July 21 is the 202nd day of the year (203rd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. There are 163 days remaining until the end of the year.
Events
- 356 BC – The Temple of Artemis in Ephesus, one of the Seven Wonders of the World, is destroyed by arson.
- 230 – Pope Pontian succeeds Urban I as the eighteenth pope.
- 285 – Diocletian appoints Maximian as Caesar and co-ruler.
- 365 – A tsunami devastates the city of Alexandria, Egypt. The tsunami was caused by the Crete earthquake estimated to be 8.0 on the Richter Scale. 5,000 people perished in Alexandria, and 45,000 more died outside the city.
- 1242 – Battle of Taillebourg : Louis IX of France puts an end to the revolt of his vassals Henry III of England and Hugh X of Lusignan.
- 1403 – Battle of Shrewsbury: King Henry IV of England defeats rebels to the north of the county town of Shropshire, England.
- 1545 – The first landing of French troops on the coast of the Isle of Wight during the French invasion of the Isle of Wight.
- 1568 – Eighty Years' War: Battle of Jemmingen – Fernando Álvarez de Toledo, Duke of Alva defeats Louis of Nassau.
- 1718 – The Treaty of Passarowitz between the Ottoman Empire, Austria and the Republic of Venice is signed.
- 1774 – Russo-Turkish War (1768–1774): Russia and the Ottoman Empire sign the Treaty of Küçük Kaynarca ending the war.
- 1831 – Inauguration of Leopold I of Belgium, first king of the Belgians.
- 1861 – American Civil War: First Battle of Bull Run – at Manassas Junction, Virginia, the first major battle of the war begins and ends in a victory for the Confederate army.
- 1865 – In the market square of Springfield, Missouri, Wild Bill Hickok shoots and kills Davis Tutt in what is regarded as the first western showdown.
- 1873 – At Adair, Iowa, Jesse James and the James-Younger Gang pull off the first successful train robbery in the American Old West.
- 1877 – After rioting by Baltimore and Ohio Railroad workers and the deaths of nine rail workers at the hands of the Maryland militia, workers in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania stage a sympathy strike that is met with an assault by the state militia.
- 1904 – Louis Rigolly, a Frenchman, becomes the first man to break the 100 mph (161 km/h) barrier on land. He drove a 15-liter Gobron-Brille in Ostend, Belgium.
- 1914 – The Crown council of Romania decides for the country to remain neutral in World War I.
- 1918 – U-156 shells Nauset Beach, in Orleans, Massachusetts.
- 1919 – The dirigible Wingfoot Air Express crashes into the Illinois Trust and Savings Building in Chicago, Illinois, killing 12 people.
- 1925 – Scopes Trial: In Dayton, Tennessee, high school biology teacher John T. Scopes is found guilty of teaching evolution in class and fined $100.
- 1925 – Sir Malcolm Campbell becomes the first man to break the 150 mph (241 km/h) land barrier at Pendine Sands in Wales. He drove a Sunbeam at a two-way average speed of 150.33 mph (242 km/h).
- 1944 – World War II: Battle of Guam – American troops land on Guam starting the battle. It would end on August 10.
- 1944 – World War II: Claus von Stauffenberg and fellow conspirators are executed in Berlin, Germany for the July 20 plot to assassinate Adolf Hitler.
- 1949 – The United States Senate ratifies the North Atlantic Treaty.
- 1954 – First Indochina War: The Geneva Conference partitions Vietnam into North Vietnam and South Vietnam.
- 1959 – Elijah Jerry "Pumpsie" Green becomes the first African-American to play for the Boston Red Sox, the last team to integrate. He came in as a pinch runner for Vic Wertz and stayed in as shortstop in a 2-1 loss to the Chicago White Sox.
- 1961 – Mercury program: Mercury-Redstone 4 Mission – Gus Grissom piloting Liberty Bell 7 becomes the second American to go into space (in a suborbital mission).
- 1969 – Space Race: Neil Armstrong and Edwin "Buzz" Aldrin become the first humans to walk on the Moon, during the Apollo 11 mission (July 20 in North America).
- 1970 – After 11 years of construction, the Aswan High Dam in Egypt is completed.
- 1972 – The Troubles: Bloody Friday – the Provisional IRA detonate 22 bombs in central Belfast, Northern Ireland, United Kingdom in the space of 80 minutes, killing 9 and injuring 130.
- 1973 – In the Lillehammer affair in Norway, Israeli Mossad agents kill a waiter whom they mistakenly thought was involved in the 1972 Munich Olympics Massacre.
- 1976 – Christopher Ewart-Biggs British ambassador to the Republic of Ireland is assassinated by the Provisional IRA.
- 1977 – The start of the four day long Libyan–Egyptian War.
- 1983 – The world's lowest temperature is recorded at Vostok Station, Antarctica at −89.2 °C (−128.6 °F).
- 1995 – Third Taiwan Strait Crisis: The People's Liberation Army begins firing missiles into the waters north of Taiwan.
- 2001 – At the conclusion of a fireworks display on Okura Beach in Akashi, Hyōgo, Japan, 11 people are killed and more than 120 are injured when a pedestrian footbridge connecting the beach to JR Asagiri railway station becomes overcrowded and people leaving the event fall down in a domino effect.
- 2005 – Four terrorist bombings, occurring exactly two weeks after the similar July 7 bombings, target London's public transportation system. All four bombs fail to detonate and all four suspected suicide bombers are captured and later convicted and imprisoned for long terms.
- 2011 – NASA's Space Shuttle program ends with the landing of Space Shuttle Atlantis on mission STS-135.
Births
- 1620 – Jean Picard, French astronomer (d. 1682)
- 1664 – Matthew Prior, English poet and diplomat (d. 1721)
- 1693 – Thomas Pelham-Holles, 1st Duke of Newcastle, English statesman, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom (d. 1768)
- 1710 – Paul Möhring, German physician (d. 1792)
- 1762 – Timothy Hinman, American road builder, built the Hinman Settler Road
- 1808 – Simion Bărnuţiu, Romanian philosopher and politician (d. 1864)
- 1810 – Henri Victor Regnault, French chemist (d. 1878)
- 1816 – Paul Reuter, German-English journalist (d. 1899)
- 1851 – Sam Bass, American criminal (d. 1878)
- 1858 – Maria Christina of Austria (d. 1929)
- 1858 – Lovis Corinth, German painter (d. 1925)
- 1858 – Alfred Henry O'Keeffe, New Zealand artist (d. 1941)
- 1863 – Aubrey Smith, English cricketer and actor (d. 1948)
- 1870 – Emil Orlík, Czech painter (d. 1932)
- 1880 – Milan Rastislav Štefánik, Slovak politician and astronomer (d. 1919)
- 1882 – David Burliuk, Ukrainian author and illustrator (d. 1967)
- 1893 – Hans Fallada, German writer (d. 1947)
- 1898 – Sara Carter, American singer-songwriter (Carter Family) (d. 1979)
- 1899 – Hart Crane, American poet (d. 1932)
- 1899 – Ernest Hemingway, American writer, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1961)
- 1903 – Roy Neuberger, American financier (d. 2010)
- 1908 – Harold "Jug" McSpaden, American golfer (d. 1996)
- 1911 – Marshall McLuhan, Canadian author and theorist (d. 1980)
- 1920 – Constant Nieuwenhuys, Dutch painter (d. 2005)
- 1920 – Isaac Stern, polish violinist and conductor (d. 2001)
- 1922 – Kay Starr, American singer
- 1922 – Mollie Sugden, English actress (d. 2009)
- 1923 – Rudolph A. Marcus, Canadian chemist, Nobel Prize laureate
- 1924 – Don Knotts, American actor (d. 2006)
- 1925 – Anne Meacham, American actress (d. 2006)
- 1926 – Paul Burke, American actor (d. 2009)
- 1926 – Norman Jewison, Canadian director, producer, and actor
- 1926 – Rahimuddin Khan, Pakistani general
- 1926 – Karel Reisz, English director (d. 2002)
- 1926 – Queenie Watts, English actress (d. 1980)
- 1928 – Sky Low Low, Canadian wrestler (d. 1998)
- 1929 – Bob Orton, American wrestler (d. 2006)
- 1930 – Anand Bakshi, Indian poet and songwriter (d. 2002)
- 1930 – Helen Merrill, American singer
- 1932 – Ernie Warlick, American football player
- 1933 – John Gardner, American author (d. 1982)
- 1934 – Chandu Borde, Indian cricketer
- 1934 – Jonathan Miller, English director, actor, and author
- 1935 – Norbert Blüm, German businessman and politician
- 1935 – Moe Drabowsky, Polish-American baseball player (d. 2006)
- 1935 – Kaye Stevens, American singer and actress (d. 2011)
- 1938 – Les Aspin, American politician (d. 1995)
- 1938 – Anton Kuerti, Austrian-Canadian pianist, composer, and conductor
- 1938 – Janet Reno, American lawyer and politician, 79th United States Attorney General
- 1939 – John Negroponte, American diplomat, 1st Director of National Intelligence
- 1942 – Kim Fowley, American songwriter, musician, manager, and producer
- 1943 – Edward Herrmann, American actor
- 1944 – Paul Wellstone, American politician (d. 2002)
- 1945 – Geoff Dymock, Australian cricketer
- 1945 – John Lowe, English darts player
- 1945 – Lydia Shum, Hong Kong comedian and actress (d. 2008)
- 1945 – Barry Richards, South African cricketer
- 1946 – Ken Starr, American lawyer and judge
- 1947 – Chetan Chauhan, Indian cricketer
- 1948 – Snooty, American manatee
- 1948 – Beppe Grillo, Italian actor, comedian, and activist, leader of the Five Star Movement
- 1948 – Art Hindle, Canadian actor
- 1948 – Ed Hinton, American writer
- 1948 – Cat Stevens, English singer-songwriter and musician
- 1948 – Garry Trudeau, American cartoonist
- 1948 – Teruzane Utada, Japanese record producer and manager
- 1949 – Al Hrabosky, American baseball player
- 1949 – Hirini Melbourne, New Zealand singer and composer (d. 2003)
- 1950 – Ubaldo Fillol, Argentinian footballer
- 1951 – Robin Williams, American comedian and actor
- 1952 – John Barrasso, American politician
- 1952 – Susannah Carr, Australian journalist
- 1953 – Jeff Fatt, Chinese-Australian actor
- 1953 – Brian Talbot, English footballer
- 1955 – Taco, Dutch singer-songwriter and producer
- 1955 – Howie Epstein, American bass player (Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers) (d. 2003)
- 1955 – Henry Priestman, English singer-songwriter, keyboardist, and producer (The Christians, It's Immaterial, and Yachts)
- 1955 – Béla Tarr, Hungarian director
- 1956 – Michael Connelly, American author
- 1957 – Jon Lovitz, American comedian and actor
- 1959 – Paul Vautin, Australian rugby player
- 1960 – Lance Guest, American actor
- 1960 – Fritz Walter, German footballer
- 1961 – Amar Singh Chamkila, Punjabi singer-songwriter (d. 1988)
- 1961 – Jim Martin, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (Faith No More, EZ-Street, Spastik Children, and Voodoocult)
- 1963 – Greg Behrendt, American comedian, guitarist, and author (The Reigning Monarchs)
- 1963 – Dorce Gamalama, Indonesian singer-songwriter and actress
- 1963 – Kevin Poole, English footballer
- 1963 – Giant Silva, Brazilian basketball player, mixed martial artist, and wrestler
- 1964 – Ross Kemp, English actor
- 1964 – Jens Weißflog, German ski jumper
- 1965 – Guðni Bergsson, Icelandic footballer
- 1965 – Mike Bordick, American baseball player
- 1965 – Jovy Marcelo, Filipino race car driver (d. 1992)
- 1966 – Arija Bareikis, American actress
- 1966 – Sarah Waters, English novelist
- 1968 – Johnnie Barnes, American football player
- 1968 – Brandi Chastain, American soccer player
- 1968 – Lyle Odelein, Canadian ice hockey player
- 1969 – Godfrey, American comedian and actor
- 1969 – Klaus Graf, German race car driver
- 1969 – Emerson Hart, American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer (Tonic)
- 1970 – Shawn Stasiak, American wrestler
- 1971 – Emmanuel Bangué, French long jumper
- 1971 – Marcus Eoin, Scottish musician and producer (Boards of Canada)
- 1971 – Charlotte Gainsbourg, French actress and singer
- 1971 – Nuno Markl, Portuguese comedian and writer
- 1972 – Shinjiro Otani, Japanese wrestler
- 1973 – Ali Landry, American model and actress
- 1974 – Geoff Jenkins, American baseball player
- 1975 – Chris Bisson, English actor
- 1975 – Cara Dillon, Irish singer-songwriter
- 1975 – Ravindra Pushpakumara, Sri Lankan cricketer
- 1975 – Mike Sellers, American football player
- 1977 – Paul Casey, English golfer
- 1977 – Jaime Murray, English actress
- 1978 – Justin Bartha, American actor
- 1978 – Anderson da Silva Gibin, Brazilian footballer
- 1978 – Josh Hartnett, American actor
- 1978 – Kyoko Iwasaki, Japanese swimmer
- 1978 – Damian Marley, Jamaican singer
- 1978 – Gary Teale, Scottish footballer
- 1979 – David Carr, American football player
- 1979 – Tamika Catchings, American basketball player
- 1979 – Luis Ernesto Michel, Mexican footballer
- 1979 – Andriy Voronin, Ukrainian footballer
- 1979 – Paul Weel, Australian race car driver
- 1980 – Really Doe, American rapper and songwriter
- 1980 – Sprague Grayden, American actress
- 1980 – Justin Griffith, American football player
- 1980 – Tailor James, American model
- 1980 – Sandra Laoura, French skier
- 1980 – Chris Leben, American mixed martial artist
- 1980 – CC Sabathia, American baseball player
- 1981 – Anabelle Langlois, Canadian figure skater
- 1981 – Blake Lewis, American singer-songwriter and producer
- 1981 – Yushin Okami, Japanese mixed martial artist
- 1981 – Claudette Ortiz, American singer and model (City High)
- 1981 – Joaquín Sánchez, Spanish footballer
- 1981 – Stefan Schumacher, German cyclist
- 1981 – Chrishell Stause, American actress
- 1982 – Mao Kobayashi, Japanese actress
- 1983 – Vinessa Antoine, Canadian actress
- 1983 – Olamide Faison, American actor
- 1983 – Amy Mizzi, American actress
- 1983 – Eivør Pálsdóttir, Faroese singer-songwriter and guitarist
- 1983 – Kellen Winslow II, American football player
- 1984 – Jurrick Juliana, Dutch footballer
- 1984 – Liam Ridgewell, English footballer
- 1985 – Paloma Faith, English singer-songwriter and actress
- 1985 – Vanessa Lengies, Canadian actress
- 1985 – Jéssica Sodré, Brazilian actress
- 1985 – Von Wafer, American basketball player
- 1986 – Livia Brito, Cuban actress
- 1986 – Rebecca Ferguson, English singer-songwriter
- 1987 – Peter Doocy, American journalist
- 1988 – Hatty Jones, English actress
- 1988 – DeAndre Jordan, American basketball player
- 1988 – Chris Mitchell, Scottish footballer
- 1989 – Rory Culkin, American actor
- 1989 – Chris Gunter, Welsh footballer
- 1989 – Chelsie Hightower, American dancer and choreographer
- 1989 – Kierstin Koppel, American actress
- 1989 – Juno Temple, English actress
- 1989 – Jamie Waylett, English actor
- 1990 – Chris Martin, English footballer
- 1990 – Whitney Toyloy, Swiss model, Miss Switzerland 2008
- 1992 – Jessica Barden, English actress
- 1992 – Rachael Flatt, American figure skater
- 1992 – Giselle Klein, Canadian race car driver
Deaths
- 1403 – Henry Percy, English nobleman and soldier (b. 1364)
- 1425 – Manuel II Palaiologos, Byzantine Emperor (b. 1350)
- 1688 – James Butler, 1st Duke of Ormonde, English statesman and soldier (b. 1610)
- 1793 – Bruni d'Entrecasteaux, French explorer (b. 1739)
- 1796 – Robert Burns, Scottish poet (b. 1759)
- 1798 – François Sebastien Charles Joseph de Croix, Count of Clerfayt, Austrian field marshal (b. 1733)
- 1878 – Sam Bass, American criminal (b. 1851)
- 1880 – Hiram Walden, American politician (b. 1800)
- 1889 – Nelson Dewey, American politician (b. 1813)
- 1899 – Robert G. Ingersoll, American politician and military officer (b. 1833)
- 1932 – Bill Gleason, American baseball player (b. 1858)
- 1938 – Owen Wister, American author (b. 1860)
- 1941 – Bohdan Lepky, Ukrainian writer and poet (b. 1872)
- 1943 – Charley Paddock, American athlete (b. 1900)
- 1944 – Claus von Stauffenberg, German military officer, head of the 20 July plot (b. 1907)
- 1946 – Gualberto Villarroel, Bolivian politician (b. 1908)
- 1948 – Arshile Gorky, Armenian-American painter (b. 1904)
- 1967 – Jimmie Foxx, American baseball player (b. 1907)
- 1967 – Albert Lutuli, South African politician, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1898)
- 1967 – Basil Rathbone, English actor (b. 1892)
- 1968 – Ruth St. Denis, American dancer and choreographer (b. 1878)
- 1970 – Mikhail Gerasimov, Russian anthropologist and sculptor (b. 1907)
- 1970 – Bob Kalsu, American football player (b. 1945)
- 1972 – Ralph Craig, American sprinter (b. 1889)
- 1972 – Jigme Dorji Wangchuck, Bhutanese king (b. 1928)
- 1977 – Lee Miller, American photographer (b. 1907)
- 1982 – Dave Garroway, American journalist (b. 1913)
- 1986 – Ernest Maas, American screenwriter (b. 1892)
- 1991 – Paul Warwick, English race car driver (b. 1969)
- 1994 – Marijac, French cartoonist (b. 1908)
- 1998 – Alan Shepard, American astronaut (b. 1923)
- 1998 – Robert Young, American actor (b. 1907)
- 2000 – Marc Reisner, American writer (b. 1948)
- 2001 – Steve Barton, American actor (b. 1954)
- 2001 – Sivaji Ganesan, Indian actor (b. 1927)
- 2003 – John Davies, New Zealand runner (b. 1938)
- 2003 – Matt Jefferies, American set designer and writer (b. 1921)
- 2004 – Jerry Goldsmith, American composer and conductor (b. 1929)
- 2004 – Edward B. Lewis, American geneticist, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1918)
- 2005 – Long John Baldry, English singer and actor (The Steampacket and Bluesology) (b. 1941)
- 2005 – Alfred Hayes, English wrestler and manager (b. 1928)
- 2005 – Michael Chapman, English bassoonist (b. 1934)
- 2006 – Mako Iwamatsu, Japanese-American actor (b. 1933)
- 2006 – Ta Mok, Cambodian monk (b. 1926)
- 2006 – Herbie Kalin, American singer (Kalin Twins) (b. 1934)
- 2007 – Dubravko Škiljan, Croatian linguist (b. 1949)
- 2010 – Luis Corvalán, Chilean politician (b. 1916)
- 2012 – Alexander Cockburn, American journalist (b. 1941)
- 2012 – Ismail Hutson, Malaysian actor (b. 1938)
- 2012 – Andrzej Łapicki, Polish actor (b. 1924)
- 2012 – Ali Podrimja, Albanian poet (b. 1942)
- 2012 – Angharad Rees, Welsh actress (b. 1949)
- 2012 – Gene Stipe, American politician (b. 1926)
- 2012 – Don Wilson, English cricketer (b. 1937)
Holidays and observances
External links
Months and days of the year
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