What happened on November 21? There are more than 290 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 November 21
November 21 is the 326th day of the year 2024. There are 40 days remaining until the end of this year. The day of the week is Thursday. This day falls under the 47th week of the year 2024.
On this day in Walnut Grove, Alabama 35990 sunrise will occur at 06:22 AM and sunset will occur at 04:39 PM (local time).
The zodiac sign of a person born on this day is Scorpio. The modern birthstone for this month is Topaz while the mystical birthstone is Pearl.
According to the Chinese calendar, there are 69 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 27 famous birthdays. There are fun facts about that day that you must know. (Sponsored link)
Historical Events For November 21
- 164 BCJudas Maccabaeus, son of Mattathias of the Hasmonean family, restores the Temple in Jerusalem. This event is commemorated each year by the festival of Hanukkah.
- 235Pope Anterus succeeds Pontian as the nineteenth pope. During the persecutions of emperor Maximinus Thrax he is martyred.
- 1386Timur of Samarkand captures and sacks the Georgian capital of Tbilisi, taking King Bagrat V of Georgia captive.
- 1620Plymouth Colony settlers sign the Mayflower Compact (November 11, O.S.).
- 1783In Paris, Jean-François Pilâtre de Rozier and François Laurent, Marquis d'Arlandes, make the first untethered hot air balloon flight.
- 1789North Carolina ratifies the United States Constitution and is admitted as the 12th U.S. state.
- 1861American Civil War: Confederate President Jefferson Davis appoints Judah Benjamin secretary of war.
- 1877Thomas Edison announces his invention of the phonograph, a machine that can record and play sound.
- 1894Port Arthur, Manchuria falls to the Japanese, a decisive victory of the First Sino-Japanese War, after which Japanese troops massacre the remaining inhabitants of the city.
- 1905Albert Einstein’s paper, Does the Inertia of a Body Depend Upon Its Energy Content?, is published in the journal “Annalen der Physik”. This paper reveals the relationship between energy and mass. This leads to the mass–energy equivalence formula E = mc².
- 1910Sailors onboard Brazil’s most powerful military units, including the brand-new warships Ship Brazilian battleship, Ship Brazilian battleship, and Ship Brazilian cruiser, violently rebel in what is now known as the Revolta da Chibata (Revolt of the Lash).
- 1916World War I: A mine explodes and sinks HMHS Britannic in the Aegean Sea, killing 30 people.
- 1918A pogrom takes place in Lwów (now Lviv); over three days, at least 50 Jews and 270 Ukrainian Christians are killed by Poles.
- 1918Flag of Estonia, previously used by pro-independence activists, is formally adopted as national flag of the Republic of Estonia.
- 1920Irish War of Independence: In Dublin, 31 people are killed in what became known as “Bloody Sunday”. This included fourteen British informants, fourteen Irish civilians and three Irish Republican Army prisoners.
- 1922Rebecca Latimer Felton of Georgia takes the oath of office, becoming the first female United States Senator.
- 1927Columbine Mine Massacre: Striking coal miners are allegedly attacked with machine guns by a detachment of state police dressed in civilian clothes.
- 1942The completion of the Alaska Highway (also known as the Alcan Highway) is celebrated (however, the highway is not usable by general vehicles until 1943).
- 1950Two Canadian National Railway trains collide in northeastern British Columbia in the Canoe River train crash. Twenty-one people are killed, seventeen of them Canadian troops bound for Korea.
- 1953The British Natural History Museum announces that the “Piltdown Man” skull, initially believed to be one of the most important fossilized hominid skulls ever found, is a hoax.
- 1959American disc jockey Alan Freed, who had popularized the term “rock and roll” and music of that style, is fired from WABC-AM radio for refusing to deny allegations that he had participated in the payola scandal.
- 1962The Chinese People’s Liberation Army declares a unilateral cease-fire in the Sino-Indian War.
- 1964Second Vatican Council: The third session of the Roman Catholic Church’s ecumenical council closes.
- 1964The Verrazano-Narrows Bridge opens to traffic (at the time it is the world’s longest suspension bridge).
- 1967Vietnam War: American General William Westmoreland tells news reporters: “I am absolutely certain that whereas in 1965 the enemy was winning, today he is certainly losing.”
- 1969The first permanent ARPANET link is established between UCLA and SRI.
- 1969U.S. President Richard Nixon and Japanese Premier Eisaku Sato agree in Washington, D.C. on the return of Okinawa to Japanese control in 1972. Under the terms of the agreement, the U.S. is to retain its rights to bases on the island, but these are to be nuclear-free.
- 1970Vietnam War: Operation Ivory Coast – A joint Air Force and Army team raids the Son Tay prison camp in an attempt to free American prisoners of war thought to be held there.
- 1971Indian troops, partly aided by Mukti Bahini (Bengali guerrillas), defeat the Pakistan army in the Battle of Garibpur.
- 1972Voters in South Korea overwhelmingly approve a new constitution, giving legitimacy to Park Chung-hee and the Fourth Republic.
- 1974The Birmingham Pub Bombings kill 21 people. The Birmingham Six are sentenced to life in prison for the crime but subsequently acquitted.
- 1977Minister of Internal Affairs Allan Highet announces that 'the national anthems of New Zealand shall be the traditional anthem “God Save the Queen” and the poem “God Defend New Zealand”, written by Thomas Bracken, as set to music by John Joseph Woods, both being of equal status as national anthems appropriate to the occasion.
- 1979The United States Embassy in Islamabad, Pakistan is attacked by a mob and set on fire, killing four. (see: Foreign relations of Pakistan)
- 1980A deadly fire breaks out at the MGM Grand Hotel in Paradise, Nevada (now Bally’s Las Vegas). 87 people are killed and more than 650 are injured in the worst disaster in Nevada history.
- 1985United States Navy intelligence analyst Jonathan Pollard is arrested for spying after being caught giving Israel classified information on Arab nations. He is subsequently sentenced to life in prison.
- 1986Iran-Contra Affair: National Security Council member Oliver North and his secretary start to shred documents implicating them in the sale of weapons to Iran and channeling the proceeds to help fund the Contra rebels in Nicaragua.
- 1990The Charter of Paris for a New Europe refocuses the efforts of the Conference for Security and Co-operation in Europeon post-Cold War issues.
- 1995The Dayton Peace Agreement is initialed at the Wright Patterson Air Force Base, near Dayton, Ohio, ending three and a half years of war in Bosnia and Herzegovina. The agreement is formally ratified in Paris, on December 14 that same year.
- 1996Antonio Salinass in San Juan, Puerto Rico kills 33.
- 2002NATO invites Bulgaria, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Romania, Slovakia and Slovenia to become members.
- 2004The Paris Club agrees to write off 80% (up to $100 billion) of Iraq’s external debt.
- 2004The island of Dominica is hit by the most destructive earthquake in its history. The northern half of the island receives the most damage, especially the town of Portsmouth. It is also felt in neighboring Guadeloupe, where one person is killed.
- 2004The second round of the Ukrainian presidential election is held, giving rise to massive protests and controversy over the election’s integrity.
- 2006Anti-Syrian Lebanese Minister and MP Pierre Gemayel is assassinated in suburban Beirut.
- 2009A mine explosion in Heilongjiang province, northeastern China, kills 108.
Who Were Born On November 21?
- 1495John Bale, English churchman (d. 1563)
- 1567Anne de Xainctonge, French saint (d. 1621)
- 1643René-Robert Cavelier de LaSalle French explorer (d. 1687)
- 1692Carlo Innocenzio Maria Frugoni, Italian poet (d. 1768)
- 1694Voltaire, French philosopher (d. 1778)
- 1729Josiah Bartlett, American signer of the Declaration of Independence (d. 1795)
- 1760Joseph Plumb Martin, Soldier in the Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War (d. 1850)
- 1761Dorothea Jordan, British actress (d. 1816)
- 1768Friedrich Schleiermacher, German theologian (d. 1834)
- 1787Samuel Cunard, Canadian-born shipping magnate (d. 1865)
- 1811Zeng Guofan, Chinese military leader (d. 1872)
- 1818Lewis H. Morgan, American anthropologist (d. 1881)
- 1835Hetty Green, American businesswoman (d. 1916)
- 1840Victoria, Princess Royal of Great Britain and German Empress (d. 1901)
- 1851Désiré-Joseph Mercier, Belgian Cardinal (d. 1926)
- 1852Francisco Tárrega, father of modern classical guitar (d. 1909)
- 1853Hussein Kamal, Sultan of Egypt (d. 1917)
- 1854Pope Benedict XV (d. 1922)
- 1861Tom Horn, American lawman and convicted murderer (d. 1903)
- 1866Konishiki Yasokichi I, Japanese sumo wrestler, 17th Yokozuna (d. 1914)
- 1866Sigbjørn Obstfelder, Norwegian writer (d. 1900)
- 1870Alexander Berkman, American anarchist and writer (d. 1936)
- 1870Joe Darling, Australian cricketer (d. 1946)
- 1870Sigfrid Edström, Swedish sports official (d. 1964)
- 1876Olav Duun, Norwegian writer (d. 1939)
- 1877Sigfrid Karg-Elert, German composer (d. 1933)
- 1878Gustav Radbruch, German law professor (d. 1949)
- 1886Harold Nicolson, British diplomat (d. 1968)
- 1897Mollie Steimer Russian-born American anarchist (d. 1980)
- 1898René Magritte, Belgian painter (d. 1967)
- 1899Jobyna Ralston, American actress (d. 1967)
- 1902Foster Hewitt, Canadian radio pioneer (d. 1985)
- 1902Isaac Bashevis Singer, Polish American author, Nobel laureate (d. 1991)
- 1902Mikhail Suslov, Soviet statesman (d. 1982)
- 1904Coleman Hawkins, American musician (d. 1969)
- 1908Elizabeth George Speare, American author (d. 1994)
- 1912Eleanor Powell, American actress and dancer (d. 1983)
- 1913Roy Boulting, British film director (d. 2001)
- 1914Henri Laborit, French physician, writer, and philosopher (d. 1995)
- 1916Sid Luckman, American football player (d. 1998)
- 1919Steve Brodie, American actor (d. 1992)
- 1920Ralph Meeker, American actor (d. 1988)
- 1920Stan Musial, American baseball player
- 1921Joonas Kokkonen, Finnish composer (d. 1996)
- 1922Abe Lemons, American basketball coach (d. 2002)
- 1922María Casares, Spanish-born actress (d. 1996)
- 1923Veljko Kadijević, Yugoslav general
- 1924Christopher Tolkien, British author
- 1924Milka Planinc, Prime Minister of Yugoslavia (d. 2010)
- 1925Xie Jin, Chinese film director (d. 2008)
- 1926William Wakefield Baum, American Cardinal
- 1927Georgia Frontiere, American professional sports team owner (d. 2008)
- 1927Joseph Campanella, American actor
- 1929Laurier LaPierre, Canadian journalist and politician
- 1929Marilyn French, American feminist writer (d. 2009)
- 1930Marjan Rožanc, Slovenian writer and essayist (d. 1990)
- 1931Lewis Binford, American archaeologist (d. 2011)
- 1931Malcolm Williamson, Australian composer (d. 2003)
- 1931Revaz Dogonadze, Georgian scientist (d. 1985)
- 1932Beryl Bainbridge, British novelist (d. 2010)
- 1933Henry Hartsfield, American astronaut
- 1934Laurence Luckinbill, American actor
- 1935Fairuz, Lebanese singer
- 1936Victor Chang, Australian physician (d. 1991)
- 1937Ingrid Pitt, Polish-born British actress (d. 2010)
- 1937Marlo Thomas, American actress
- 1939Budd Dwyer, American politician (d. 1987)
- 1940Dr. John, American musician
- 1940Freddy Beras Goico, Dominican TV host and comedian (d. 2010)
- 1940Richard Marcinko, American author
- 1941İdil Biret, Turkish pianist
- 1941Juliet Mills, British actress
- 1942Afa Anoa'i, Samoan/American wrestler
- 1942Heidemarie Wieczorek-Zeul, German politician
- 1943Jacques Laffite, French racing driver
- 1943Larry Mahan, American rodeo cowboy
- 1943Phil Bredesen, American politician and 48th Governor of Tennessee
- 1943Viktor Sidjak, Russian fencer
- 1944Earl Monroe, American basketball player
- 1944Harold Ramis, American actor/director
- 1944Richard Durbin, American politician
- 1945Goldie Hawn, American actress
- 1946Jacky Lafon, Belgian actress
- 1947Nickolas Grace, British actor
- 1948Alphonse Mouzon, American drummer
- 1948George Zimmer, American entrepreneur
- 1948Michel Suleiman, President of Lebanon
- 1950Stephen Geyer, American film and television composer
- 1952Lorna Luft, American actress and singer, daughter of Judy Garland
- 1954Thomas Rothman, American film executive
- 1955Cedric Maxwell, American basketball player
- 1958David Reivers, American actor
- 1960Brian McNamara, American actor
- 1960Brian Ritchie, American musician (Violent Femmes)
- 1962Sabine Busch, German athlete
- 1962Steven Curtis Chapman, American musician
- 1963Nicollette Sheridan, British actress
- 1964Liza Tarbuck, British entertainer
- 1964Olden Polynice, Haitian basketball player
- 1964Shane Douglas, American wrestler
- 1965Alexander Siddig, British actor
- 1965Björk, Icelandic musician
- 1965Reggie Lewis, American basketball player (d. 1993)
- 1966Evgeny Bareev, Russian chess Grandmaster
- 1966Troy Aikman, American football player
- 1967Ken Block, American rally driver
- 1967Toshihiko Koga, Japanese Judoka
- 1967Tripp Cromer, American baseball player
- 1968Alex James, English bassist (Blur)
- 1968Antonio Tarver, American boxer
- 1968Christopher Noxon, American journalist
- 1968Inka Bause, German actress and singer
- 1968Sean Schemmel, American voice actor
- 1969Ken Griffey, Jr., American baseball player
- 1970Justin Langer, Australian cricketer
- 1971Michael Strahan, American football player
- 1972David Tua, Samoan boxer
- 1972Rain Phoenix, American singer/actress
- 1973Brook Kerr, American actress
- 1973Inés Sastre, Spanish model and actress
- 1974Karen Rolton, Australian Cricketer
- 1975Aaron Solowoniuk, Canadian drummer
- 1975Cherie Johnson, American actress
- 1975Chris Moneymaker, American poker player
- 1976Daniel Whiston, British ice skater
- 1976Dasha, Czech adult actress
- 1976Martin Meichelbeck, German footballer
- 1976Michael Wilson, Australian rules footballer
- 1977Bruno Berner, Swiss footballer
- 1977Jonas Jennings, American football player
- 1977Myles Heskett, Australian musician (Wolfmother)
- 1977Tobias Sammet, German singer (Edguy)
- 1977Yolande James, Canadian politician
- 1978Daniel Bradshaw, Australian rules footballer
- 1978Lucía Jiménez, Spanish actress
- 1978Sara Tanaka, American actress
- 1979Alex Tanguay, Canadian ice hockey player
- 1979Kim Dong Wan, Korean singer (Shinhwa)
- 1979Stromile Swift, American basketball player
- 1979Vincenzo Iaquinta, Italian footballer
- 1980Alec Brownstein, American author, director
- 1980Elaine Yiu, Hong Kong actress
- 1980Hank Blalock, American baseball player
- 1980Leonardo González, Costa Rican footballer
- 1981Jonny Magallón, Mexican footballer
- 1981Piet Rinke, Zimbabwean cricketer
- 1981Wesley Britt, American football player
- 1982Georgios Kalogiannidis, Greek archer
- 1982Ryan Starr, American singer
- 1983Brianna Garcia, American professional wrestler
- 1983Jamie Langley, English rugby player
- 1983Nicole Garcia, American professional wrestler
- 1984Álvaro Bautista, Spanish motorcycle racer
- 1984Callum Ferguson, Australian Cricketer
- 1984Hope Dworaczyk, American model
- 1984Jena Malone, American actress
- 1985Jesús Navas, Spanish footballer
- 1985Nicola Silvestri, Italian footballer
- 1986Ben Bishop, American ice hockey goalie
- 1986Jordan Lloyd, American reality television personality
- 1987Brian Douwes, Dutch kickboxer and martial artist
- 1987Stefan Glarner, Swiss footballer
- 1988Len Väljas, Canadian cross-country skier
- 1989Fabian Delph, English footballer
- 1992Megan and Liz, American musicians
- 1993Elena Myers, American motorcycle racer
- 2001Samantha Bailey, American actress
Who Died On November 21?
- 496Pope Gelasius I
- 1011Reizei, Japanese emperor (b. 950)
- 1150García Ramírez, King of Navarre
- 1361Philip I, Duke of Burgundy (plague) (b. 1346)
- 1555Georg Agricola, German scientist (b. 1490)
- 1566Annibale Caro, Italian poet (b. 1507)
- 1579Thomas Gresham, English merchant and financier
- 1652Jan Brożek, Polish mathematician, physician, and astronomer (b. 1585)
- 1695Henry Purcell, English composer
- 1730François de Troy, French portrait artist (b. 1645)
- 1775John Hill, British writer
- 1782Jacques de Vaucanson, French inventor and engineer (b. 1709)
- 1811Heinrich von Kleist, German writer (b. 1777)
- 1825Panos Kolokotronis, Greek fighter in the Greek War of Independence (b. 1800)
- 1844Ivan Krylov, Russian fabulist (b. 1769)
- 1859Yoshida Shōin, Japanese intellectual (b. 1830)
- 1861Jean-Baptiste Henri Lacordaire, French priest, re-established the Dominican Order (b. 1802)
- 1870Karel Jaromír Erben, Czech writer (b. 1811)
- 1874Mariano Fortuny, Spanish painter (b. 1838)
- 1881Ami Boué, Austrian geologist (b. 1794)
- 1899Garret Hobart, 24th Vice President of the United States (b. 1844)
- 1907Paula Modersohn-Becker, German painter (b. 1876)
- 1909Peder Severin Krøyer, Norwegian-Danish painter (b. 1851
- 1916Emperor Franz Josef I of Austria (b. 1830)
- 1922Ricardo Flores Magón, Mexican anarchist (b. 1874).
- 1924Florence Harding, American First Lady (b. 1860)
- 1938Leopold Godowsky, Polish American pianist (b. 1870)
- 1941Henrietta Vinton Davis American elocutionist and public speaker (b. 1860)
- 1942J. B. M. Hertzog, South African Prime Minister (b. 1866)
- 1942Leopold Graf Berchtold, Austro-Hungarian foreign minister (b. 1863)
- 1945Al Davis, American boxer (b. 1920)
- 1945Alexander Patch, American general (b. 1889)
- 1945Robert Benchley, American writer and actor (b. 1889)
- 1953Larry Shields, American jazz clarinetist (b. 1893)
- 1957Francis Burton Harrison, American politician (b. 1873)
- 1958Mel Ott, American baseball player (b. 1909)
- 1959Max Baer, American boxer (b. 1909)
- 1963Robert Stroud, American convicted murderer and ornithologist (b. 1890)
- 1967C. M. Eddy, Jr., American writer (b. 1896)
- 1969Mutesa II of Buganda, President of Uganda (b. 1924)
- 1970Newsy Lalonde, Canadian ice hockey player (b. 1887)
- 1970Sir C. V. Raman, Indian physicist, Nobel laureate (b. 1888)
- 1973Thomas Pelly, American politician (b. 1902)
- 1974Frank Martin, Swiss composer (b. 1890)
- 1974John B. Gambling, American radio talk show host (b. 1897)
- 1975Gunnar Gunnarsson, Icelandic writer (b. 1889)
- 1980Sara García, Mexican actress (b. 1895)
- 1981Harry Von Zell, American announcer (b. 1906)
- 1982John Hargrave, British Social Credit advocate (b. 1894)
- 1986Dar Robinson, American film stuntman (b. 1947)
- 1986Jerry Colonna, American comic (b. 1904)
- 1986Marcelino Sanchez, American actor (b. 1957)
- 1988Carl Hubbell, American baseball player (b. 1903)
- 1988Pál Kalmár, Hungarian singer (b. 1900)
- 1990Dean Hart, Canadian professional wrestler (b. 1954)
- 1991Sonny Werblin, former owner of the New York Jets (b. 1907)
- 1992Kaysone Phomvihane, President of Laos (b. 1920)
- 1993Bill Bixby, American actor and director (b. 1934)
- 1994Willem Jacob Luyten, Dutch American astronomer (b. 1899)
- 1995Noel Jones, British diplomat (b. 1940)
- 1995Peter Grant, British rock manager and actor (b. 1935)
- 1996Abdus Salam, Pakistani physicist and Nobel laureate (b. 1926)
- 1999Quentin Crisp, British writer and actor (b. 1908)
- 2000Ernest Lluch, Spanish politician (b. 1937)
- 2001King Salahuddin of Malaysia (b. 1926)
- 2002Hadda Brooks, American jazz singer, pianist, and composer (b. 1916)
- 2005Alfred Anderson, Scottish World War I veteran (b. 1896)
- 2005Hugh Sidey, American journalist (b. 1927)
- 2006Hassan Gouled Aptidon, President of Djibouti (b. 1916)
- 2006Kathryn Johnston, American police shooting victim (b. 1914)
- 2006Pierre Amine Gemayel, Lebanese statesman (b. 1972)
- 2006Robert Lockwood, Jr., American blues guitarist (b. 1915)
- 2007Fernando Fernán Gómez, Spanish actor, director and playwright (b. 1921)
- 2007Noel McGregor, New Zealand cricketer (b. 1931)
- 2007Tom Johnson, Canadian ice hockey player (b. 1928)
- 2009Konstantin Feoktistov, Soviet cosmonaut (b. 1926)
- 2010David Nolan, American politicial activist (b. 1943)
- 2010Margaret Taylor-Burroughs, American artist and writer (b. 1917)
- 2010Norris Church Mailer, American model and widow of Norman Mailer (b. 1949)
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