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On This Day in History — February 21
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Highlights of February 21
- 1973 — After accidentally straying into the airspace of the Israeli-occupied Sinai Peninsula, Libyan Arab Airlines Flight 114 was shot down by two Israeli fighter aircraft, killing 108 of the 113 people on board. Read more
- 1965 — American Black nationalist Malcolm X (pictured) was assassinated while giving a speech in New York City's Audubon Ballroom. Read more
- 1952 — A number of student protesters demanding the establishment of Bengali as an official language were killed by police in Dhaka, East Pakistan. Read more
- 1929 — Nanjing decade: In the first battle of the Warlord Rebellion in northeastern Shandong against the Nationalist government of China, a 24,000-strong rebel force led by Zhang Zongchang was defeated at Zhifu by 7,000 NRA troops. Read more
- 1919 — Bavarian socialist Kurt Eisner, who had organized the German Revolution that overthrew the Wittelsbach monarchy and established Bavaria as a republic, was assassinated. Read more
- 1866 — Lucy Hobbs Taylor (pictured) became the first woman to receive a doctorate from a dental college. Read more
- 1862 — American Civil War: The Confederate Army began an attempt to gain control of the Southwest with a major victory in the Battle of Valverde. Read more
- 1828 — The inaugural issue of the Cherokee Phoenix, the first newspaper in a Native American language, was published. Read more
- 1746 — Jacobite rising of 1745: The siege of Inverness ended with British forces surrendering to the Jacobite army. Read more
- 1437 — King James I of Scotland was murdered at Perth in a failed coup by his uncle and former ally Walter Stewart, Earl of Atholl. Read more
Events
- 2022 — In the prelude to the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine Russian President Vladimir Putin declares the Luhansk People's Republic and Donetsk People's Republic as independent from Ukraine, and moves troops into the region. The action is condemned by the United Nations. Read more
- 2013 — At least 17 people are killed and 119 injured following several bombings in the Indian city of Hyderabad. Read more
- 1995 — Steve Fossett lands in Leader, Saskatchewan, Canada becoming the first person to make a solo flight across the Pacific Ocean in a balloon. Read more
- 1994 — Aldrich Ames is arrested by the Federal Bureau of Investigation for selling national secrets to the Soviet Union in Arlington County, Virginia. Read more
- 1975 — Watergate scandal: Former United States Attorney General John N. Mitchell and former White House aides H. R. Haldeman and John Ehrlichman are sentenced to prison. Read more
- 1974 — The last Israeli soldiers leave the west bank of the Suez Canal pursuant to a truce with Egypt. Read more
- 1973 — Over the Sinai Desert, Israeli fighter aircraft shoot down Libyan Arab Airlines Flight 114 jet killing 108 people. Read more
- 1972 — United States President Richard Nixon visits China to normalize Sino-American relations. Read more
- 1972 — The Soviet uncrewed spaceship Luna 20 lands on the Moon. Read more
- 1971 — The Convention on Psychotropic Substances is signed at Vienna. Read more
- 1958 — The CND symbol, aka peace symbol, commissioned by the Direct Action Committee in protest against the Atomic Weapons Research Establishment, is designed and completed by Gerald Holtom. Read more
- 1952 — The British government, under Winston Churchill, abolishes identity cards in the UK to "set the people free". Read more
- 1952 — The Bengali language movement protests occur at the University of Dhaka in East Pakistan (now Bangladesh). Read more
- 1948 — NASCAR is incorporated. Read more
- 1947 — In New York City, Edwin Land demonstrates the first "instant camera", the Polaroid Land Camera, to a meeting of the Optical Society of America. Read more
- 1945 — World War II: During the Battle of Iwo Jima, Japanese kamikaze planes sink the escort carrier USS Bismarck Sea and damage the USS Saratoga. Read more
- 1945 — World War II: the Brazilian Expeditionary Force defeat the German forces in the Battle of Monte Castello on the Italian front. Read more
- 1937 — The League of Nations bans foreign national "volunteers" in the Spanish Civil War. Read more
- 1929 — In the first battle of the Warlord Rebellion in northeastern Shandong against the Nationalist government of China, a 24,000-strong rebel force led by Zhang Zongchang was defeated at Zhifu by 7,000 NRA troops. Read more
- 1925 — The New Yorker publishes its first issue. Read more
- 1921 — Constituent Assembly of the Democratic Republic of Georgia adopts the country's first constitution. Read more
- 1921 — Rezā Shāh takes control of Tehran during a successful coup. Read more
- 1919 — German socialist Kurt Eisner is assassinated. His death results in the establishment of the Bavarian Soviet Republic and parliament and government fleeing Munich, Germany. Read more
- 1918 — The last Carolina parakeet dies in captivity at the Cincinnati Zoo. Read more
- 1916 — World War I: In France, the Battle of Verdun begins. Read more
- 1913 — Ioannina is incorporated into the Greek state after the Balkan Wars. Read more
- 1896 — An Englishman raised in Australia, Bob Fitzsimmons, fights an Irishman, Peter Maher, in an American promoted event which technically takes place in Mexico, winning the 1896 World Heavyweight Championship in boxing. Read more
- 1885 — The newly completed Washington Monument is dedicated. Read more
- 1878 — The first telephone directory is issued in New Haven, Connecticut. Read more
- 1874 — The Oakland Daily Tribune publishes its first edition. Read more
- 1862 — American Civil War: Battle of Valverde is fought near Fort Craig in New Mexico Territory. Read more
- 1861 — Mariehamn, the capital city of Åland, is founded. Read more
- 1848 — Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels publish The Communist Manifesto. Read more
- 1842 — John Greenough is granted the first U.S. patent for the sewing machine. Read more
- 1828 — Initial issue of the Cherokee Phoenix is the first periodical to use the Cherokee syllabary invented by Sequoyah. Read more
- 1808 — Without a previous declaration of war, Russian troops cross the border to Sweden at Abborfors in eastern Finland, thus beginning the Finnish War, in which Sweden will lose the eastern half of the country (i.e. Finland) to Russia. Read more
- 1804 — The first self-propelling steam locomotive makes its outing at the Pen-y-Darren Ironworks in Wales. Read more
- 1797 — A force of 1,400 French soldiers invade Britain at Fishguard in support of the Society of United Irishmen. They were defeated by 500 British reservists. Read more
- 1613 — Mikhail I is unanimously elected Tsar by a national assembly, beginning the Romanov dynasty of Imperial Russia. Read more
- 1440 — The Prussian Confederation is formed. Read more
- 1245 — Thomas, the first known Bishop of Finland, is granted resignation after confessing to torture and forgery. Read more
Born on February 21
- 2007 — Leeseo, South Korean singer Read more
- 1999 — Metawin Opas-iamkajorn, Thai actor and singer Read more
- 1996 — Noah Rubin, American tennis player Read more
- 1996 — Sophie Turner, English actress Read more
- 1994 — Tang Haochen, Chinese tennis player Read more
- 1994 — Hayley Orrantia, American actress and singer-songwriter Read more
- 1994 — Wendy, South Korean singer Read more
- 1993 — Steve Leo Beleck, Cameroonian footballer Read more
- 1993 — Davy Klaassen, Dutch footballer Read more
- 1992 — Phil Jones, English footballer Read more
- 1991 — Joe Alwyn, English actor Read more
- 1991 — Riyad Mahrez, Algerian footballer Read more
- 1991 — Ji So-yun, South Korean footballer Read more
- 1991 — Solar, South Korean singer, songwriter and actress Read more
- 1991 — Devon Travis, American baseball player Read more
- 1990 — Mattias Tedenby, Swedish ice hockey player Read more
- 1989 — Corbin Bleu, American actor, model, dancer, film producer and singer-songwriter Read more
- 1989 — Ian Cole, American ice hockey player Read more
- 1989 — Federico Fernández, Argentine footballer Read more
- 1989 — Jake Muzzin, Canadian ice hockey player Read more
- 1988 — Donté Greene, American basketball player Read more
- 1987 — Eniola Aluko, English footballer Read more
- 1987 — Ashley Greene, American actress Read more
- 1987 — Elliot Page, Canadian actor Read more
- 1986 — Charlotte Church, Welsh singer-songwriter and actress Read more
- 1985 — Georgios Samaras, Greek footballer Read more
- 1984 — Andrew Ellis, New Zealand rugby player Read more
- 1984 — David Odonkor, German footballer Read more
- 1984 — Marco Paoloni, Italian footballer Read more
- 1984 — James Wisniewski, American ice hockey player Read more
- 1983 — Braylon Edwards, American football player Read more
- 1983 — Franklin Gutiérrez, Venezuelan baseball player Read more
- 1983 — Mélanie Laurent, French actress Read more
- 1982 — Andre Barrett, American basketball player Read more
- 1982 — Chantal Claret, American singer-songwriter Read more
- 1982 — Tebogo Jacko Magubane, South African DJ and producer Read more
- 1981 — Tsuyoshi Wada, Japanese baseball player Read more
- 1980 — Brad Fast, Canadian ice hockey player Read more
- 1980 — Tiziano Ferro, Italian singer-songwriter and producer Read more
- 1980 — Brendan Sexton III, American actor Read more
Died on February 21
- 2026 — Rondale Moore, American football player (born 2000) Read more
- 2025 — Clint Hill, American Secret Service agent (born 1932) Read more
- 2025 — Lynne Marie Stewart, American actress (born 1946) Read more
- 2024 — John Bahnsen, United States Army brigadier general and decorated veteran of the Vietnam War (born 1934) Read more
- 2021 — Mireya Arboleda, Colombian classical pianist (born 1928) Read more
- 2021 — Kevin Dann, Australian rugby league player (born 1958) Read more
- 2019 — Stanley Donen, American film director (born 1924) Read more
- 2019 — Peter Tork, American musician and actor (born 1942) Read more
- 2018 — Billy Graham, American evangelist (born 1918) Read more
- 2017 — Jeanne Martin Cissé, Guinean teacher and politician (born 1926) Read more
- 2016 — Eric Brown, Scottish-English captain and pilot (born 1919) Read more
- 2015 — Aleksei Gubarev, Russian general, pilot, and astronaut (born 1931) Read more
- 2015 — Sadeq Tabatabaei, Iranian journalist and politician (born 1943) Read more
- 2015 — Clark Terry, American trumpet player, composer, and educator (born 1920) Read more
- 2014 — Héctor Maestri, Cuban-American baseball player (born 1935) Read more
- 2014 — Matthew Robinson, Australian snowboarder (born 1985) Read more
- 2014 — Cornelius Schnauber, German–American historian, playwright, and academic (born 1939) Read more
- 2013 — Hasse Jeppson, Swedish footballer (born 1925) Read more
- 2012 — H. M. Darmstandler, American general (born 1922) Read more
- 2011 — Dwayne McDuffie, American author and screenwriter, co-founded Milestone Media (born 1962) Read more
- 2011 — Bernard Nathanson, American physician and activist (born 1926) Read more
- 2008 — Ben Chapman, American actor (born 1928) Read more
- 2005 — Guillermo Cabrera Infante, Cuban author, screenwriter, and critic (born 1929) Read more
- 2005 — Zdzisław Beksiński, Polish painter, photographer, and sculptor (born 1929) Read more
- 2004 — John Charles, Welsh footballer and manager (born 1931) Read more
- 2002 — John Thaw, English actor and producer (born 1942) Read more
- 1999 — Gertrude B. Elion, American biochemist and pharmacologist, Nobel Prize laureate (born 1918) Read more
- 1999 — Ilmari Juutilainen, Finnish soldier and pilot (born 1914) Read more
- 1999 — Wilmer Mizell, American baseball player and politician (born 1930) Read more
- 1996 — Morton Gould, American pianist, composer, and conductor (born 1913) Read more
- 1995 — Robert Bolt, English dramatist (born 1924) Read more
- 1994 — Johannes Steinhoff, German general and pilot (born 1913) Read more
- 1993 — Inge Lehmann, Danish seismologist and geophysicist (born 1888) Read more
- 1991 — Dorothy Auchterlonie Green, Australian poet, critic, and academic (born 1915) Read more
- 1991 — Nutan, Indian actress (born 1936) Read more
- 1986 — Helen Hooven Santmyer, American novelist (born 1895) Read more
- 1985 — Louis Hayward, South African-American actor (born 1909) Read more
- 1984 — Mikhail Sholokhov, Russian novelist and short story writer, Nobel Prize laureate (born 1905) Read more
- 1982 — Gershom Scholem, German-Israeli historian and philosopher (born 1897) Read more
- 1980 — Alfred Andersch, German-Swiss author (born 1914) Read more
Holidays & observances
Armed Forces Day (South Africa); Birthday of King Harald V (Norway); Christian feast day:
Felix of Hadrumetum; Christian feast day:
Pepin of Landen; Christian feast day:
Peter Damian; Christian feast day:
Randoald of Grandval; Christian feast day:
February 21 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics); Father Lini Day (Vanuatu); Language Movement Day (Bangladesh); International Mother Language Day (UNESCO); The first day of the Birth Anniversary of Fifth Druk Gyalpo, celebrated until February 23. (Bhutan); The first day of the Musikahan Festival, celebrated until February 27. (Tagum City, Philippines)
Events, births and deaths from Wikipedia contributors, “February 21”, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Lists are selections; the full record lives at the source.