What happened on March 21? There are more than 269 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 March 21
March 21 is the 81st day of the year 2024. There are 285 days remaining until the end of this year. The day of the week is Thursday. This day falls under the 12th week of the year 2024.
On this day in Pomona, New York 10970 sunrise occured at 06:55 AM and sunset occured at 07:11 PM (local time).
The zodiac sign of a person born on this day is Aries. The modern birthstone for this month is Aquamarine while the mystical birthstone is Jade.
According to the Chinese calendar, there are 314 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)
March 21: A Day In History
March 21st is the common date of the March equinox (although astronomically the equinox is more likely to fall on March 20 in all but the most easterly longitudes). In astrology, the day of the equinox is the first full day of the sign of Aries. It is also the traditional first day of the astrological year.
Historical Events For March 21
- 717Battle of Vincy between Charles Martel and Ragenfrid.
- 1152Annulment of the marriage of King Louis VII of France and Queen Eleanor of Aquitaine.
- 1188Emperor Antoku accedes to the throne of Japan.
- 1413Henry V becomes King of England.
- 1556In Oxford, Archbishop of Canterbury Thomas Cranmer is burned at the stake.
- 1788A fire in New Orleans leaves most of the town in ruins.
- 1800With the church leadership driven out of Rome during an armed conflict, Pius VII is crowned Pope in Venice with a temporary papal tiara made of papier-mâché.
- 1801The Battle of Alexandria is fought between British and French forces near the ruins of Nicopolis in Egypt.
- 1804Code Napoléon is adopted as French civil law.
- 1814Napoleonic Wars: Austrian forces repel French troops in the Battle of Arcis-sur-Aube.
- 1821Greek War of Independence: First revolutionary act in the monastery of Agia Lavra, Kalavryta.
- 1844The Bahá'í calendar begins. This is the first day of the first year of the Bahá'í calendar. It is annually celebrated by members of the Bahá'í Faith as the Bahá'í New Year or Náw-Rúz.
- 1857An earthquake in Tokyo, Japan kills over 100,000.
- 1871Journalist Henry Morton Stanley begins his trek to find the missionary and explorer David Livingstone.
- 1871Otto von Bismarck is appointed Chancellor of the German Empire.
- 1913Over 360 are killed and 20,000 homes destroyed in the Great Dayton Flood in Dayton, Ohio.
- 1918World War I: The first phase of the German Spring Offensive, Operation Michael, begins.
- 1919The Hungarian Soviet Republic is established becoming the first Communist government to be formed in Europe after the October Revolution in Russia.
- 1921The New Economic Policy is implemented by the Bolshevik Party in response to the economic failure as a result of War Communism.
- 1925Syngman Rhee is removed from office after being impeached as the President of the Provisional Government of the Republic of Korea.
- 1928Charles Lindbergh is presented with the Medal of Honor for the first solo trans-Atlantic flight.
- 1933Construction of Dachau, the first Nazi concentration camp, is completed.
- 1935Shah Reza Pahlavi formally asks the international community to call Persia by its native name, Iran, which means 'Land of the Aryans.'
- 1937Ponce Massacre: 18 people and a 7-year-old girl in Ponce, Puerto Rico, are gunned down by a police squad acting under orders of US-appointed Governor, Blanton C. Winship.
- 1943Wehrmacht officer Rudolf Christoph Freiherr von Gersdorff plots to assassinate Adolf Hitler by using a suicide bomb, but the plan falls through. Von Gersdorff is able to defuse the bomb in time and avoid suspicion.
- 1945World War II: British troops liberate Mandalay, Burma.
- 1945World War II: Bulgaria and the Soviet Union successfully complete their defense of the north bank of the Drava River as the Battle of Drava concludes.
- 1945World War II: Operation Carthage – British planes bomb Gestapo headquarters in Copenhagen, Denmark. They also hit a school and 125 civilians are killed.
- 1946The Los Angeles Rams sign Kenny Washington, making him the first African American player in the American football since 1933.
- 1952Alan Freed presents the Moondog Coronation Ball, the first rock and roll concert, in Cleveland, Ohio.
- 1960Apartheid: Massacre in Sharpeville, South Africa: Police open fire on a group of unarmed black South African demonstrators, killing 69 and wounding 180.
- 1963Alcatraz, a federal penitentiary on an island in San Francisco Bay, closes.
- 1964In Copenhagen, Denmark, Gigliola Cinquetti wins the ninth Eurovision Song Contest for Italy singing “Non ho l'età” (“I'm not old enough”).
- 1965Martin Luther King, Jr. leads 3,200 people on the start of the third and finally successful civil rights march from Selma to Montgomery, Alabama.
- 1965Ranger program: NASA launches Ranger 9 which is the last in a series of unmanned lunar space probes.
- 1968Battle of Karameh in Jordan between Israeli Defense Forces and Fatah.
- 1970The first Earth Day proclamation is issued by Mayor of San Francisco Joseph Alioto.
- 1980On the season finale of the soap opera Dallas, the infamous character J.R. Ewing is shot by an unseen assailant, leading to the catchphrase “Who shot J.R.?”
- 1980US President Jimmy Carter announces a United States boycott of the 1980 Summer Olympics in Moscow to protest the Soviet Invasion of Afghanistan.
- 1989Sports Illustrated reports allegations tying baseball player Pete Rose to baseball gambling.
- 1990Namibia becomes independent after 75 years of South African rule.
- 1994The last episode of the Australian TV series Mother and Son was broadcast.
- 1997In a Tel Aviv, Israel coffee shop, a suicide bomber kills 3 and injures 49.
- 1999Bertrand Piccard and Brian Jones become the first to circumnavigate the Earth in a hot air balloon.
- 2002In Pakistan, Ahmed Omar Saeed Sheikh along with three other suspects are charged with murder for their part in the kidnapping and killing of Wall Street Journal reporter Daniel Pearl.
- 2006Immigrant workers constructing the Burj Khalifa and a new terminal of Dubai International Airport riot causing $1M in damage.
Who Were Born On March 21?
- 1521Maurice, Elector of Saxony (d. 1553)
- 1527Hermann Finck, German composer (d. 1558)
- 1685Johann Sebastian Bach, German composer (d. 1750)
- 1713Francis Lewis, American signer of the Declaration of Independence (d. 1803)
- 1763Jean Paul, German writer (d. 1825)
- 1768Joseph Fourier, French mathematician (d. 1830)
- 1801Maria Theresa of Tuscany, Queen of Sardinia (d. 1855)
- 1806Benito Juárez, Mexican statesman (d. 1872)
- 1811Nathaniel Woodard, English educationalist (d. 1891)
- 1825Alexander F. Mozhayskiy, Russian aviation pioneer (d. 1890)
- 1835Thomas Hayward, English cricketer (d. 1876)
- 1839Modest Petrovich Mussorgsky, Russian composer (d. 1881)
- 1854Alick Bannerman, Australian cricketer (d. 1924)
- 1863George Owen Squier, American inventor (d. 1934)
- 1869Florenz Ziegfeld, American theater producer (d. 1932)
- 1876Walter Tewksbury, American athlete (d. 1968)
- 1880Gilbert M. ‘Broncho Billy’Anderson, American actor (d. 1971)
- 1882Aleksander Kesküla, Estonian politician and nationalist (d. 1963)
- 1882Bascom Lamar Lunsford, American lawyer, folklorist, and folk musician (d. 1973)
- 1885Pierre Renoir, French actor and director (d. 1952)
- 1895Zlatko Baloković, Croatian violinist (d. 1955)
- 1901Karl Arnold, German politician (d. 1958)
- 1902Son House, American musician (d. 1988)
- 1904Forrest Mars Sr., American candymaker (d. 1999)
- 1904Jehane Benoît, Canadian culinary author (d. 1987)
- 1904Nikos Skalkottas, Greek composer (d. 1949)
- 1905Phyllis McGinley, American author and poet (d. 1978)
- 1906Jim Thompson, American designer and businessman (d. 1967)
- 1910Julio Gallo, American vintner (d. 1993)
- 1910M S Khan, Bangladeshi intellectual (d. 1978)
- 1913George Abecassis, English race car driver (d. 1991)
- 1914Paul Tortelier, French cellist (d. 1990)
- 1916Ustad Bismillah Khan, Indian shehnai maestro (d. 2006)
- 1917Frank Hardy, Australian author (d. 1994)
- 1917Yigael Yadin, Israeli archeologist and politician (d. 1984)
- 1918Patrick J. Lucey, American politician
- 1920Georg Ots, Estonian singer (d. 1975)
- 1920Manolis Chiotis, Greek bouzouki player and songwriter (d. 1970)
- 1921Arthur Grumiaux, Belgian violinist (d. 1986)
- 1922Russ Meyer, American film director and producer (d. 2004)
- 1923Nirmala Srivastava, Indian religious figure (d. 2011)
- 1923Philip Abbott, American actor (d. 1998)
- 1924Dov Shilansky, Israeli politician (d. 2010)
- 1925Hugo Koblet, Swiss cyclist (d. 1964)
- 1925Peter Brook, British stage director and producer
- 1927Hans-Dietrich Genscher, German politician
- 1929Maurice Catarcio, American professional wrestler (d. 2005)
- 1930James Coco, American actor (d. 1987)
- 1932Joseph Silverstein, American violinist and conductor
- 1932Walter Gilbert, American chemist, Nobel Prize laureate
- 1933Michael Heseltine, English politician
- 1934Al Freeman, Jr., American actor
- 1935Brian Clough, English footballer and football manager (d. 2004)
- 1936Ed Broadbent, Canadian politician
- 1936Mike Westbrook, British jazz composer, bandleader and pianist
- 1937Tom Flores, American Football player
- 1940Solomon Burke, American singer (d. 2010)
- 1942Françoise Dorléac, French actress (d. 1967)
- 1942Kostas Politis, Greek basketball player and coach
- 1943Hartmut Haenchen, German conductor
- 1943István Gyulai, Hungarian sports executive (d. 2006)
- 1943Vivian Stanshall, English musician (Bonzo Dog Doo Dah Band) (d. 1995)
- 1944Hideki Ishima, Japanese guitarist (Flower Travellin' Band)
- 1944Marie-Christine Barrault, French actress
- 1945Rose Stone, American musician (Sly & the Family Stone)
- 1946Ray Dorset, English musician (Mungo Jerry)
- 1946Timothy Dalton, British actor
- 1948Scott Fahlman, American computer scientist
- 1949Eddie Money, American musician
- 1949Slavoj Žižek, Slovenian sociologist and cultural critic
- 1950Roger Hodgson, English musician (Supertramp)
- 1951Russell Thompkins Jr, American singer (The Stylistics)
- 1953Paul Martin Lester, American educator, author, and photographer
- 1955Dimitrios Papadimoulis, Greek politician
- 1956Guy Chadwick, English guitarist, vocalist and songwriter (The House of Love)
- 1956Ingrid Kristiansen, Norwegian runner
- 1958Gary Oldman, English actor
- 1958Sabrina Le Beauf, American actress
- 1959Nobuo Uematsu, Japanese composer
- 1959Sarah Jane Morris, English singer
- 1959Yuval Rotem, Israeli Ambassador
- 1960Ayrton Senna, Brazilian race car driver (d. 1994)
- 1960Benito de Leon, Filipino military officer
- 1960Robert Sweet, American drummer
- 1961Lothar Matthäus, German footballer
- 1962Kathy Greenwood, Canadian actress
- 1962Mark Waid, American comic book writer
- 1962Matthew Broderick, American actor
- 1962Rosie O'Donnell, American comedian and actress
- 1963Ronald Koeman, Dutch footballer and football manager
- 1963Shawn Lane, American musician (d. 2003)
- 1963Shawon Dunston, American baseball player
- 1964Ahmed Radhi, Iraqi international football star
- 1964Jesper Skibby, Danish professional cyclist
- 1965Xavier Bertrand, French politician
- 1967Adrian Chiles, British television and radio presenter
- 1967Jonas Berggren, Swedish musician (Ace of Base)
- 1967Maxim Reality, British MC (The Prodigy)
- 1968Cameron Clyne, Australian businessman
- 1968DJ Premier, American record producer
- 1968Greg Ellis, English actor
- 1968Jaye Davidson, American actor
- 1968Samantha Dorman, American model
- 1968Scott Williams, American basketball player
- 1968Shin Seung Hun, South Korean ballad singer
- 1969Ali Daei, Iranian footballer
- 1969Jonah Goldberg, American author and pundit
- 1970Cenk Uygur, American radio talk show host
- 1970Shiho Niiyama, Japanese voice actress (d. 2000)
- 1972Chris Candido, American professional wrestler (d. 2005)
- 1972Christopher Wallace, American Rapper also known as The Notorious B.I.G or Biggie Smalls (d. 1997)
- 1972Large Professor, American hip hop artist
- 1973Ananda Lewis, American model and television personality
- 1973Jerry Supiran, American actor
- 1973Stuart Nethercott, English footballer
- 1973Vanessa Branch, British-American actress and model
- 1974Edsel Dope, American singer (Dope)
- 1974Jose Clayton, Tunisian footballer
- 1974Laura Allen, American actress
- 1974Rhys Darby, New Zealand comedian
- 1975Fabricio Oberto, Argentine basketball player
- 1975Justin Pierce, British actor (d. 2000)
- 1975Mark Williams, Welsh snooker player
- 1975Vitaly Potapenko, Ukrainian basketball player
- 1975Yacoub Al-Mohana, Kuwaiti film director
- 1976Rachael MacFarlane, American voice actress
- 1976Tekin Sazlog, Turkish footballer
- 1977Bruno Cirillo, Italian centre defender at PAOK F.C.
- 1977Charles Blackstone, American author
- 1978Charmaine Dragun, Australian news anchor (d. 2007)
- 1978Cristian Guzmán, Dominican baseball player
- 1978Kevin Federline, American dancer; ex-husband of Britney Spears
- 1978Nick Baines, English keyboardist (Kaiser Chiefs)
- 1978Rani Mukherjee, Indian actress
- 1980Deryck Whibley, Canadian guitarist and singer (Sum41)
- 1980Lee Jin, South Korean actress
- 1980Marit Bjørgen, Norwegian cross-country skier
- 1980Ronaldinho Gaucho, Brazilian international footballer
- 1981Germano, Brazilian footballer
- 1982Aaron Hill, American baseball player
- 1982Colin Turkington, British racing driver
- 1982Jocie Kok, Chinese-Singaporean singer
- 1983Jean Ondoa, Cameroonian footballer
- 1984Tiago, Brazilian footballer
- 1985Adrian Peterson, American football player
- 1985Ryan Callahan, American hockey player
- 1988Erik Johnson, American ice hockey player
- 1988Lee Cattermole, English footballer
- 1989Nicolas Lodeiro, Uruguayan footballer
- 1989Rochelle Wiseman, English singer (The Saturdays)
- 1989Takeru Satoh, Japanese actor
- 1990Mandy Capristo, German singer (Monrose)
- 1990Rafael Avila, Honduran Celebrity
- 1990Ryann Krais, American heptathlete
- 1991Luke Chapman,English footballer
- 1995Diggy Simmons, American rapper
- 2004Count Claus-Casimir of Orange-Nassau, Jonkheer van Amsberg
Who Died On March 21?
- 1063Blessed Richeza of Lotharingia, venerated in Roman Catholicism, wife of King Mieszko II of Poland
- 1076Robert I, Duke of Burgundy (b. 1011)
- 1181Taira Kiyomori, Japanese Feudal general (b. 1118)
- 1306Robert II, Duke of Burgundy (b. 1248)
- 1487Nicholas of Flue, Swiss hermit and saint (b. 1417)
- 1556Thomas Cranmer, Archbishop of Canterbury (burned at the stake) (b. 1489)
- 1617Pocahontas, Native American, daughter of Powhatan (b. c.1595)
- 1656James Ussher, Irish Anglican archbishop (b. 1581)
- 1676Henri Sauval, French historian (b. 1623)
- 1729John Law, Scottish economist (b. 1671)
- 1734Robert Wodrow, Scottish historian (b. 1679)
- 1751Johann Heinrich Zedler, German publisher (b. 1706)
- 1762Nicolas Louis de Lacaille, French astronomer (b. 1713)
- 1772Jacques-Nicolas Bellin, French cartographer (b. 1703)
- 1795Giovanni Arduino, Italian geologist (b. 1714)
- 1801Andrea Luchesi, Italian composer (b. 1741)
- 1804Louis-Antoine-Henri de Bourbon-Condé (executed) (b. 1772)
- 1843Guadalupe Victoria, first President of Mexico (b. 1786)
- 1843Robert Southey, English poet (b. 1774)
- 1850Miguel Pedrorena, American settler
- 1863Edwin Vose Sumner, American Civil War general (b. 1797)
- 1881Samuel Courtauld, American-born textile magnate (b. 1793)
- 1884Ezra Abbot, American bible scholar (b. 1819)
- 1910Nadar, French photographer (b. 1820)
- 1915Frederick Winslow Taylor, American inventor (b. 1856)
- 1920Evelina Haverfield British suffragette (b. 1867)
- 1934Franz Schreker, Austrian composer (b. 1878)
- 1936Alexander Glazunov, Russian composer (b. 1865)
- 1945Arthur Nebe, German SS officer (b. 1894)
- 1951Willem Mengelberg, Dutch conductor (b. 1871)
- 1958Cyril M. Kornbluth, American writer (b. 1923)
- 1970Manolis Chiotis, Greek songwriter and musician (b. 1920)
- 1975Joe Medwick, baseball player (b. 1911)
- 1978Louis Cottrell, Jr., American musician (b. 1911)
- 1980Angelo Bruno, American mobster (b. 1910)
- 1980Peter Stoner, American mathematician, astronomer and Christian apologist (b. 1888)
- 1984Shauna Grant, American actress (suicide) (b. 1963)
- 1985Sir Michael Redgrave, English actor (b. 1908)
- 1987Dean Paul Martin, American musician (b. 1951)
- 1987Robert Preston, American actor (b. 1918)
- 1991Leo Fender, American guitar manufacturer (b. 1909)
- 1992John Ireland, Canadian film actor and director (b. 1914)
- 1992Natalie Sleeth, American composer (b. 1930)
- 1994Dack Rambo, American actor (b. 1941)
- 1994Lili Damita, French actress (b. 1904)
- 1994Macdonald Carey, American actor (b. 1913)
- 1997W. V. Awdry, English children’s writer (b. 1911)
- 1998Galina Sergeyevna Ulánova, Russian prima ballerina assoluta (b. 1910)
- 1999Ernie Wise, British comedian (b. 1925)
- 2001Anthony Steel, English actor (b. 1920)
- 2001Chung Ju-yung, Korean industrialist (b. 1915)
- 2002Herman Talmadge, American politician (b. 1913)
- 2003Umar Wirahadikusumah, Fourth Vice President of Indonesia (b. 1924)
- 2004Ludmilla Tchérina, French ballet dancer and actress (b. 1924)
- 2005Barney Martin, American actor (b. 1923)
- 2005Bobby Short, American singer (b. 1924)
- 2007Drew Hayes, American writer and graphic artist (b. 1969)
- 2007Kevin Whitrick, first British man to commit suicide on a live chatroom (b. 1964)
- 2007Sven O. Høiby, the father of Crown Princess Mette-Marit of Norway (b. 1936)
- 2008Guillermo Jullian de la Fuente, Chilean architect (b. 1931)
- 2009Walt Poddubny, Canadian ice hockey player (b. 1960)
- 2010Wolfgang Wagner, German opera director (b. 1919)
- 2011Gerd Klier, German footballer (b. 1944)
- 2011Ladislav Novák, Czech footballer (b. 1931)
- 2011Loleatta Holloway, American singer (b. 1946)
- 2011Pinetop Perkins, Member of the Blues Hall of Fame (b. 1913)
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