What are the important events that happened on October 21? Here are historical events, facts, and some myths about this day.
October 21: Facts & Myths About This Day
October 21 is the 295th day of the year 2024 in the Gregorian calendar. There are 71 days remaining until the end of this year. The day of the week is Monday.
Under the Julian calendar, this day is October 8, 2024 – a Monday. Both day of the week are the same but did you notice the difference with the Gregorian calendar?
When this day started, 1,729,468,800 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 ‘dihectaenneacontapentagon’ day.
Libra is the zodiac sign of a person born on this day. Opal is the modern birthstone for this month. Jasper is the mystical birthstone from Tibetan origin that dates back over a thousand years.
According to the lunisolar Chinese calendar, there are 100 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 4,322 days since this fabled cataclysmic event.
Do people and celebrities interest you? Discover all the October 21 famous birthdays who share your special day. Learn some fun facts about your birthday! (Sponsored link)
October 21 Historical Events
- 1392 –Nanboku-chō: Emperor Go-Kameyama abdicates in favor of rival claimant Go-Komatsu.
- 1520 –Ferdinand Magellan discovers a strait now known as Strait of Magellan.
- 1854 –Florence Nightingale and a staff of 38 nurses are sent to the Crimean War.
- 1892 –Opening ceremonies for the World’s Columbian Exposition are held in Chicago, though because construction was behind schedule, the exposition did not open until May 1, 1893.
- 1895 –The Republic of Formosa collapses as Japanese forces invade.
- 1965 –Comet Ikeya-Seki approaches perihelion, passing 450,000 kilometers from the sun.
- 1969 –A coup d'état in Somalia brings Siad Barre to power.
- 1987 –Jaffna hospital massacre is carried out by Indian Peace Keeping Force in Sri Lanka killing 70 ethnic Tamil patients, doctors and nurses.
- 1994 –North Korea nuclear weapons program: North Korea and the United States sign an agreement that requires North Korea to stop its nuclear weapons program and agree to inspections.
- 2003 –Images of the dwarf planet Eris are taken and subsequently used in documenting its discovery by the team of Michael E. Brown, Chad Trujillo, and David L. Rabinowitz.
Who were born on October 21?
- 1449 –George, Duke of Clarence, brother of Edward IV and Richard III (d. 1478)
- 1660 –Georg Ernst Stahl, German scientist (d. 1734)
- 1790 –Alphonse de Lamartine, French writer (d. 1869)
- 1966 –Arne Sandstø, Norwegian footballer
- 1968 –Alexandros Alexandris, Greek footballer
- 1971 –Jade Jagger, socialite and jewellery Designer
- 1973 –Charlie Lowell, pianist with the group Jars of Clay
- 1976 –Josh Ritter, American musician
- 1982 –Lee Chong Wei, Malaysian badminton player
- 1983 –Andy Marté, Dominican baseball player
Who died on October 21?
- 1805 –George Duff, Royal Navy Captain, killed in action at the Battle of Trafalgar (b.1764)
- 1805 –Horatio Nelson, Royal Navy admiral (b. 1758)
- 1805 –John Cooke, Royal Navy Captain, killed in action at the Battle of Trafalgar (b.1763)
- 1896 –James Henry Greathead, British engineer (b. 1844)
- 1938 –Dorothy Hale, American socialite and actress (b. 1905)
- 1940 –William G. Conley, Governor of West Virginia (b. 1866)
- 1965 –Bill Black, American musician (b. 1926)
- 1969 –Waclaw Sierpinski, Polish mathematician (b. 1882)
- 2006 –Sandy West, American musician (The Runaways) (b. 1959)
- 2010 –A. Ayyappan, Indian poet (b. 1949)
Holy Toledo! Did you know that coffee and word games are an excellent combination to sharpen your vocabulary? Let’s give it a quick spin. Within 30 seconds, how many words can you think of from these letters MFEEUVF? Check your answers here: Word search MFEEUVF. (Sponsored by WordFinder.Cafe)