December 21 Historical Events
The following events took place on December 21. The list is arranged in chronological order.
Found 37 events. Showing 1 - 30.
- 69The Roman Senate declares Vespasian as Roman emperor, the last in the Year of the Four Emperors.
- 1124Pope Honorius II is elected.
- 1140Conrad III of Germany besieged Weinsberg.
- 1237The city of Ryazan is sacked by the Mongol army of Batu Khan.
- 1361The Battle of Linuesa is fought in the context of the Spanish Reconquista between the forces of the Emirate of Granada and the combined army of the Kingdom of Castile and of Jaén resulting in a Castilian victory.
- 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 Society of Equitable Pioneers commences business at its 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, England.
- 1879World première of Henrik Ibsen’s A Doll’s House at the Royal Theatre in Copenhagen, Denmark.
- 1883The Royal Canadian Dragoons and The Royal Canadian Regiment, the first Permanent Force cavalry and infantry regiments of the Canadian Army, are formed: .
- 1907The Chilean Army commits a massacre of at least 2,000 striking saltpeter miners 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.
- 1923United Kingdom and Nepal formally signed an agreement of friendship, called the Nepal–Britain Treaty of 1923, which superseded the Treaty of Sugauli signed in 1816.
- 1936First flight of the Junkers Ju 88 multi-role combat aircraft.
- 1937Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, the world’s first full-length animated feature, premieres at the Carthay Circle Theatre.
- 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, Thailand.
- 1946An 8.1 Mw earthquake and subsequent tsunami in Nankaidō, Japan, kills over 1,300 people and destroys over 38,000 homes.
- 1951Libya becomes an independent country.
- 1962Rondane National Park is established as Norway’s first national park.
- 1963The episode of intercommunal violence called “Bloody Christmas” begins in Cyprus, ultimately resulting in the displacement of 25,000-30,000 Turkish Cypriots and destruction of more than 100 villages.
- 1967Louis Washkansky, the first man to undergo a heart transplant, dies in Cape Town, South Africa, having lived for 18 days after the transplant.
- 1968Apollo program: Apollo 8 is 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 International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination.
- 1973The Geneva Conference on the Arab–Israeli conflict opens.
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