What happened on December 21? There are more than 249 events that were made this day in history. Here are the important historical events, facts, and some myths about this day.
Interesting Facts & Myths About December 21
December 21 is the 355th day of the year 2025. There are 10 days remaining until the end of this year. The day of the week is Sunday. This day falls under the 51st week of the year 2025.
On this day in Marathon, Ohio 45145 sunrise will occur at 07:50 AM and sunset will occur at 05:18 PM (local time).
The zodiac sign of a person born on this day is Sagittarius. The modern birthstone for this month is Turquoise while the mystical birthstone is Onyx.
According to the Chinese calendar, there are 58 days remaining before the start of the next Chinese New Year (February 17, 2026).
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December 21: A Day In History
This is a frequent day for the winter solstice to occur in the northern hemisphere and summer solstice to occur in the southern hemisphere.
Historical Events For December 21
- 69The Roman Senate declares Vespasian as Roman emperor, the last in the Year of Four Emperors.
- 1140Conrad III of Germany besieged Weinsberg.
- 1598Battle of Curalaba: The revolting Mapuche, led by cacique Pelentaru, inflict a major defeat on Spanish troops in southern Chile.
- 1620Plymouth Colony: William Bradford and the Mayflower Pilgrims land on what is now known as Plymouth Rock in Plymouth, Massachusetts.
- 1826American settlers in Nacogdoches, Mexican Texas, declare their independence, starting the Fredonian Rebellion.
- 1832Egyptian–Ottoman War: Egyptian forces decisively defeat Ottoman troops at the Battle of Konya.
- 1844The Rochdale Pioneers commence business at their cooperative in Rochdale, England, starting the Cooperative movement.
- 1861Medal of Honor: Public Resolution 82, containing a provision for a Navy Medal of Valor, is signed into law by President Abraham Lincoln.
- 1872Challenger expedition: HMS Challenger, commanded by Captain George Nares, sails from Portsmouth.
- 1879World première of Henrik Ibsen’s A Doll’s House at the Royal Theatre in Copenhagen.
- 1883The first Permanent Force cavalry and infantry regiments of the Canadian Army are formed: The Royal Canadian Dragoons and The Royal Canadian Regiment.
- 1907The Chilean Army commits a massacre of at least 2,000 striking saltpeter miners in in Iquique, Chile.
- 1910An underground explosion at the Hulton Bank Colliery No. 3 Pit in Over Hulton, Westhoughton, England, kills 344 miners.
- 1913Arthur Wynne’s “word-cross”, the first crossword puzzle, is published in the New York World.
- 1919American anarchist Emma Goldman is deported to Russia.
- 1937Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, the world’s first full-length animated feature, premieres at the Carthay Circle Theater.
- 1941World War II: A formal treaty of alliance between Thailand and Japan is signed in the presence of the Emerald Buddha in Wat Phra Kaew.
- 1946An 8.1 Mw earthquake and subsequent tsunami in Nankaidō, Japan, kill over 1,300 people and destroy over 38,000 homes.
- 1962Rondane National Park is established as Norway’s first national park.
- 1967Louis Washkansky, the first man to undergo a heart transplant, dies in Cape Town, South Africa, after living for 18 days after the transplant.
- 1968Apollo program: Apollo 8 launched from the Kennedy Space Center, placing its crew on a lunar trajectory for the first visit to another celestial body by humans.
- 1969The United Nations adopts the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination.
- 1973The Geneva Conference on the Arab-Israeli conflict opens.
- 1979Lancaster House Agreement: An independence agreement for Rhodesia is signed in London by Lord Carrington, Sir Ian Gilmour, Robert Mugabe, Joshua Nkomo, Bishop Abel Muzorewa and S.C. Mundawarara.
- 1988A bomb explodes on board Pan Am flight 103 over Lockerbie, Dumfries and Galloway, Scotland, killing 270.
- 1992A Dutch DC-10, flight Martinair MP 495, crashes at Faro Airport, killing 56 people.
- 1994Mexican volcano Popocatepetl, dormant for 47 years, erupts gases and ash.
- 1995The city of Bethlehem passes from Israeli to Palestinian control.
- 1999The Spanish Civil Guard intercepts a van loaded with 950 kg of explosives that ETA intended to use to blow up Torre Picasso in Madrid.
- 2004Iraq War: A suicide bomber killed 22 at the forward operating base next to the main U.S. military airfield at Mosul, the single deadliest suicide attack on American soldiers.
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Who Were Born On December 21?
- 1118Thomas Becket, Lord Chancellor of England and Archbishop of Canterbury (d. 1170)
- 1401Tommaso Masaccio, Italian painter (d. 1428)
- 1596Petru Movilă, Moldovan religious figure (d. 1646)
- 1603Roger Williams, English theologian and founder of the American colony Providence Plantations (d. 1684)
- 1682Calico Jack Rackham, English pirate (d. 1720)
- 1714John Bradstreet, Canadian-born soldier (d. 1774)
- 1778Anders Sandøe Ørsted, Danish politician (d. 1860)
- 1795John Russell, English parson and dog breeder (d. 1883)
- 1795Leopold von Ranke, German historian (d. 1886)
- 1804Benjamin Disraeli, 1st Earl of Beaconsfield, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom (d. 1881)
- 1805Thomas Graham, British chemist (d. 1869)
- 1811Archibald Campbell Tait, Archbishop of Canterbury (d. 1882)
- 1815Thomas Couture French painter and teacher (d. 1879)
- 1818Amalia of Oldenburg, Queen of Greece (d. 1875)
- 1832John H. Ketcham, American politician (d. 1906)
- 1840Namık Kemal, Turkish nationalist poet (d. 1888)
- 1843Thomas Bracken, Irish-born New Zealand poet (d. 1898)
- 1850William Wallace Lincoln, son of Abraham Lincoln (d. 1862)
- 1850Zdeněk Fibich, Bohemian composer (d. 1900)
- 1851Thomas Chipman McRae, American politician (d. 1929)
- 1859Gustave Kahn, French poet (d. 1936)
- 1866Maud Gonne, Irish activist (d. 1953)
- 1872Albert Payson Terhune, American author (d. 1942)
- 1872Don Lorenzo Perosi, Italian composer (d. 1956)
- 1872Sidney Ainsworth, British actor (d. 1922)
- 1873Blagoje Bersa, Croatian composer (d. 1934)
- 1876Jack Lang, Australian politician (d. 1975)
- 1878Jan Łukasiewicz, Polish philosopher and mathematician (d. 1956)
- 1885Frank Patrick, Canadian hockey player (d. 1960)
- 1889Sewall Wright, American biologist (d. 1988)
- 1890Hermann Joseph Muller, American geneticist and Nobel laureate (d. 1967)
- 1891John William McCormack, American politician (d. 1980)
- 1892Amy Key Clarke, English mystical poet (d. 1980)
- 1892Rebecca West, British writer (d. 1983)
- 1892Walter Hagen, American golfer (d. 1969)
- 1896Leroy Robertson, American composer (d. 1971)
- 1905Anthony Powell, British author (d. 2000)
- 1908Herbert Hutner, American banker and attorney (d. 2008)
- 1909Seicho Matsumoto, Japanese mystery writer and journalist (d. 1992)
- 1911Josh Gibson, American baseball player (d. 1947)
- 1913Arnold Friberg, American illustrator (d. 2010)
- 1914Frank Fenner, Australian microbiologist (d. 2010)
- 1914Ivan Generalić, Austro-Hungarian-born Croatian painter (d. 1992)
- 1915Joe Mantell, American actor (d. 2010)
- 1915Werner von Trapp, member of the Trapp Family Singers (d. 2007)
- 1917Heinrich Böll, German writer and Nobel laureate (d. 1985)
- 1917Sophie Masloff, American politician
- 1918Donald Regan, American civil servant (d. 2003)
- 1918Kurt Waldheim, Austrian politician and diplomat (d. 2007)
- 1920Alicia Alonso, Cuban ballerina
- 1920Bob Bindig, American cartoonist (d. 2006)
- 1920Jean Gascon, Canadian actor (d. 1988)
- 1921John Severin, American comics artist
- 1921Robert Lipshutz, American attorney and counsel to the Carter Adminisrtation (d. 2010)
- 1922Itubwa Amram, Nauruan pastor and politician (d. 1989)
- 1922Paul Winchell, American ventriloquist (d. 2005)
- 1923Intizar Hussain, Urdu writer and columnist
- 1924Rita Reys, Dutch jazzsinger
- 1926Arnošt Lustig, Czech author
- 1926Joe Paterno, American football coach
- 1928Ed Nelson, American actor
- 1932Edward Hoagland, American essayist
- 1935Edward Schreyer, Canadian politician, Premier of Manitoba
- 1935John G. Avildsen, American film director
- 1935Lorenzo Bandini, Italian racecar driver (d. 1967)
- 1935Phil Donahue, American talk show host
- 1935Yusuf Bey, American activist (d. 2003)
- 1937Donald F. Munson, American politician
- 1937Jane Fonda, American actress
- 1938Frank Moorhouse, Australian author
- 1938Larry Bryggman, American actor
- 1939Lloyd Axworthy, Canadian politician
- 1940Arvi Lind, Finnish news broadcaster
- 1940Frank Zappa, American musician (d. 1993)
- 1940Ray Hildebrand, American singer (Paul & Paula)
- 1942Carla Thomas, American singer
- 1942Hu Jintao, Chinese president
- 1942Reinhard Mey, German singer
- 1943Albert Lee, English guitarist
- 1943André Arthur. Canadian radio host
- 1943Jack Nance, American actor (d. 1996)
- 1944Bill Atkinson, English footballer
- 1944Michael Tilson Thomas, American conductor
- 1944Zheng Xiaoyu, Chinese bureaucrat (d. 2007)
- 1946Carl Wilson, American musician (The Beach Boys) (d. 1998)
- 1946Christopher Keene, American conductor (d. 1995)
- 1947Bryan Hamilton, Northern Irish footballer
- 1947Paco de Lucía, Spanish musician
- 1948Dave Kingman, American baseball player
- 1948Samuel L. Jackson, American actor
- 1948Willi Resetarits, Austrian musician
- 1949Nikolaos Sifounakis, Greek politician
- 1949Thomas Sankara, Burkinabé military figure (d. 1987)
- 1950Jeffrey Katzenberg, American film producer
- 1950Lillebjørn Nilsen, Norwegian singer-songwriter
- 1951Nick Gilder, English musician (Sweeney Todd)
- 1952Joaquín Andújar, Dominican baseball player
- 1953Betty Wright, American singer
- 1954Chris Evert, American tennis player
- 1955Jane Kaczmarek, American actress
- 1955Kazuyuki Sekiguchi, Japanese musician
- 1957Ray Romano, Italian-American comedian
- 1957Tom Henke, American baseball player
- 1959Florence Griffith Joyner, American sprinter (d. 1998)
- 1960Andy Van Slyke, American baseball player
- 1960Louis Demetrius Alvanis, British pianist
- 1960Roger McDowell, American baseball player
- 1961Del Wilkes, American pro wrestler
- 1961Francis Ng, Hong Kong actor
- 1961Ryuji Sasai, Japanese video game composer
- 1963Govinda Ahuja, Indian actor and politician
- 1964Fabiana Udenio, Argentine actress
- 1964Joe Kocur, Canadian hockey player
- 1964Rob Kelly, English football manager
- 1965Andy Dick, American actor and comedian
- 1965Anke Engelke, German comedian
- 1965Stuart Mitchell, Scottish Composer
- 1966Adam Schefter, American sports journalist
- 1966Karri Turner, American actress
- 1966Kiefer Sutherland, British-born Canadian actor
- 1967Ervin Johnson, American basketball player
- 1967Fritz Karl, Austrian actor
- 1967Mikhail Saakashvili, Soviet-born President of Georgia
- 1967Terry Mills, American basketball player
- 1969Jack Noseworthy, American actor
- 1969Julie Delpy, French actress
- 1969Mihails Zemļinskis, Latvian footballer
- 1971Brett Scallions, American singer (Fuel)
- 1971Fenton Keogh, Australian celebrity chef
- 1971Matthieu Chedid, French musician
- 1972Claudia Poll, Costa Rican swimmer
- 1972Dustin Hermanson, American baseball player
- 1972Erwin Schrott, Uruguayan opera singer
- 1972Gloria De Piero, English journalist
- 1972Latroy Hawkins, American baseball player
- 1972Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy, Indian politician
- 1973Irakli Alasania, Georgian politician and diplomat
- 1973Karmen Stavec, German-born Slovenian singer
- 1973Mike Alstott, American football player
- 1974Karrie Webb, Australian golfer
- 1975Paloma Herrera, Argentine ballet dancer
- 1976Lukas Rossi, Canadian rock singer (Rock Star Supernova)
- 1976Mirela Manjani, Greek javelin thrower
- 1977Toby Rand, Australian singer (Juke Kartel)
- 1978Emiliano Brembilla, Italian swimmer
- 1978Mike Vitar, American actor
- 1979Tuva Novotny, Swedish actress and singer
- 1980Royce Ring, American baseball player
- 1981Cristian Zaccardo, Italian football player
- 1981Frankie Abernathy, American actress (d. 2007)
- 1981Lynda Thomas, Mexican singer
- 1982Erica Hayden, American journalist and radio personality
- 1982Iljo Keisse, Belgian cyclist
- 1982Mike Gansey, American basketball player
- 1982Philip Humber, American baseball player
- 1982Tom Payne, British actor
- 1984Darren Potter, Irish football player
- 1985James Stewart Jr., American motorcycle racer
- 1985Tom Sturridge, British actor
- 1987Brad Howard, Australian footballer
- 1987Valerie Concepcion, Filipino actress
- 1988Alexa Goddard, British R&B singer
- 1988Yasmin, British DJ and Singer
- 1989Mark Ingram, Jr., American football player
- 1989Tamannaah, Indian actress
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Who Died On December 21?
- 72Thomas the Apostle
- 882Hincmar, French bishop (b. 806)
- 1295Marguerite Berenger of Provence, wife of Louis IX of France (b. c.1221)
- 1308Henry I of Hesse (b. 1244)
- 1375Giovanni Boccaccio, Italian writer (b. 1313)
- 1504Bertold von Henneberg-Römhild, German archbishop and elector (b. 1442)
- 1549Marguerite of Navarre, wife of Henry II of Navarre (b. 1492)
- 1579Vicente Masip, Spanish painter
- 1597Petrus Canisius, Dutch Jesuit (b. 1521)
- 1799Philip Affleck, British Admiral and First Lord of the Admiralty (b. 1726)
- 1807John Newton, English cleric and hymnist (b. 1725)
- 1824James Parkinson, English physician and paleontologist (b. 1755)
- 1869Friedrich Ernst Scheller, German jurist and politician (b. 1791)
- 1873Francis Garnier, French explorer (b. 1839)
- 1889Friedrich August von Quenstedt, German geologist (b. 1809)
- 1900Roger Wolcott, American politician (b. 1847)
- 1920Mohammed Abdullah Hassan, Somalian nationalist leader (b. 1856)
- 1933Knud Rasmussen, Greenlandic polar explorer and anthropologist (b. 1879)
- 1935Kurt Tucholsky, German journalist and satirist (b. 1890)
- 1937Frank B. Kellogg, American diplomat, recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize (b. 1856)
- 1940F. Scott Fitzgerald, American writer (b. 1896)
- 1945George Smith Patton Jr., American military commander (b. 1885)
- 1957Eric Coates, English-born American composer (b. 1886)
- 1958Lion Feuchtwanger, German writer (b. 1884)
- 1959Rosanjin, Japanese calligrapher, restaurateur and ceramicist (b. 1883)
- 1963Jack Hobbs, English cricketer (b. 1882)
- 1964Carl Van Vechten, American writer and photographer (b. 1880)
- 1965Claude Champagne, Canadian composer (b. 1891)
- 1967Stuart Erwin, American actor (b. 1903)
- 1968Vittorio Pozzo, Italian football coach (b. 1886)
- 1974James Henry Govier, British artist (b. 1910)
- 1974Richard Long, American actor (b. 1927)
- 1982Hafeez Jullundhri, Pakistani writer, poet composer of the National Anthem of Pakistan (b. 1900)
- 1983Paul de Man, Belgian-born literary critic (b. 1919)
- 1986Bill Simpson, Scottish actor (b. 1931)
- 1987John Spence, American musician (No Doubt) (b. 1969)
- 1988Nikolaas Tinbergen, Dutch ornithologist, recipient of the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine (b. 1907)
- 1989Rotimi Fani-Kayode, Nigerian-born British photographer (b.1955)
- 1990Clarence Johnson, American aeronautical engineer (b. 1910)
- 1992Albert King, American blues musician (b. 1924)
- 1992Nathan Milstein, Ukrainian violinist (b. 1903)
- 1997Amie Comeaux, American country music singer (b. 1976)
- 1998Ernst-Günther Schenck, German physician (b. 1904)
- 1998Karl Denver, Scottish singer (b. 1931)
- 1998Roger Avon, Durham actor (b. 1914)
- 2001Dick Schaap, American sports journalist (b. 1934)
- 2003Prince Alfonso of Hohenlohe-Langenburg, Spanish businessman (b. 1924)
- 2004Autar Singh Paintal, Indian medical scientist (b. 1925)
- 2005Elrod Hendricks, American baseball player and coach (b. 1940)
- 2006Saparmurat Niyazov, President of Turkmenistan (b. 1940)
- 2006Scobie Breasley, Australian jockey (b. 1914)
- 2007Ken Hendricks, American businessman (b. 1941)
- 2009Edwin G. Krebs, American biochemist (b. 1918)
- 2010Enzo Bearzot, Italian football player and manager (b. 1927)
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