On This Day in History — May 21

Highlights of May 21

• 2024 — The Greenfield tornado, estimated to have produced winds in excess of 309 miles per hour (497 km/h), moved across Iowa. Read more
• 2015 — Islamic State militants entered the ancient city of Palmyra. Read more
• 2014 — A Taiwanese man carried out a stabbing spree on a Taipei Metro train, killing four people and injuring 24 others. Read more
• 2005 — The world's tallest roller coaster, Kingda Ka, opened at Six Flags Great Adventure in Jackson, New Jersey, U.S. Read more
• 1998 — Indonesian president Suharto resigned after a collapse of support for his presidency amid economic and political crises, ending 32 years in power. Read more
• 1991 — Former Indian prime minister Rajiv Gandhi was assassinated by a suicide bomber in Sriperumbudur, Tamil Nadu. Read more
• 1946 — While working with a mass of plutonium known as the demon core, Manhattan Project physicist Louis Slotin accidentally exposed himself to a lethal dose of hard radiation, making him the second victim of a criticality accident in history. Read more
• 1927 — Aboard the Spirit of St. Louis, American aviator Charles Lindbergh (pictured) completed the first solo non-stop transatlantic flight, flying from Roosevelt Field near New York City to Paris–Le Bourget Airport. Read more
• 1925 — The opera Doktor Faust, unfinished when composer Ferruccio Busoni (pictured) died, was premiered in Dresden. Read more
• 1924 — University of Chicago students Nathan Leopold Jr. and Richard Loeb (both pictured) murdered a 14-year-old boy in a thrill killing out of a desire to commit a "perfect crime". Read more
• 1917 — The Imperial War Graves Commission was established by royal charter to mark, record and maintain the graves and places of commemoration of British Empire military forces. Read more
• 1911 — Mexican president Porfirio Díaz and the revolutionary Francisco I. Madero signed the Treaty of Ciudad Juárez to end hostilities between each other's forces, concluding the initial phase of the Mexican Revolution. Read more
• 1864 — American Civil War: The inconclusive Battle of Spotsylvania Court House in Virginia ended with combined Union and Confederate casualties totaling around 31,000. Read more
• 1856 — A crowd of about 800 pro-slavery Americans ransacked the town of Lawrence, Kansas. Read more
• 1851 — The Congress of Colombia passed a law abolishing slavery in the country, to take effect at the beginning of the new year. Read more
• 1703 — English writer Daniel Defoe was imprisoned for seditious libel after publishing a pamphlet that was perceived to satirise the Tory publications about Dissenters. Read more
• 1138 — The Crusades: The siege of Shaizar ended, and the Emir of Shaizar became a vassal of the Byzantine Empire. Read more
• 878 — Arab–Byzantine wars: The city of Syracuse was captured by the Aghlabids (pictured) as part of the Muslim conquest of Sicily. Read more

Events

• 2024 — The Greenfield tornado kills five and injures 35 across rural Iowa, United States. Wind speeds in excess of 480 kilometres per hour (300 mph) are estimated from measurements for the third time in history. Read more
• 2024 — A stabbing spree on the Green line of the Taichung MRT injures four people, including the perpetrator. Read more
• 2017 — Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus perform their final show at Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum. Read more
• 2014 — Random killings occur on the Bannan Line of the Taipei MRT, killing four and injuring 24. Read more
• 2012 — A bus accident near Himara, Albania kills 13 people and injures 21 others. Read more
• 2012 — A suicide bombing kills more than 120 people in Sanaa, Yemen. Read more
• 2011 — Radio broadcaster Harold Camping predicted that the world would end on this date. Read more
• 2010 — JAXA, the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, launches the solar-sail spacecraft IKAROS aboard an H-IIA rocket. The vessel would make a Venus flyby late in the year. Read more
• 2006 — The Republic of Montenegro holds a referendum proposing independence from the State Union of Serbia and Montenegro; 55% of Montenegrins vote for independence. Read more
• 2005 — The tallest roller coaster in the world, Kingda Ka opens at Six Flags Great Adventure in Jackson Township, New Jersey. Read more
• 2003 — The 6.8 Mw Boumerdès earthquake shakes northern Algeria with a maximum Mercalli intensity of X (Extreme). More than 2,200 people were killed and a moderate tsunami sank boats at the Balearic Islands. Read more
• 2001 — French Taubira law is enacted, officially recognizing the Atlantic slave trade and slavery as crimes against humanity. Read more
• 2000 — Nineteen people are killed in a plane crash in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania. Read more
• 1998 — In Miami, five abortion clinics are attacked by a butyric acid attacker. Read more
• 1998 — President Suharto of Indonesia resigns following the killing of students from Trisakti University earlier that week by security forces and growing mass protests in Jakarta against his ongoing corrupt rule. Read more
• 1996 — The ferry MV Bukoba sinks in Tanzanian waters on Lake Victoria, killing nearly 1,000. Read more
• 1996 — The seven Trappist monks of Tibhirine who were abducted on March 27 are killed under uncertain circumstances. Read more
• 1994 — The Democratic Republic of Yemen unsuccessfully attempts to secede from the Republic of Yemen; a war breaks out. Read more
• 1992 — After 30 seasons Johnny Carson hosts his penultimate episode and last featuring guests (Robin Williams and Bette Midler) of The Tonight Show. Read more
• 1991 — Former Indian Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi is assassinated by a female suicide bomber near Madras. Read more
• 1991 — Mengistu Haile Mariam, president of the People's Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, flees Ethiopia, effectively bringing the Ethiopian Civil War to an end. Read more
• 1988 — Margaret Thatcher holds her controversial Sermon on the Mound before the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland. Read more
• 1982 — Falklands War: A British amphibious assault during Operation Sutton leads to the Battle of San Carlos. Read more
• 1981 — The Italian government releases the membership list of Propaganda Due, an illegal pseudo-Masonic lodge that was implicated in numerous Italian crimes and mysteries. Read more
• 1981 — Transamerica Corporation agrees to sell United Artists to Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer for $380 million after the box office failure of the 1980 film Heaven's Gate. Read more
• 1979 — White Night riots in San Francisco following the manslaughter conviction of Dan White for the assassinations of George Moscone and Harvey Milk. Read more
• 1976 — Twenty-nine people are killed in the Yuba City bus disaster in Martinez, California. Read more
• 1972 — Michelangelo's Pietà in St. Peter's Basilica in Rome is damaged by a vandal, the mentally disturbed Hungarian geologist Laszlo Toth. Read more
• 1969 — Civil unrest in Rosario, Argentina, known as Rosariazo, following the death of a 15-year-old student. Read more
• 1966 — The Ulster Volunteer Force declares war on the Irish Republican Army in Northern Ireland. Read more
• 1961 — American civil rights movement: Alabama Governor John Malcolm Patterson declares martial law in an attempt to restore order after race riots break out. Read more
• 1951 — The opening of the Ninth Street Show, otherwise known as the 9th Street Art Exhibition: A gathering of a number of notable artists, and the stepping-out of the post war New York avant-garde, collectively known as the New York School. Read more
• 1946 — Physicist Louis Slotin is fatally irradiated in a criticality incident during an experiment with the demon core at Los Alamos National Laboratory. Read more
• 1939 — The Canadian National War Memorial is unveiled by King George VI and Queen Elizabeth in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. Read more
• 1937 — A Soviet station, North Pole-1, becomes the first scientific research settlement to operate on the drift ice of the Arctic Ocean. Read more
• 1936 — Sada Abe is arrested after wandering the streets of Tokyo for days with her dead lover's severed genitals in her handbag. Her story soon becomes one of Japan's most notorious scandals. Read more
• 1934 — Oskaloosa, Iowa, becomes the first municipality in the United States to fingerprint all of its citizens. Read more
• 1932 — Bad weather forces Amelia Earhart to land in a pasture in Derry, Northern Ireland, and she thereby becomes the first woman to fly solo across the Atlantic Ocean. Read more
• 1927 — Charles Lindbergh touches down at Le Bourget Field in Paris, completing the world's first solo nonstop flight across the Atlantic Ocean. Read more
• 1925 — The opera Doktor Faust, unfinished when composer Ferruccio Busoni died, is premiered in Dresden. Read more
• 1924 — University of Chicago students Richard Loeb and Nathan Leopold, Jr. murder 14-year-old Bobby Franks in a "thrill killing". Read more
• 1917 — The Imperial War Graves Commission is established through royal charter to mark, record, and maintain the graves and places of commemoration of the British Empire's military forces. Read more
• 1917 — The Great Atlanta fire of 1917 causes $5.5 million in damages, destroying some 300 acres including 2,000 homes, businesses and churches, displacing about 10,000 people but leading to only one fatality (due to heart attack). Read more
• 1911 — President of Mexico Porfirio Díaz and the revolutionary Francisco Madero sign the Treaty of Ciudad Juárez to put an end to the fighting between the forces of both men, concluding the initial phase of the Mexican Revolution. Read more
• 1904 — The Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) is founded in Paris. Read more
• 1894 — The Manchester Ship Canal in the United Kingdom is officially opened by Queen Victoria, who later knights its designer Sir Edward Leader Williams. Read more
• 1881 — The American Red Cross is established by Clara Barton in Dansville, New York. Read more
• 1879 — War of the Pacific: Two Chilean ships blocking the harbor of Iquique (then belonging to Peru) battle two Peruvian vessels in the Battle of Iquique. Read more
• 1871 — French troops invade the Paris Commune and engage its residents in street fighting. By the close of "Bloody Week", some 20,000 communards have been killed and 38,000 arrested. Read more
• 1871 — Opening of the first rack railway in Europe, the Rigi Bahnen on Mount Rigi. Read more
• 1864 — Russia declares an end to the Russo-Circassian War and many Circassians are forced into exile. The day is designated the Circassian Day of Mourning. Read more
• 1864 — American Civil War: The Battle of Spotsylvania Court House ends. Read more
• 1864 — The Ionian Islands reunite with Greece. Read more
• 1863 — American Civil War: The Union Army succeeds in closing off the last escape route from Port Hudson, Louisiana, in preparation for the coming siege. Read more
• 1856 — Lawrence, Kansas is captured and burned by pro-slavery forces. Read more
• 1851 — Slavery in Colombia is abolished. Read more
• 1809 — The first day of the Battle of Aspern-Essling between the Austrian army led by Archduke Charles and the French army led by Napoleon I of France sees the French attack across the Danube held. Read more
• 1799 — The end of the Siege of Acre (1799): Napoleon Bonaparte abandons his siege of the Ottoman city of Acre after two months. This was the turning point of Bonaparte's Egyptian campaign and one of the first major defeats he suffered in his military career. Read more
• 1792 — A lava dome collapses on Mount Unzen, near the city of Shimbara on the Japanese island of Kyūshū, creating a deadly tsunami that killed nearly 15,000 people. Read more
• 1758 — Ten-year-old Mary Campbell is abducted in Pennsylvania by Lenape during the French and Indian War. She is returned six and a half years later. Read more

Born on May 21

• 2007 — El Ma, Bulgarian singer-songwriter Read more
• 2002 — Elena Huelva, Spanish cancer activist and influencer (died 2023) Read more
• 1997 — Ivan De Santis, Italian footballer Read more
• 1997 — Sisca Folkertsma, Dutch footballer Read more
• 1997 — Viktoria Petryk, Ukrainian singer-songwriter Read more
• 1997 — Kevin Quinn, American actor and singer Read more
• 1996 — Josh Allen, American football player Read more
• 1996 — Indy de Vroome, Dutch tennis player Read more
• 1996 — Karen Khachanov, Russian tennis player Read more
• 1995 — Diego Loyzaga, Filipino actor Read more
• 1994 — Tom Daley, English diver Read more
• 1993 — Grete Gaim, Estonian biathlete Read more
• 1993 — Luke Garbutt, English footballer Read more
• 1993 — Matías Kranevitter, Argentine footballer Read more
• 1993 — Lynn Williams, American soccer player Read more
• 1992 — Hutch Dano, American actor Read more
• 1992 — Lisa Evans, Scottish footballer Read more
• 1992 — Philipp Grüneberg, German footballer Read more
• 1992 — Olivia Olson, American singer and actress Read more
• 1991 — Guilherme, Brazilian footballer Read more
• 1990 — Kierre Beckles, Barbadian athlete Read more
• 1990 — Rene Krhin, Slovenian footballer Read more
• 1989 — Emily Robins, New Zealand actress and singer Read more
• 1989 — Hal Robson-Kanu, Welsh footballer Read more
• 1988 — Claire Cashmore, English Paralympic swimmer Read more
• 1988 — Park Gyu-ri, South Korean singer Read more
• 1988 — Jonny Howson, English footballer Read more
• 1988 — Kaire Leibak, Estonian triple jumper Read more
• 1987 — Beau Falloon, Australian rugby league player Read more
• 1986 — Mario Mandžukić, Croatian footballer Read more
• 1986 — Myra, American singer and actress Read more
• 1986 — Eder Sánchez, Mexican race walker Read more
• 1986 — Park Sojin, South Korean singer-songwriter and dancer Read more
• 1986 — Greg Stewart, Canadian ice hockey player Read more
• 1986 — Matt Wieters, American baseball player Read more
• 1985 — Mark Cavendish, Manx cyclist Read more
• 1985 — Alexander Dale Oen, Norwegian swimmer (died 2012) Read more
• 1985 — Isa Guha, English cricketer and sportscaster Read more
• 1985 — Lucie Hradecká, Czech tennis player Read more
• 1985 — Kano, English rapper, producer, and actor Read more

Died on May 21

• 2026 — Kyle Busch, American race car driver and owner (born 1985) Read more
• 2025 — Gerry Connolly, American politician, U.S. Representative from Virginia's 11th congressional district (born 1950) Read more
• 2024 — Jan A. P. Kaczmarek, Polish composer (born 1953) Read more
• 2020 — Alan Merten, fifth President of George Mason University (born 1941) Read more
• 2019 — Rik Kuypers, Belgian film director (born 1925) Read more
• 2019 — Binyavanga Wainaina, Kenyan writer (born 1971) Read more
• 2016 — Nick Menza, American drummer and songwriter (born 1964) Read more
• 2015 — Annarita Sidoti, Italian race walker (born 1969) Read more
• 2015 — Twinkle, English singer-songwriter (born 1948) Read more
• 2015 — Jassem Al-Kharafi, Kuwaiti businessman and politician, 8th Kuwaiti Speaker of the National Assembly (born 1940) Read more
• 2015 — Fred Gladding, American baseball player and coach (born 1936) Read more
• 2015 — Louis Johnson, American bass player and producer (born 1955) Read more
• 2014 — Tunku Annuar, Malaysian son of Badlishah of Kedah (born 1939) Read more
• 2014 — Johnny Gray, American baseball player (born 1926) Read more
• 2014 — Jaime Lusinchi, Venezuelan physician and politician, President of Venezuela (born 1924) Read more
• 2014 — Alireza Soleimani, Iranian wrestler (born 1956) Read more
• 2013 — Count Christian of Rosenborg, member of the Danish royal family (born 1942) Read more
• 2013 — Frank Comstock, American trombonist, composer, and conductor (born 1922) Read more
• 2013 — Cot Deal, American baseball player and coach (born 1923) Read more
• 2013 — Leonard Marsh, American businessman, co-founded Snapple (born 1933) Read more
• 2013 — Bob Thompson, American pianist and composer (born 1924) Read more
• 2013 — Dominique Venner, French journalist and historian (born 1935) Read more
• 2012 — Eddie Blazonczyk, American singer-songwriter (born 1941) Read more
• 2012 — Otis Clark, American butler and preacher, survivor of the Tulsa race massacre (born 1903) Read more
• 2012 — Constantine of Irinoupolis, Metropolitan of Irinoupolis and Primate of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the USA (born 1936) Read more
• 2012 — Roman Dumbadze, Georgian commander (born 1964) Read more
• 2012 — Douglas Rodríguez, Cuban boxer (born 1950) Read more
• 2012 — Bill Stewart, American football player and coach (born 1952) Read more
• 2012 — Alan Thorne, Australian anthropologist and academic (born 1939) Read more
• 2006 — Spencer Clark, American race car driver (born 1987) Read more
• 2006 — Katherine Dunham, American dancer, choreographer, and author (born 1909) Read more
• 2006 — Cherd Songsri, Thai director, producer, and screenwriter (born 1931) Read more
• 2006 — Billy Walker, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (born 1929) Read more
• 2005 — Deborah Berger, American outsider artist (born 1956) Read more
• 2005 — Stephen Elliott, American actor (born 1918) Read more
• 2005 — Howard Morris, American actor and director (born 1919) Read more
• 2003 — Alejandro de Tomaso, Argentinian-Italian race car driver and businessman, founded De Tomaso (born 1928) Read more
• 2003 — Frank D. White, American captain, banker, and politician, 41st Governor of Arkansas (born 1933) Read more
• 2002 — Niki de Saint Phalle, French-American sculptor and painter (born 1930) Read more
• 2000 — Barbara Cartland, English author (born 1901) Read more

Holidays & observances

Afro-Colombian Day (Colombia); Christian feast day: Blessed Adílio Daronch and Manuel Gómez González; Christian feast day: Blessed Franz Jägerstätter; Christian feast day: Earliest day on which Corpus Christi can fall, while June 24 is the latest; held on Thursday after Trinity Sunday (often locally moved to Sunday). (Roman Catholic Church); Christian feast day: Eugène de Mazenod; Christian feast day: Helena of Constantinople, also known as "Feast of the Holy Great Sovereigns Constantine and Helen, Equal-to-the-Apostles." (Eastern Orthodox Church, Anglican Communion); Christian feast day: Blessed Hemming of Turku; Christian feast day: John Elliot (Episcopal Church); Christian feast day: Saints of the Cristero War, including Christopher Magallanes; Christian feast day: May 21 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics); Circassian Day of Mourning (Circassians); Day of Patriots and Military (Hungary); Independence Day, celebrates the Montenegrin independence referendum in 2006, celebrated until the next day. (Montenegro); International Tea Day (International); Navy Day (Chile); Saint Helena Day, celebrates the discovery of Saint Helena in 1502. (Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha); World Day for Cultural Diversity for Dialogue and Development (International)

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