December 21Birthdays & History

On this day: December 21 in history

Oldest first. Tap a year to see it on the World Chronicle timeline.

1. 69The Roman Senate declares Vespasian emperor of Rome, the last in the Year of the Four Emperors.Europe
2. 1124Pope Honorius II is consecrated, having been elected after the controversial dethroning of Pope-Elect Celestine II.Europe
3. 1140After a siege of several weeks, the city of Weinsberg and its castle surrender to Conrad III of Germany.Europe
4. 1237The city of Ryazan is sacked by the Mongol army of Batu Khan.Asia
5. 1361The Battle of Linuesa is fought in the context of the Spanish Reconquista between the forces of the Emirate of Granada and the combined army of the Kingdom of Castile and of Jaén resulting in a Castilian victory.Europe
6. 1598Battle of Curalaba: The revolting Mapuche, led by cacique Pelentaru, inflict a major defeat on Spanish troops in southern Chile.EuropeLatin America
7. 1620Plymouth Colony: William Bradford and the Mayflower Pilgrims land near what is now known as Plymouth Rock in Plymouth, Massachusetts.North America
8. 1826American settlers in Nacogdoches, Mexican Texas, declare their independence, starting the Fredonian Rebellion.North AmericaLatin America
9. 1832Egyptian–Ottoman War: Egyptian forces decisively defeat Ottoman troops at the Battle of Konya.Middle East
10. 1844The Rochdale Society of Equitable Pioneers commences business at its cooperative in Rochdale, England, starting the Cooperative movement.Europe
11. 1861Medal of Honor: Public Resolution 82, containing a provision for a Navy Medal of Valor, is signed into law by President Abraham Lincoln.North America
12. 1872Challenger expedition: HMS Challenger, commanded by Captain George Nares, sails from Portsmouth, England.Europe
13. 1879the fictional character of Nora Helmer is first portrayed by Betty Hennings at a showing of A Doll's House at the Royal Danish Theatre.Europe
14. 1883The Royal Canadian Dragoons and The Royal Canadian Regiment, the first Permanent Force cavalry and infantry regiments of the Canadian Army, are formed.North America
15. 1907The Chilean Army commits a massacre of at least 2,000 striking saltpeter miners in Iquique, Chile.Latin America
16. 1910An underground explosion at the Hulton Bank Colliery No. 3 Pit in Over Hulton, Westhoughton, England, kills 344 miners.Europe
17. 1919American anarchist Emma Goldman is deported to Russia.North AmericaEurope
18. 1923United Kingdom and Nepal formally sign an agreement of friendship, called the Nepal–Britain Treaty of 1923, which superseded the Treaty of Sugauli signed in 1816.EuropeAsia
19. 1934Lieutenant Kijé, one of Sergei Prokofiev's best-known works, premiered.Europe
20. 1941World War II: A Thai-Japanese Pact of Alliance is signed.AsiaAsia
21. 1946An 8.1 Mw earthquake and subsequent tsunami in Nankaidō, Japan, kills over 1,300 people and destroys over 38,000 homes.Asia
22. 1963"Bloody Christmas" begins in Cyprus, ultimately resulting in the displacement of 25,000–30,000 Turkish Cypriots and destruction of more than 100 villages.Middle East
23. 1965International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination is adopted.World
24. 1967Louis Washkansky, the first man to undergo a human-to-human heart transplant, dies in Cape Town, South Africa, having lived for 18 days after the transplant.Africa
25. 1968Apollo program: Apollo 8 is launched from the Kennedy Space Center, placing its crew on a lunar trajectory for the first visit to another celestial body by humans.North America
26. 1973The Geneva Conference on the Arab–Israeli conflict opens.EuropeMiddle East
27. 1979Lancaster House Agreement: An independence agreement for Rhodesia is signed in London by Lord Carrington, Sir Ian Gilmour, Robert Mugabe, Joshua Nkomo, Bishop Abel Muzorewa and S.C. Mundawarara.AfricaEurope
28. 1988A bomb explodes on board Pan Am Flight 103 over Lockerbie, Dumfries and Galloway, Scotland, killing 270. This is to date the deadliest air disaster to occur on British soil.Europe
29. 1991Dissolution of the Soviet Union: The leaders of 11 now effectively autonomous Soviet republics sign the Alma-Ata Protocol establishing the Commonwealth of Independent States in place of the collapsing Soviet Union.Europe
30. 1992A Dutch DC-10, flight Martinair MP 495, crashes at Faro Airport, Portugal, killing 56.Europe
31. 1995The city of Bethlehem passes from Israeli to Palestinian control.Middle East
32. 1999Cubana de Aviación Flight 1216 overshoots the runway at La Aurora International Airport, killing 18.Latin America
33. 1999The Spanish Civil Guard intercepts a van loaded with 950 kg of explosives that ETA intended to use to blow up Torre Picasso in Madrid, Spain.Europe
34. 2004Iraq War: A suicide bomber kills 22 at the forward operating base next to the main U.S. military airfield at Mosul, Iraq, the single deadliest suicide attack on American soldiers in Iraq.Middle EastNorth America
35. 20122012 phenomenon: Festivities are held in parts of Mesoamerica to commemorate the conclusion of b'ak'tun 13, a roughly 5,126-year-long cycle in the Mesoamerican Long Count Calendar whose passing many New Age spiritualists had earlier held to portend a variety of cataclysmic or transformative events.Latin America
36. 2020A great conjunction of Jupiter and Saturn occurs, with the two planets separated in the sky by 0.1 degrees. This is the closest conjunction between the two planets since 1623.World
37. 2022A Vega C rocket carrying two Pléiades Neo satellites fails after liftoff.Latin America
38. 2023Fourteen people are killed and 25 others injured during a mass shooting at Charles University in Prague, Czech Republic.Europe

Source: Wikipedia "December 21" / CC BY-SA 4.0