Major Events
- 356 BC Herostratus sets fire to the Temple of Artemis in Ephesus, one of the Seven Wonders of the World
- 365 Crete Earthquake followed by tsunami around the Eastern Mediterranean allegedly destroys Alexandria
- 1861 First Battle of Bull Run [Battle of First Manassas], 1st major battle of the US Civil War is fought near Manassas, Virginia, Confederate victory
- 1904 After 13 years, the 4,607-mile Trans-Siberian railway is completed
- 1925 John T. Scopes found guilty of teaching evolution in the “Scopes monkey trial” in Dayton, Tennessee, fined $100 and costs
- 1954 Geneva Accords for Indochina signed, dividing French colonial territories into the countries of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam (North Vietnam), the State of Vietnam (South Vietnam), Cambodia, and Laos
- 1970 Aswan High Dam opens in Egypt, enables human control of the flooding of the Nile
- 2015 On This Day changes its domain name and brand from HistoryOrb.com to OnThisDay.com
- More July 21 Events
Jul 21 in Film & TV
- 1943 Musical film "Stormy Weather", directed by Andrew L. Stone, starring Bill Robinson, Lena Horne and Fats Waller (singing "Ain't Misbehavin'") premieres in the US
- 1996 "The Daily Show", late-night talk and satirical news program hosted by Craig Kilborn premieres on Comedy Central in the US
Jul 21 in Sport
- 2002 With a record 6 races remaining, German Ferrari driver Michael Schumacher clinches his 5th F1 World Drivers Championship with victory in the French Grand Prix at Circuit de Nevers Magny-Cours; 3rd straight title win
Did You Know?
In market square of Springfield, Missouri, Wild Bill Hickok shoots and kills Davis Tutt in what is regarded as the first true western showdown
Thomas Pelham-Holles
Ernest Hemingway
Marshall McLuhan
Ken Starr
Robin Williams
Ali Landry
Cat Stevens
Gene Littler
Erling Haaland
Fun Fact About July 21
World's lowest-ever natural temperature recorded −89.2 °C (−128.6 °F; 184.0 K) at Soviet Vostok Station, Antarctica
Famous Weddings
- 1320 Count Louis of Nevers marries 8-year old daughter of Philips V
- 1871 Suffragette Kate Sheppard (24) weds general merchant Walter Allen Sheppard in Christchurch, New Zealand
- 1904 Sinclair Oil founder Harry Ford Sinclair (28) weds Elizabeth Farrell
Famous Divorces
More July 21 Weddings
Robert Burns
Basil Rathbone
Jimmie Foxx
Alan Shepard
Tony Bennett
