravindra Pushpakumara, Sri Lankan cricketer
- 1977Jaime Murray, British actress
- 1977Paul Casey, English golfer
- 1978Anderson, Brazilian footballer
- 1978Damian Marley, Jamaican musician
- 1978Gary Teale, Scottish footballer
- 1978Josh Hartnett, American actor
- 1978Justin Bartha, American actor
- 1978Kyoko Iwasaki, Japanese swimmer
- 1979Andriy Voronin, Ukrainian football player
- 1979David Carr, American football player
- 1979Tamika Catchings, American basketball player
- 1980CC Sabathia, American baseball player
- 1980Tailor James, Canadian model
- 1981Anabelle Langlois, Canadian figure skater
- 1981Blake Lewis, American musician
- 1981Chrishell Stause, American actress
- 1981Joaquín Sánchez, Spanish footballer
- 1981Stefan Schumacher, German cyclist
- 1981Yushin Okami, Japanese mixed martial artist
- 1982Mao Kobayashi, Japanese actress
- 1983Eivør Pálsdóttir, Faroese singer
- 1983Kellen Winslow II, American football player
- 1984Jurrick Juliana, Dutch footballer
- 1984Liam Ridgewell, English footballer
- 1985Paloma Faith, British singer
- 1985Vanessa Lengies, Canadian actress
- 1985Von Wafer, American basketball player
- 1988Chris Mitchell, Scottish footballer
- 1988DeAndre Jordan, American basketball player
- 1989Chelsie Hightower, American professional dancer (Dancing with the Stars, former So You Think You Can Dance contestant)
- 1989Chris Gunter, Welsh footballer
- 1989Jamie Waylett, English actor
- 1989Juno Temple, English actress
- 1989Rory Culkin, American actor
- 1990Chris Martin, English footballer
- 1992Giselle Klein, Canadian sprint car driver
- 1992Rachael Flatt, American figure skater
Who Died On July 21?
- 1403Henry Percy, English nobleman and soldier (b. 1364)
- 1425Manuel II Palaeologus, Byzantine Emperor (b. 1350)
- 1688James Butler, 1st Duke of Ormonde, English statesman and soldier (b. 1610)
- 1793Bruni d'Entrecasteaux, French explorer (b. 1739)
- 1796Robert Burns, Scottish poet (b. 1759)
- 1798François Sebastien Charles Joseph de Croix, Count of Clerfayt, Austrian field marshal (b. 1733)
- 1878Sam Bass, American train robber and outlaw (b. 1851)
- 1880Hiram Walden, American politician (b. 1800)
- 1889Nelson Dewey, American politician (b. 1813)
- 1899Robert G. Ingersoll, American politician and military officer (b. 1833)
- 1932Bill Gleason, American baseball player (b. 1858)
- 1938Owen Wister, American author (b. 1860)
- 1941Bohdan Lepky, Ukrainian writer and poet (b. 1872)
- 1943Charlie Paddock, American athlete (b. 1900)
- 1944Claus von Stauffenberg, German military officer and head of the failed 20 July Plot to assassinate Adolf Hitler (b. 1907)
- 1946Gualberto Villarroel, Bolivian politician (b. 1908)
- 1948Arshile Gorky, Armenian-born American artist (b. 1904)
- 1967Albert Lutuli, South African politician, Nobel Peace Prize laureate
- 1967Basil Rathbone, English actor (b. 1892)
- 1967Jimmie Foxx, American baseball player (b. 1907)
- 1968Ruth St. Denis, American dancer and choreographer (b. 1878)
- 1970Bob Kalsu, American football player (b. 1945)
- 1970Mikhail Gerasimov, Russian anthropologist and sculptor (b. 1907)
- 1972Jigme Dorji Wangchuck, Third king of Bhutan (b. 1928)
- 1972Ralph Craig, American athlete (b. 1889)
- 1977Lee Miller, American photographer (b. 1907)
- 1982Dave Garroway, American television host (b. 1913)
- 1986Ernest Maas, American screenwriter (b. 1892)
- 1991Paul Warwick, English racing driver (b. 1969)
- 1998Alan Shepard, American astronaut (b. 1923)
- 1998Robert Young, American actor (b. 1907)
- 2000Marc Reisner, American writer (b. 1948)
- 2001Sivaji Ganesan, Indian Tamil actor (b. 1927)
- 2001Steve Barton, American actor (b. 1954)
- 2003John Davies, New Zealander athlete (b. 1938)
- 2003Matt Jefferies, American film art director (b. 1921)
- 2004Edward B. Lewis, American geneticist, Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine laureate (b. 1918)
- 2004Jerry Goldsmith, American composer (b. 1929)
- 2005Alfred Hayes, British wrestling announcer (b. 1928)
- 2005Long John Baldry, British blues musician (b. 1941)
- 2005Michael Chapman, British classical bassoonist (b. 1934)
- 2006Herbert “Herbie” Kalin, American singer (The Kalin Twins) (b. 1934)
- 2006Mako, Japanese-born American actor (b. 1933)
- 2006Ta Mok, Cambodian Khmer Rouge leader (b. 1926)
- 2007Dubravko Škiljan, Croatian linguist known for his work on Classical philology and semiotics (b. 1949)
- 2010Luis Corvalán, Chilean communist leader (b. 1916)
- 2011Lucian Freud, Realist painter (b. 1922)
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