21 May
Notable Births
Elena Huelva
b. 2002
Spanish influencer and writer (2002–2023)
Sisca Folkertsma
b. 1997
Dutch footballer
Viktoria Petryk
b. 1997
Ukrainian singer and songwriter (born 1997)
Josh Allen
b. 1996
American football player (born 1996)
Indy de Vroome
b. 1996
Dutch tennis player
Karen Khachanov
b. 1996
Russian tennis player (born 1996)
Tom Daley
b. 1994
English diver (born 1994)
Grete Gaim
b. 1993
Estonian biathlete (born 1993)
Luke Garbutt
b. 1993
English footballer
Matías Kranevitter
b. 1993
Argentine footballer (born 1993)
Lynn Biyendolo
b. 1993
American soccer player (born 1993)
Lisa Evans
b. 1992
Scottish footballer (born 1992)
Olivia Olson
b. 1992
American actress and singer-songwriter (born 1992)
Guilherme (footballer, born May 1991)
b. 1991
Brazilian footballer
Rene Krhin
b. 1990
Slovenian footballer (born 1990)
Hal Robson-Kanu
b. 1989
Wales international footballer (born 1989)
Max Mutzke
b. 1981
Musical artist
Mohanlal
b. 1960
Indian actor and producer
Gina Bachauer
b. 1913
Greek pianist (1913–1976)
Tudor Arghezi
b. 1880
Romanian writer and political figure (1880–1967)
Notable Deaths
Gerry Connolly
d. 2025
American politician (1950–2025)
Jan A. P. Kaczmarek
d. 2024
Polish composer (1953–2024)
Alan Merten
d. 2020
American academic administrator (1941–2020)
Binyavanga Wainaina
d. 2019
Kenyan writer and editor (1971–2019)
Nick Menza
d. 2016
American drummer (1964–2016)
Annarita Sidoti
d. 2015
Italian race walker
Twinkle (singer)
d. 2015
English singer-songwriter (1948–2015)
Jassem Al-Kharafi
d. 2015
Former Kuwaiti Speaker of Parliament
Fred Gladding
d. 2015
American baseball player (1936–2015)
Louis Johnson (bassist)
d. 2015
American bass guitarist (1955–2015)
Johnny Gray (baseball)
d. 2014
American baseball player (1926–2014)
Jaime Lusinchi
d. 2014
President of Venezuela from 1984 to 1989
Alireza Soleimani
d. 2014
Iranian wrestler (1956–2014)
Frank Comstock
d. 2013
American composer, arranger, conductor, and trombonist
Cot Deal
d. 2013
American baseball player (1923–2013)
Bob Thompson (musician, born 1924)
d. 2013
American musician
Dominique Venner
d. 2013
French journalist and essayist
Otis Clark
d. 2012
American butler
Bill Stewart (American football)
d. 2012
American football coach (1952–2012)
John Gielgud
d. 2000
English actor and theatre director (1904–2000)
On This Day in History
All 75 ›
2024
The Greenfield tornado kills 5 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.
Greenfield tornado
2024
A stabbing spree on the Green line of the Taichung MRT injures four people, including the perpetrator.
2024 Taichung MRT attack
2017
Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus performed their final show at Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum.
Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus
2014
Random killings occurred on the Bannan Line of the Taipei MRT, killing four and injuring 24.
2014 Taipei Metro attack
2012
A bus accident near Himara, Albania kills 13 people and injures 21 others.
Qafa e Vishës bus accident
2012
A suicide bombing kills more than 120 people in Sanaa, Yemen.
2012 Unity Day parade rehearsal bombing
2011
Radio broadcaster Harold Camping predicted that the world would end on this date.
Harold Camping
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.
JAXA
2006
The Republic of Montenegro holds a referendum proposing independence from the State Union of Serbia and Montenegro; 55% of Montenegrins vote for independence.
Republic of Montenegro (1992–2006)
2005
The tallest roller coaster in the world, Kingda Ka opens at Six Flags Great Adventure in Jackson Township, New Jersey.
Roller coaster
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.
2003 Boumerdès earthquake
2001
French Taubira law is enacted, officially recognizing the Atlantic slave trade and slavery as crimes against humanity.
Christiane Taubira
2000
Nineteen people are killed in a plane crash in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania.
2000 Executive Airlines British Aerospace Jetstream crash
1998
In Miami, five abortion clinics are attacked by a butyric acid attacker.
Miami
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.
Suharto
1996
The ferry MV Bukoba sinks in Tanzanian waters on Lake Victoria, killing nearly 1,000.
MV Bukoba
1996
The seven Trappist monks of Tibhirine that were abducted on March 27 are killed under uncertain circumstances.
Trappists
1994
The Democratic Republic of Yemen unsuccessfully attempts to secede from the Republic of Yemen; a war breaks out.
Democratic Republic of Yemen
1992
After 30 seasons Johnny Carson hosted his penultimate episode and last featuring guests (Robin Williams and Bette Midler) of The Tonight Show.
Johnny Carson
1991
Former Indian Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi is assassinated by a female suicide bomber near Madras.
Prime Minister of India