What Happened on December 21?
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events
births
deaths
holidays
EVENTS ON DECEMBER 21
Explore the most important historical events that happened on December 21, featuring key moments that shaped the world.
Chilean Army
Year:
1907
The Chilean Army commits a massacre of at least 2,000 striking saltpeter miners in Iquique, Chile.
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James Naismith
Year:
1891
James Naismith, a Canadian-American gym teacher at Springfield College, publishes the first rules for the game now known as basketball and brings it to his class, which then plays the first game of basketball.
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Royal Canadian Dragoons
Year:
1883
The Royal Canadian Dragoons and The Royal Canadian Regiment, the first Permanent Force cavalry and infantry regiments of the Canadian Army, are formed.
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Henrik Ibsen
Year:
1879
World premiere of Henrik Ibsen's A Doll's House at the Royal Theatre in Copenhagen, Denmark.
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Pretoria Pit disaster
Year:
1910
An underground explosion at the Hulton Bank Colliery No. 3 Pit in Over Hulton, Westhoughton, England, kills 344 miners.
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Nepal
Year:
1923
United Kingdom and Nepal formally sign an agreement of friendship, called the Nepal–Britain Treaty of 1923, which superseded the Treaty of Sugauli signed in 1816.
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2023 Prague shootings
Year:
2023
Fourteen people are killed and 25 others injured during a mass shooting at Charles University in Prague, Czech Republic. The perpetrator, a student at the university, kills himself after police arrived; he also killed his father before the shooting.
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Junkers Ju 88
Year:
1936
First flight of the Junkers Ju 88 multi-role combat aircraft.
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BIRTHS ON DECEMBER 21
Discover famous people and historical figures born on December 21, including leaders, artists, scientists, and cultural icons.
Iris Cummings
Year of birth:
1920
Iris Cummings, American swimmer and aviator (died 2025)
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Donald Regan
Year of birth:
1918
Donald Regan, American colonel and politician, 11th White House Chief of Staff (died 2003)
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Kurt Waldheim
Year of birth:
1918
Kurt Waldheim, Austrian colonel and politician; 9th President of Austria (died 2007)
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Heinrich Böll
Year of birth:
1917
Heinrich Böll, German novelist and short story writer, Nobel Prize laureate (died 1985)
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Alicia Alonso
Year of birth:
1920
Alicia Alonso, Cuban ballerina and choreographer, founded the Cuban National Ballet (died 2019)
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Paul Winchell
Year of birth:
1922
Paul Winchell, American actor, voice artist, and ventriloquist (died 2005)
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Joe Paterno
Year of birth:
1926
Joe Paterno, American football player and coach (died 2012)
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Wat Misaka
Year of birth:
1923
Wat Misaka, American basketball player (died 2019)
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DEATHS ON DECEMBER 21
Look back at notable individuals who passed away on December 21, and learn about their lasting influences on history.
I. L. Patterson
Year of death:
1929
I. L. Patterson, American politician, 18th Governor of Oregon (born 1859)
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Knud Rasmussen
Year of death:
1933
Knud Rasmussen, Greenlandic anthropologist and explorer (born 1879)
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Muḥammad ibn 'Abdallāh Hassan
Year of death:
1920
Mohammed Abdullah Hassan, leader of the Dervish movement (born 1856)
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Friedrich August von Quenstedt
Year of death:
1889
Friedrich August von Quenstedt, German geologist and palaeontologist (born 1809)
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James Parkinson
Year of death:
1824
James Parkinson, English physician and paleontologist (born 1755)
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Francis Garnier
Year of death:
1873
Francis Garnier, French admiral and explorer (born 1839)
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Kurt Tucholsky
Year of death:
1935
Kurt Tucholsky, German-Swedish journalist and author (born 1890)
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Frank B. Kellogg
Year of death:
1937
Frank B. Kellogg, American lawyer and politician, 45th United States Secretary of State, Nobel Prize laureate (born 1856)
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HOLIDAYS ON DECEMBER 21
See which holidays, observances, and special celebrations take place on December 21 around the world.
December 21 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
Christian feast day: December 21 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
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Armed Forces Day
Armed Forces Day (Philippines)
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Thomas the Apostle
Christian feast day: Thomas the Apostle
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Peter Canisius
Christian feast day: Peter Canisius
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O Antiphons
Christian feast day: O Oriens
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Public holidays in São Tomé and Príncipe
São Tomé Day (São Tomé and Príncipe)
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Forefathers' Day
Forefathers' Day (Plymouth, Massachusetts)
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