What are the important events that happened on December 21? Here are historical events, facts, and some myths about this day.
December 21: Facts & Myths About This Day
December 21 is the 356th day of the year 2024 in the Gregorian calendar. There are 10 days remaining until the end of this year. The day of the week is Saturday.
Under the Julian calendar, this day is December 8, 2024 – a Saturday. Both day of the week are the same but did you notice the difference with the Gregorian calendar?
When this day started, 1,734,739,200 seconds has elapsed since midnight of January 1, 1970 – the Unix epoch.
Strange as it may, if we name this day after a polygon then it will be called ‘trihectapentacontahexagon’ day.
Sagittarius is the zodiac sign of a person born on this day. Turquoise is the modern birthstone for this month. Onyx is the mystical birthstone from Tibetan origin that dates back over a thousand years.
According to the lunisolar Chinese calendar, there are 39 days remaining before the start of the next Chinese New Year.
The ancient Maya civilization believes that the end of the world will happen on December 21, 2012. There are now 4,383 days since this fabled cataclysmic event.
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December 21: This Day In History
This is a frequent day for the winter solstice to occur in the northern hemisphere and summer solstice to occur in the southern hemisphere.
December 21 Historical Events
- 69 –The Roman Senate declares Vespasian as Roman emperor, the last in the Year of Four Emperors.
- 1140 –Conrad III of Germany besieged Weinsberg.
- 1826 –American settlers in Nacogdoches, Mexican Texas, declare their independence, starting the Fredonian Rebellion.
- 1844 –The Rochdale Pioneers commence business at their cooperative in Rochdale, England, starting the Cooperative movement.
- 1872 –Challenger expedition: HMS Challenger, commanded by Captain George Nares, sails from Portsmouth.
- 1919 –American anarchist Emma Goldman is deported to Russia.
- 1941 –World War II: A formal treaty of alliance between Thailand and Japan is signed in the presence of the Emerald Buddha in Wat Phra Kaew.
- 1979 –Lancaster 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.
- 1994 –Mexican volcano Popocatepetl, dormant for 47 years, erupts gases and ash.
- 2004 –Iraq War: A suicide bomber killed 22 at the forward operating base next to the main U.S. military airfield at Mosul, the single deadliest suicide attack on American soldiers.
Who were born on December 21?
- 1596 –Petru Movilă, Moldovan religious figure (d. 1646)
- 1889 –Sewall Wright, American biologist (d. 1988)
- 1928 –Ed Nelson, American actor
- 1935 –Yusuf Bey, American activist (d. 2003)
- 1943 –Jack Nance, American actor (d. 1996)
- 1946 –Carl Wilson, American musician (The Beach Boys) (d. 1998)
- 1947 –Bryan Hamilton, Northern Irish footballer
- 1948 –Willi Resetarits, Austrian musician
- 1966 –Karri Turner, American actress
- 1982 –Erica Hayden, American journalist and radio personality
Who died on December 21?
- 1873 –Francis Garnier, French explorer (b. 1839)
- 1933 –Knud Rasmussen, Greenlandic polar explorer and anthropologist (b. 1879)
- 1957 –Eric Coates, English-born American composer (b. 1886)
- 1964 –Carl Van Vechten, American writer and photographer (b. 1880)
- 1965 –Claude Champagne, Canadian composer (b. 1891)
- 1967 –Stuart Erwin, American actor (b. 1903)
- 1989 –Rotimi Fani-Kayode, Nigerian-born British photographer (b.1955)
- 1992 –Nathan Milstein, Ukrainian violinist (b. 1903)
- 1997 –Amie Comeaux, American country music singer (b. 1976)
- 2001 –Dick Schaap, American sports journalist (b. 1934)
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