October 21
Events
Pre-1600
- 310 - Sixty-five days after being exiled by the Emperor Maxentius to Sicily, Pope Eusebius dies.
- 1096 - A Seljuk Turkish army successfully fights off the People's Crusade at the Battle of Civetot.
- 1097 - First Crusade: Crusaders led by Godfrey of Bouillon, Bohemund of Taranto, and Raymond IV, Count of Toulouse, begin the Siege of Antioch.
- 1392 - Japanese Emperor Go-Kameyama abdicates in favor of rival claimant Go-Komatsu.
- 1512 - Martin Luther joins the theological faculty of the University of Wittenberg.
- 1520 - João Álvares Fagundes discovers the islands of Saint Pierre and Miquelon, bestowing them their original name of "Islands of the 11,000 Virgins".
- 1600 - Tokugawa Ieyasu defeats the leaders of rival Japanese clans in the Battle of Sekigahara and becomes shōgun of Japan.
1601–1900
- 1774 - The flag of Taunton, Massachusetts is the first to include the word "Liberty".
- 1797 - In Boston Harbor, the 44-gun United States Navy frigate is launched.
- 1805 - Napoleonic Wars: A British fleet led by Lord Nelson defeats a combined French and Spanish fleet under Admiral Villeneuve in the Battle of Trafalgar.
- 1824 - Portland cement is patented.
- 1854 - Florence Nightingale and a staff of 38 nurses are sent to the Crimean War.
- 1861 - American Civil War: Union forces under Colonel Edward Baker are defeated by Confederate troops in the second major battle of the war.
- 1867 - The Medicine Lodge Treaty is signed by southern Great Plains Indian leaders. The treaty requires Native American Plains tribes to relocate to a reservation in the western Indian Territory.
- 1879 - Thomas Edison applies for a patent for his design for an incandescent light bulb.
- 1888 - The Swiss Social Democratic Party is founded.
- 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 capitulation of Tainan completes the Japanese conquest of Taiwan.
1901–present
- 1907 - The 1907 Qaratog earthquake hits the borders of Uzbekistan and Tajikistan, killing between 12,000 and 15,000 people.
- 1910 - arrives in Halifax Harbour to become the first ship of the Royal Canadian Navy.
- 1912 - First Balkan War: The Greek navy completes the capture of the island of Lemnos for use as a forward base against the Dardanelles.
- 1921 - President Warren G. Harding delivers the first speech by a sitting U.S. president against lynching in the Deep South.
- 1931 - A secret society in the Imperial Japanese Army launches an abortive coup d'état attempt.
- 1940 - The first edition of the Ernest Hemingway novel For Whom the Bell Tolls is published.
- 1941 - World War II: The Kragujevac massacre against Serbian men and boys takes place.
- 1943 - World War II: The Provisional Government of Free India is formally established in Japanese-occupied Singapore.
- 1944 - World War II: The first kamikaze attack damages as the Battle of Leyte Gulf begins.
- 1944 - World War II: The Nemmersdorf massacre against German civilians takes place.
- 1944 - World War II: The city of Aachen falls to American forces after three weeks of fighting, the first German city to fall to the Allies.
- 1945 - In the 1945 French legislative election French women vote for the first time.
- 1950 - Korean War: Heavy fighting begins between British and Australian forces and North Koreans during the Battle of Yongju.
- 1956 - The Mau Mau Uprising in Kenya is defeated.
- 1959 - In New York City, the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum opens to the public.
- 1959 - President Dwight D. Eisenhower approves the transfer of all US Army space-related activities to NASA, including most of the Army Ballistic Missile Agency.
- 1965 - Comet Ikeya–Seki approaches perihelion, passing 450,000 kilometers from the sun.
- 1966 - A colliery spoil tip slips onto houses and a school in the village of Aberfan in Wales, killing 144 people, 116 of whom were schoolchildren.
- 1967 - The National Mobilization Committee to End the War in Vietnam organizes a march of fifty thousand people from the Lincoln Memorial to the Pentagon.
- 1969 - The 1969 Somali coup d'état establishes a Marxist–Leninist administration.
- 1971 - A gas explosion kills 22 people at a shopping centre near Glasgow, Scotland.
- 1973 - Fred Dryer of the Los Angeles Rams becomes the first player in NFL history to score two safeties in the same game.
- 1978 - Australian civilian pilot Frederick Valentich vanishes over the Bass Strait south of Melbourne, after reporting contact with an unidentified aircraft.
- 1979 - Moshe Dayan resigns from the Israeli government because of strong disagreements with Prime Minister Menachem Begin over policy towards the Arabs.
- 1981 - Andreas Papandreou becomes Prime Minister of Greece, ending an almost 50-year-long system of power dominated by conservative forces.
- 1983 - The metre is defined as the distance light travels in a vacuum in 1/299,792,458 of a second.
- 1984 - Niki Lauda claims his third and final Formula One Drivers' Championship Title by half a point ahead of McLaren team-mate Alain Prost at the Portuguese Grand Prix.
- 1986 - In Lebanon, pro-Iran kidnappers claim to have abducted American writer Edward Tracy.
- 1987 - The Jaffna hospital massacre is carried out by Indian peacekeeping forces in Sri Lanka, killing 70 Tamil patients, doctors and nurses.
- 1989 - In Honduras, 131 people are killed when a Boeing 727 crashes on approach to Toncontín International Airport near the nation's capital Tegucigalpa.
- 1994 - North Korea and the United States sign an Agreed Framework that requires North Korea to stop its nuclear weapons program and agree to inspections.
- 1994 - In Seoul, South Korea, 32 people are killed when a span of the Seongsu Bridge collapses.
- 2003 - Images of the dwarf planet Eris are taken and subsequently used in documenting its discovery.
- 2011 - Iraq War: President Barack Obama announces that the withdrawal of United States troops from Iraq will be complete by the end of the year.
- 2018 - A passenger train derails in Yilan County, Taiwan, killing 18 people and injuring 187.
- 2019 - Thirty people are killed in a fiery bus crash in western Democratic Republic of the Congo.
- 2019 - In Canada, the 2019 Canadian federal election ends, resulting in incumbent Prime Minister Justin Trudeau remaining in office, albeit with the Liberal Party in a minority government.
- 2021 - A shooting occurs on the set of the film Rust, in which actor Alec Baldwin discharged a prop weapon which had been loaded, killing the director of photography, Halyna Hutchins, and injuring director Joel Souza.
Births
Pre-1600
- 1328 - Hongwu Emperor of China
- 1409 - Alessandro Sforza, Italian condottiero
- 1449 - George Plantagenet, 1st Duke of Clarence, Irish-English son of Cecily Neville, Duchess of York
- 1527 - Louis I, Cardinal of Guise
- 1536 - Joachim Ernest, Prince of Anhalt
- 1581 - Domenichino, Italian painter
1601–1900
- 1650 - Jean Bart, French admiral
- 1658 - Henri de Boulainvilliers, French nobleman
- 1675 - Emperor Higashiyama of Japan
- 1687 - Nicolaus I Bernoulli, Swiss mathematician and theorist
- 1712 - James Steuart, Scottish economist and author
- 1725 - Franz Moritz von Lacy, Austrian field marshal
- 1757 - Pierre Augereau, French general
- 1762 - Herman Willem Daendels, Dutch general, lawyer, and politician, 36th Governor-General of the Dutch East Indies
- 1772 - Samuel Taylor Coleridge, English poet, philosopher, and critic
- 1775 - Giuseppe Baini, Italian priest, composer, and critic
- 1790 - Alphonse de Lamartine, French poet and politician, French Head of State
- 1809 - James Clark, American Jesuit
- 1811 - Filippo Colini, Italian operatic baritone
- 1821 - Sims Reeves, English tenor and actor
- 1833 - Alfred Nobel, Swedish chemist and engineer, invented dynamite and founded the Nobel Prize
- 1845 - Will Carleton, American poet and journalist
- 1847 - Giuseppe Giacosa, Italian poet and playwright
- 1851 - George Ulyett, English cricketer and footballer
- 1868 - Ernest Swinton, British Army officer
- 1874 - Tan Kah Kee, Chinese businessman, community leader, communist and philanthropist
- 1877 - Oswald Avery, Canadian-American physician and microbiologist
- 1884 - Claire Waldoff, German singer and actress
- 1886 - Eugene Burton Ely, American soldier and pilot
- 1887 - Krishna Singh, Indian lawyer and politician, 1st Chief Minister of Bihar
- 1894 - Edogawa Ranpo, Japanese author and critic
- 1895 - Paavo Johansson, Finnish javelin thrower and decathlete
- 1895 - Edna Purviance, American actress
- 1896 - Esther Shumiatcher-Hirschbein, Russian-Canadian poet and screenwriter
- 1898 - Eduard Pütsep, Estonian wrestler and actor
- 1900 - Andrée Boisson, French Olympic fencer
1901–present
- 1902 - Eddy Hamel, American footballer
- 1907 - Nikos Engonopoulos, Greek painter and poet
- 1908 - Niyazi Berkes, Cypriot-English sociologist and academic
- 1911 - Mary Blair, American illustrator and animator
- 1912 - Don Byas, American saxophonist and educator
- 1912 - Alfredo Pián, Argentinian race car driver
- 1912 - Georg Solti, Hungarian-English conductor and director
- 1914 - Martin Gardner, American mathematician and author
- 1915 - Owen Bradley, American country music record producer
- 1917 - Dizzy Gillespie, American trumpet player, composer, and bandleader
- 1918 - Milton Himmelfarb, American sociologist and author
- 1918 - Albertina Sisulu, South African anti-apartheid activist
- 1919 - Jim Wallwork, English-Canadian sergeant and pilot
- 1921 - Malcolm Arnold, English composer
- 1921 - Bruce Beeby, Australian-English actor
- 1921 - Robert Clothier, Canadian actor
- 1921 - Jim Shumate, American fiddler and composer
- 1921 - Ingrid van Houten-Groeneveld, Dutch astronomer and academic
- 1922 - Liliane Bettencourt, French businesswoman and philanthropist
- 1923 - Samuel Khachikian, Iranian director, screenwriter, and author
- 1924 - Joyce Randolph, American actress
- 1924 - Julie Wilson, American actress and singer
- 1925 - Celia Cruz, Cuban-American singer
- 1925 - Virginia Zeani, Romanian soprano and educator
- 1926 - Bob Rosburg, American golfer
- 1926 - Leonard Rossiter, English actor
- 1927 - Fritz Wintersteller, Austrian mountaineer
- 1927 - Howard Zieff, American director and photographer
- 1928 - Whitey Ford, American baseball player and coach
- 1928 - Eudóxia Maria Froehlich, Brazilian zoologist
- 1928 - Vern Mikkelsen, American basketball player and coach
- 1929 - Pierre Bellemare, French radio and television host
- 1929 - Fritz Hollaus, Austrian footballer
- 1929 - Ursula K. Le Guin, American author and critic
- 1929 - George Stinney Jr., wrongfully convicted African-American inmate; second youngest person in the U.S. to be executed
- 1930 - Ivan Silayev, Russian engineer and politician, 19th Prime Minister of Russia
- 1931 - Shammi Kapoor, Indian actor and director
- 1931 - Jim Parks Jr., English cricketer and manager
- 1932 - Pál Csernai, Hungarian footballer and manager
- 1933 - Maureen Duffy, English author, poet, playwright and activist
- 1933 - Francisco Gento, Spanish footballer and manager
- 1935 - Derek Bell, Irish harp player, pianist, and songwriter
- 1935 - Mel Street, American country music singer-songwriter and guitarist
- 1937 - Said Afandi al-Chirkawi, Russian spiritual leader and scholar
- 1937 - Hank Nelson, Australian historian and academic
- 1938 - Carl Brewer, Canadian ice hockey player
- 1940 - Geoffrey Boycott, English cricketer and sportscaster
- 1940 - Frances FitzGerald, American journalist and author
- 1940 - Rhoda Gemignani, American actress
- 1940 - Manfred Mann, South African-English keyboard player and producer
- 1940 - Marita Petersen, Faroese educator and politician, Prime Minister of the Faroe Islands
- 1941 - Steve Cropper, American guitarist, songwriter, producer, and actor
- 1942 - Elvin Bishop, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
- 1942 - Allan Grice, Australian race car driver and politician
- 1942 - Lou Lamoriello, American ice hockey player, coach, and manager
- 1942 - Judy Sheindlin, American judge and television host
- 1942 - Christopher A. Sims, American economist and statistician, Nobel Prize laureate
- 1942 - John Stevens, Baron Stevens of Kirkwhelpington, English police officer and academic
- 1943 - Tariq Ali, Pakistani historian and author
- 1943 - Ron Elliott, American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and composer
- 1944 - Mandy Rice-Davies, English model and actress
- 1944 - Michael Tugendhat, English lawyer and judge
- 1945 - Everett McGill, American actor
- 1945 - Nikita Mikhalkov, Russian filmmaker
- 1945 - Michael White, English journalist
- 1946 - Jane Heal, English philosopher and academic
- 1946 - Jim Hill, American football player and sportscaster
- 1946 - Lux Interior, American singer-songwriter
- 1946 - Lee Loughnane, American singer-songwriter and trumpet player
- 1947 - Dominique Braye, French politician
- 1948 - Shaye J. D. Cohen, American historian and academic
- 1948 - Allen Henry Vigneron, American archbishop
- 1949 - Michel Brière, Canadian ice hockey player
- 1949 - Mike Keenan, Canadian ice hockey player and coach
- 1949 - Benjamin Netanyahu, Israeli captain and politician, 9th Prime Minister of Israel
- 1950 - Ronald McNair, American physicist and astronaut
- 1950 - Leela Vernon, Belizean musician and cultural conservationist
- 1952 - Patti Davis, American actress and author
- 1952 - Allen Hoey, American poet and author
- 1952 - Brent Mydland, German-American keyboard player
- 1953 - Charlotte Caffey, American guitarist and songwriter
- 1953 - Eric Faulkner, Scottish singer-songwriter and guitarist
- 1953 - Keith Green, American singer-songwriter, pianist, and minister
- 1953 - Marc Johnson, American bassist, composer, and bandleader
- 1953 - Peter Mandelson, English journalist and politician, Secretary of State for Northern Ireland
- 1954 - Brian Tobin, Canadian journalist and politician, 6th Premier of Newfoundland
- 1955 - Dick DeVos, American businessman
- 1955 - Catherine Hardwicke, American film director, producer, and screenwriter
- 1955 - Fred Hersch, American pianist and composer
- 1955 - Rich Mullins, American singer-songwriter
- 1956 - Carrie Fisher, American actress and screenwriter
- 1956 - Mike Tully, American pole vaulter
- 1957 - Julian Cope, English singer-songwriter
- 1957 - Irene Edgar, Scottish lawn bowler
- 1957 - Wolfgang Ketterle, German physicist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate
- 1957 - Steve Lukather, American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer
- 1958 - Andre Geim, Russian-English physicist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate
- 1959 - George Bell, Dominican baseball player
- 1959 - Rose McDowall, Scottish singer-songwriter and guitarist
- 1959 - Andy Picheta, English director, producer, and screenwriter
- 1959 - Kevin Sheedy, Welsh-Irish footballer and manager
- 1959 - Ken Watanabe, Japanese actor and producer
- 1959 - Melora Walters, American actress, director, and writer
- 1962 - David Campese, Australian rugby player and coach
- 1964 - Jon Carin, American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer
- 1965 - Ion Andoni Goikoetxea, Spanish footballer and manager
- 1965 - Horace Hogan, American wrestler
- 1965 - Hisashi Imai, Japanese singer-songwriter and guitarist
- 1966 - Phillip Price, Welsh golfer
- 1966 - Igor Prins, Estonian footballer and manager
- 1966 - Arne Sandstø, Norwegian footballer and manager
- 1967 - Georgi Dakov, Bulgarian high jumper
- 1967 - Paul Ince, English footballer and manager
- 1967 - Gavin Lovegrove, New Zealand javelin thrower and graphic designer
- 1967 - Krzysztof Sitko, Polish association football player
- 1968 - Alexandros Alexandris, Greek footballer and manager
- 1968 - Kerstin Andreae, German politician
- 1969 - Michael Hancock, Australian rugby league player
- 1969 - Mo Lewis, American football player
- 1970 - Louis Koo, Hong Kong actor and singer
- 1971 - Hal Duncan, Scottish author and poet
- 1971 - Damien Martyn, Australian cricketer
- 1971 - Nick Oliveri, American singer-songwriter and bass player
- 1971 - Conor O'Shea, Irish rugby player and coach
- 1971 - Paul Telfer, Scottish footballer and coach
- 1971 - Thomas Ulsrud, Norwegian curler
- 1972 - Ashutosh Agashe, Indian businessman and cricketer
- 1972 - Matthew Friedberger, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
- 1972 - Orlando Thomas, American football player
- 1972 - Evhen Tsybulenko, Ukrainian scholar and academic
- 1973 - Lera Auerbach, Russian-American pianist and composer
- 1973 - Charlie Lowell, American pianist and songwriter
- 1974 - Costel Busuioc, Romanian tenor
- 1975 - Toby Hall, American baseball player
- 1975 - Henrique Hilário, Portuguese footballer
- 1976 - Henrik Gustavsson, Swedish footballer
- 1976 - Jeremy Miller, American actor and singer
- 1976 - Lavinia Miloșovici, Romanian gymnast
- 1976 - Josh Ritter, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
- 1976 - Andrew Scott, Irish actor
- 1976 - Mélanie Turgeon, Canadian skier
- 1978 - Will Estes, American actor
- 1978 - Joey Harrington, American football player and sportscaster
- 1978 - Henrik Klingenberg, Finnish singer and keyboard player
- 1978 - Michael McMillian, American actor
- 1979 - Khalil Greene, American baseball player
- 1979 - Gabe Gross, American baseball player
- 1980 - Kim Kardashian, American reality television personality, actress, model, businesswoman and socialite
- 1980 - Brian Pittman, American bass player
- 1981 - Martin Castrogiovanni, Argentinian-Italian rugby player
- 1981 - Olivier Pla, French racing driver
- 1981 - Nemanja Vidić, Serbian footballer
- 1982 - Matt Dallas, American actor
- 1982 - Jim Henderson, American baseball player
- 1982 - Antony Kay, English footballer
- 1982 - Hari Kondabolu, American comedian, actor, and podcaster
- 1982 - Ray Ventrone, American football player
- 1982 - Lee Chong Wei, Malaysian badminton player
- 1982 - James White, American basketball player
- 1983 - Casey Fien, American baseball player
- 1983 - Zack Greinke, American baseball player
- 1983 - Brent Hayden, Canadian swimmer
- 1983 - Gonzalo Klusener, Argentinian footballer
- 1983 - Andy Marte, Dominican baseball player
- 1983 - Amber Rose, American model
- 1983 - Chris Sherrington, English-Scottish martial artist
- 1983 - Charlotte Sullivan, Canadian actress
- 1983 - Ninet Tayeb, Israeli singer
- 1983 - Shelden Williams, American basketball player
- 1984 - Anna Bogdanova, Russian heptathlete
- 1984 - Tom Brandstater, American football player
- 1984 - Kenny Cooper, American soccer player
- 1984 - Anouk Leblanc-Boucher, Canadian speed skater
- 1984 - José Lobatón, Venezuelan baseball player
- 1984 - Marvin Mitchell, American football player
- 1984 - Kieran Richardson, English footballer
- 1985 - Simone Bracalello, Italian footballer
- 1985 - Dean Collis, Australian rugby league player
- 1985 – Hadise, Belgian-Turkish singer-songwriter and dancer
- 1986 - Almen Abdi, Swiss footballer
- 1986 - Chibuzor Chilaka, Nigerian footballer
- 1986 - Scott Rendell, English footballer
- 1987 - Tonje Brenna, Norwegian politician
- 1987 - Justin De Fratus, American baseball player
- 1987 - Andrey Grechin, Russian swimmer
- 1988 - Ricki Olsen, Danish footballer
- 1988 - Glen Powell, American actor
- 1988 - Daniel Schorn, Austrian cyclist
- 1989 - Mads Dahm, Norwegian footballer
- 1989 - Festus Ezeli, Nigerian-American basketball player
- 1989 - Luke Murphy, English footballer
- 1989 - Jonathan Viera, Spanish footballer
- 1989 - Sam Vokes, English-Welsh footballer
- 1990 - Bengali-Fodé Koita, French footballer
- 1990 - Mathieu Peybernes, French footballer
- 1990 - Ricky Rubio, Spanish basketball player
- 1990 - Kristján Þórður Snæbjarnarson, Icelandic politician
- 1991 - Alexander Burmistrov, Russian ice hockey player
- 1991 - Tom Eastman, English footballer
- 1991 - Geoffry Hairemans, Belgian footballer
- 1991 - Rob Keogh, English cricketer
- 1991 - Vadaine Oliver, English footballer
- 1991 - Harry Pell, English footballer
- 1992 - Natasha Bassett, Australian actress
- 1992 - Marzia Kjellberg, Italian businessperson and former YouTuber
- 1992 - Damion Lee, American basketball player
- 1992 - Bernard Tomic, German-Australian tennis player
- 1993 - Kane Brown, American singer and songwriter
- 1995 - Cameron Burgess, Scottish-Australian footballer
- 1995 - Doja Cat, American rapper, singer and songwriter
- 1995 - Antoinette Guedia Mouafo, Cameroonian swimmer