July 21

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Events

• 356 BC – Herostratus sets fire to the Temple of Artemis in Ephesus, one of the Seven Wonders of the World.
• 285 – Diocletian appoints Maximian as Caesar and co-ruler.
• 365 – A tsunami devastates the city of Alexandria, Egypt. The tsunami was caused by an earthquake estimated to be 8.0 on the Richter Scale. 5,000 people perished in the Alexandria, and 45,000 more died outside of the city.
• 1403 – Battle of Shrewsbury: King Henry IV of England defeats rebels to the north of the county town of Shropshire, England.
• 1545 – The first landing of French troops on the coast of the Isle of Wight during the French invasion of the Isle of Wight occurs.
• 1568 – Eighty Years' War: Battle of Jemmingen – Fernando Álvarez de Toledo, Duke of Alva defeats Louis of Nassau.
• 1718 – The Treaty of Passarowitz between the Ottoman Empire, Austria and the Republic of Venice is signed.
• 1774 – Russo-Turkish War, 1768-1774: Russia and the Ottoman Empire sign the Treaty of Kuchuk-Kainarji ending the war.
• 1831 – Inauguration of Léopold I of Belgium, first king of the Belgians.
• 1861 – American Civil War: First Battle of Bull Run – at Manassas Junction, Virginia, the first major battle of the war begins and ends in a victory for the Confederate army.
• 1865 – In the market square of Springfield, Missouri, Wild Bill Hickok shoots and kills Davis Tutt in what is regarded as the first true western showdown.
• 1873 – At Adair, Iowa, Jesse James and the James-Younger gang pull off the first successful train robbery in the American West.
• 1877 – After rioting by Baltimore and Ohio Railroad workers and the deaths of nine rail workers at the hands of the Maryland militia, workers in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania stage a sympathy strike that is met with an assault by the state militia.
• 1904 – Louis Rigolly, a Frenchman, becomes the first man to break the barrier on land. He drove a 15-liter Gobron-Brille in Ostend, Belgium.
• 1918 – shells Nauset Beach, in Orleans, Massachusetts. This is the first time that the United States is shelled since the Mexican-American War.
• 1919 – The dirigible Wingfoot Air Express crashes into the Illinois Trust and Savings Building in Chicago, killing 12 people.
• 1925 – Scopes Trial: In Dayton, Tennessee, high school biology teacher John T. Scopes is found guilty of teaching evolution in class and fined $100.
• 1925 – Sir Malcolm Campbell becomes the first man to break the land barrier at Pendine Sands in Wales. He drove a Sunbeam to a two-way average of .
• 1944 – World War II: Battle of Guam – American troops land on Guam starting the battle. It would end on August 10.
• 1944 World War II: Claus Schenk Graf von Stauffenberg and fellow conspirators are executed in Berlin, Germany for the July 20 plot to assassinate Adolf Hitler.
• 1949 – The United States Senate ratifies the North Atlantic Treaty.
• 1954 – First Indochina War: The Geneva Conference partitions Vietnam into North Vietnam and South Vietnam.
• 1959 – Elijah Jerry "Pumpsie" Green becomes the first African-American to play for the Boston Red Sox, the last team to integrate. He came in as a pinch runner for Vic Wertz and stayed in as shortstop in a 2-1 loss to the Chicago White Sox.
• 1960 – Sirimavo Bandaranaike is elected prime minister of Sri Lanka and becomes the first woman prime minister in the world.
• 1961 – Mercury program: Mercury-Redstone 4 Mission – Gus Grissom piloting'' Liberty Bell 7'' becomes the second American to go into space (in a suborbital mission).
• 1964 – Singapore Race Riot – every year since then, Racial Harmony Day is celebrated on this day.
• 1969 – Neil Armstrong and Edwin "Buzz" Aldrin become the first men to walk on the Moon, during the Apollo 11 mission.
• 1970 – After 11 years of construction, the Aswan High Dam in Egypt is completed.
• 1972 – Bloody Friday bombing by the Provisional Irish Republican Army around Belfast, Northern Ireland – 22 bomb explosions, 9 people killed and 130 people seriously injured.
• 1973 – In the Lillehammer affair in Norway, Israeli Mossad agents kill a waiter whom they mistakenly thought was involved in 1972's Munich Olympics Massacre.
• 1976 – Christopher Ewart-Biggs British ambassador to the Republic of Ireland is assassinated by the Provisional IRA.
• 1977 – The start of a four day long Libyan-Egyptian War takes place.
• 1983 – The world's lowest temperature is recorded at Vostok Station, Antarctica at −89.2°C (−129°F).
• 1994 – Tony Blair is declared the winner of the leadership election of the British Labour Party, paving the way for him to become Prime Minister in 1997.
• 1995 – Third Taiwan Strait Crisis: The People's Liberation Army begins firing missiles into the waters north of Taiwan.
• 1997 – The fully restored (aka "Old Ironsides") celebrates her 200th birthday by setting sail for the first time in 116 years.
• 2004 – The United Kingdom government publishes Delivering Security in a Changing World, a paper detailing wide-ranging reform of the country's armed forces.
• 2005 – Four terrorist bombings, occurring exactly two weeks after the similar July 7 bombings, target London's public transportation system. All four bombs fail to detonate and all four suspected suicide bombers are captured and later convicted and imprisoned for long terms.
• 2007 – Release of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, the final book in the Harry Potter series.
• 2008 – Bosnian-Serb war criminal Radovan Karadžić is arrested in Serbia and is indicted by the UN's ICTY tribunal.

Births

• 1664 – Matthew Prior, English poet and diplomat (d. 1721)
• 1693 – Thomas Pelham-Holles, 1st Duke of Newcastle-upon-Tyne, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom (d. 1768)
• 1710 – Paul Möhring, German physician (d. 1792)
• 1762 – Timothy Hinman, pioneer road builder
• 1808 – Simion Bărnuţiu, Romanian philosopher and politician (d. 1864)
• 1810 – Henri Victor Regnault, French chemist (d. 1878)
• 1816 – Paul Reuter, German-born British journalist (d. 1899)
• 1851 – Sam Bass, American train robber and outlaw (d. 1878)
• 1858 – Lovis Corinth, German painter (d. 1925)
• 1858 – Maria Christina of Austria, queen of Spain (d. 1929)
• 1858 – Alfred Henry O'Keeffe, New Zealand artist (d. 1941)
• 1863 – Aubrey Smith, English cricketer and actor (d. 1948)
• 1870 – Emil Orlik, Czech painter (d. 1932)
• 1880 – Milan Rastislav Štefánik, Slovak politician and astronomer (d. 1919)
• 1882 – David Burliuk, Ukrainian artist (d. 1967)
• 1893 – Hans Fallada, German writer (d. 1947)
• 1899 – Hart Crane, American poet (d. 1932)
• 1899 – Ernest Hemingway, American writer, Nobel laureate (d. 1961)
• 1903 – Roy Neuberger, American financier
• 1908 – Harold "Jug" McSpaden, American professional golfer (d. 1996)
• 1911 – Marshall McLuhan, Canadian author (d. 1980)
• 1920 – Constance Dowling, American actress (d. 1969)
• 1920 – Isaac Stern, Ukrainian-born violinist (d. 2001)
• 1922 – Kay Starr, American singer
• 1922 – Mollie Sugden, British comedic actress (d. 2009)
• 1923 – Rudolph A. Marcus, Canadian chemist, Nobel laureate
• 1924 – Don Knotts, American actor (d. 2006)
• 1925 – Anne Meacham, American actress(d. 2006)
• 1926 – Paul Burke, American actor
• 1926 – Norman Jewison, Canadian film director
• 1926 – Rahimuddin Khan, Pakistani general
• 1926 – Karel Reisz, British film director (d. 2002)
• 1926 – Queenie Watts, English actress (d. 1980)
• 1928 – Marcel Gauthier, Canadian wrestler (d. 1998)
• 1929 – Bob Orton, American wrestler (d. 2006)
• 1930 – Anand Bakshi, Indian lyricist (d. 2002)
• 1932 – Ernie Warlick, American football player
• 1933 – John Gardner, American author (d. 1982)
• 1934 – Chandu Borde, former Indian cricketer
• 1934 – Jonathan Miller, British theatre director
• 1935 – Norbert Blüm, German politician
• 1935 – Moe Drabowsky, baseball player (d. 2006)
• 1938 – Les Aspin, American politician (d. 1995)
• 1938 – Anton Kuerti, Canadian pianist, composer and conductor
• 1938 – Janet Reno, 79th United States Attorney General
• 1939 – John Negroponte, 1st United States Director of National Intelligence
• 1943 – Edward Herrmann, American actor
• 1944 – Tony Scott, British film director
• 1944 – Paul Wellstone, American politician (d. 2002)
• 1945 – John Lowe, English darts player
• 1945 – Lydia Shum, Hong Kong comedian and actress (d. 2008)
• 1945 – Barry Richards, Former South African cricketer
• 1945 – Geoff Dymock, Former Australian cricketer
• 1946 – Kenneth Starr, American lawyer
• 1946 – Barry Whitwam, British musician (Herman's Hermits)
• 1947 – Chetan Chauhan, Former Indian cricketer
• 1948 – Ed Hinton, American sportswriter
• 1948 – Cat Stevens (Yusuf Islam), English singer/songwriter
• 1948 – Garry Trudeau, American cartoonist
• 1948 – Teruzane Utada, Japanese music record producer and manager
• 1948 – Art Hindle, Canadian actor
• 1949 – Al Hrabosky, baseball player
• 1950 – Ubaldo Fillol, Argentinian footballer
• 1951 – Robin Williams, American comedian/actor
• 1952 – John Barrasso, American politician
• 1953 – Brian Talbot, British footballer
• 1953 – Jeff Fatt, Chinese-Australian actor
• 1955 – Howie Epstein, American musician (d. 2003)
• 1955 – Taco, Dutch singer
• 1955 – Béla Tarr, Hungarian film director
• 1956 – Michael Connelly, American author
• 1957 – Jon Lovitz, American comedian
• 1957 – George Landress, American songwriter and music producer
• 1959 – Paul Vautin, Australian rugby league player
• 1960 – Lance Guest, American actor
• 1960 – Fritz Walter, German footballer
• 1961 – Amar Singh Chamkila, Punjabi folk singer
• 1961 – Jim Martin, American musician (Faith No More)
• 1963 – Kevin Poole, English footballer
• 1963 – Paulo Silva, Brazilian mixed martial artist
• 1964 – Ross Kemp, British actor
• 1964 – Jens Weissflog, German ski jumper
• 1965 – Guðni Bergsson, Icelandic footballer
• 1965 – Mike Bordick, American baseball player
• 1965 – Jovy Marcelo, Filipino racing driver (d. 1992)
• 1966 – Arija Bareikis, American actress
• 1966 – Sarah Waters, British novelist
• 1968 – Johnnie Barnes, American football player
• 1968 – Brandi Chastain, American footballer
• 1968 – Lyle Odelein, Canadian hockey player
• 1969 – Klaus Graf, German racing driver
• 1969 – Godfrey, American comedian
• 1969 – Emerson Hart, American musician (Tonic)
• 1970 – Shawn Stasiak, American professional wrestler
• 1971 – Emmanuel Bangué, French long jumper
• 1971 – Charlotte Gainsbourg, French actress and singer
• 1971 – Nuno Markl, Portuguese comedian and radio host
• 1972 – Shinjiro Otani, Japanese professional wrestler
• 1973 – Ali Landry, American model and actress
• 1974 – Geoff Jenkins, American baseball player
• 1975 – Chris Bisson, British actor
• 1975 – Ravindra Pushpakumara, Sri Lankan cricketer
• 1975 – Mike Sellers, American football player
• 1977 – Paul Casey, English golfer
• 1977 – Jaime Murray, British actress
• 1978 – Justin Bartha, American actor
• 1978 – Josh Hartnett, American actor
• 1978 – Damian Marley, Jamaican musician
• 1978 – Kyoko Iwasaki, Japanese swimmer
• 1978 – Gary Teale, Scottish footballer
• 1979 – David Carr, American football player
• 1979 – Tamika Catchings, American basketball player
• 1980 – Tailor James, Canadian model
• 1980 – CC Sabathia, American baseball player
• 1981 – Titus Bramble, English footballer
• 1981 – Blake Lewis, American musician
• 1981 – Joaquín Sánchez, Spanish footballer
• 1981 – Stefan Schumacher, German cyclist
• 1981 – Chrishell Stause, American actress
• 1982 – Mao Kobayashi, Japanese actress
• 1983 – Eivør Pálsdóttir, Faroese singer
• 1983 – Kellen Winslow II, American football player
• 1984 – Jurrick Juliana, Dutch footballer
• 1984 – Liam Ridgewell, English footballer
• 1985 – Paloma Faith, British singer
• 1985 – Vanessa Lengies, Canadian actress
• 1985 – Von Wafer, American basketball player
• 1988 – Chris Mitchell, Scottish footballer
• 1989 – Rory Culkin, American actor
• 1989 – Chris Gunter, Welsh footballer
• 1989 – Juno Temple, English actress
• 1989 – Jamie Waylett, English actor
• 1990 – Chris Martin, English footballer
• 1992 – Rachael Flatt, American figure skater
• 1992 – Giselle Klein, Canadian sprint car driver

Deaths

• 1403 – Henry Percy, English nobleman and soldier (b. 1364)
• 1425 – Manuel II Palaeologus, Byzantine Emperor (b. 1350)
• 1688 – James Butler, 1st Duke of Ormonde, English statesman and soldier (b. 1610)
• 1793 – Bruni d'Entrecasteaux, French explorer (b. 1739)
• 1796 – Robert Burns, Scottish poet (b. 1759)
• 1798 – François Sebastien Charles Joseph de Croix, Count of Clerfayt, Austrian field marshal (b. 1733)
• 1878 – Sam Bass, American train robber and outlaw (b. 1851)
• 1880 – Hiram Walden, American politician (b. 1800)
• 1889 – Nelson Dewey, American politician (b. 1813)
• 1899 – Robert G. Ingersoll, American politician and military officer (b. 1833)
• 1932 – Bill Gleason, American baseball player (b. 1858)
• 1938 – Owen Wister, American author (b. 1860)
• 1941 – Bohdan Lepky, Ukrainian writer and poet (b. 1872)
• 1943 – Charlie Paddock, American athlete (b. 1900)
• 1944 – Claus von Stauffenberg, German military officer and head of the failed 20 July Plot to assassinate Adolf Hitler (b. 1907)
• 1944 – Ludwig Beck, German Chief of Staff (b. 1880)
• 1946 – Gualberto Villarroel, Bolivian politician (b. 1908)
• 1948 – Arshile Gorky, Armenian-born American artist (b. 1904)
• 1967 – Jimmie Foxx, American baseball player (b. 1907)
• 1967 – Albert Lutuli, South African politician, Nobel Peace Prize laureate
• 1967 – Basil Rathbone, English actor (b. 1892)
• 1968 – Ruth St. Denis, American dancer and choreographer (b. 1878)
• 1970 – Mikhail Gerasimov, Russian anthropologist and sculptor (b. 1907)
• 1970 – Bob Kalsu, American football player (b. 1945)
• 1972 – Ralph Craig, American athlete (b. 1889)
• 1972 – Jigme Dorji Wangchuck, Third king of Bhutan (b. 1928)
• 1977 – Lee Miller, American photographer (b. 1907)
• 1982 – Dave Garroway, American television host (b. 1913)
• 1986 – Ernest Maas, American screenwriter (b. 1892)
• 1991 – Paul Warwick, English racing driver (b. 1969)
• 1998 – Alan Shepard, American astronaut (b. 1923)
• 1998 – Robert Young, American actor (b. 1907)
• 2000 – Marc Reisner, American writer (b. 1948)
• 2001 – Steve Barton, American actor (b. 1954)
• 2001 – Sivaji Ganesan, Indian Tamil actor (b. 1927)
• 2003 – John Davies, New Zealander athlete (b. 1938)
• 2003 – Walter M. Jefferies, American film art director (b. 1921)
• 2004 – Jerry Goldsmith, American composer (b. 1929)
• 2004 – Edward B. Lewis, American geneticist, Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine laureate (b. 1918)
• 2005 – Long John Baldry, British blues musician (b. 1941)
• 2005 – Lord Alfred Hayes, British wrestling announcer (b. 1928)
• 2005 – Michael Chapman, British classical bassoonist (b. 1934)
• 2006 – Mako, Japanese-born American actor (b. 1933)
• 2006 – Ta Mok, Cambodian Khmer Rouge leader (b. 1926)

Holidays and observances

• Belgium: National holiday (1831 – inauguration of Léopold I, first king of the Belgians)
• Guam: Liberation Day (1944)
• Russia: summer Kazanskaya
• Singapore: Racial Harmony Day

Roman Catholic

• Saint Arbogastus, bishop of Strasburg, confessor [Basel, Constance, Strassburg]
• Saint Daniel
• Saint Lawrence of Brindisi, priest, Doctor of the Church
• Saint Praxedes (Praxidis)
• Saint Victor of Marseilles, and companions, martyrs [Trier, southern France; Paris]

External links

• »BBC: On This Day
• »On This Day in Canada