21st November — World Television Day & World Hello Day
Welcome to 21st November! It's World Television Day and World Hello Day. Explore 69 historical events, birthdays, deaths, and milestones that shaped this day. From remarkable moments in local and world history to the people who left their mark — find out what makes today special. Tonight's moon is in its waxing gibbous phase, and the zodiac sign of the day is Scorpio. If you're curious about the history of a day — this page brings together everything worth knowing about this 21st November.
Friday, 21 November falls under the zodiac sign of Scorpio, the eighth sign of the zodiac associated with intensity and determination. The moon is in a waxing gibbous phase, approaching full and appearing more than three-quarters illuminated in the night sky.
On this day
On 21 November 1974, bombs exploded in two pubs in central Birmingham, England, killing 21 people in what became one of the deadliest attacks in the country during that era. The incident led to the swift imprisonment of six men, though their convictions were later overturned after evidence emerged of serious flaws in the investigation and prosecution. The case exposed significant failings in the criminal justice system and prompted widespread calls for reform.
Further back in history, on the same date in 1920, Dublin experienced one of the bloodiest days in Irish history. On Bloody Sunday, the IRA assassinated a group of British intelligence agents before British forces opened fire on civilians attending a Gaelic football match at Croke Park, killing 14 people. The violence marked a turning point in the Irish War of Independence.
World Television Day
World Television Day marks the date in 1996 when the United Nations established the observance to recognise the influence of television on decision-making and the broadcasting of major world events. The day falls on 21 November each year and was created to highlight television's role in shaping modern society. It remains relatively recent in terms of global observances, having been formally designated less than three decades ago. The day encourages reflection on how broadcast media continues to inform and connect global audiences.
World Hello Day
World Hello Day is observed annually on 21 November as a gesture promoting peace through simple personal communication. The day encourages people to greet at least ten people from different backgrounds, fostering goodwill and reducing cultural barriers through face-to-face or direct interaction. Established in 1973 in response to the Yom Kippur War, it represents a grassroots approach to promoting global harmony. The observance has grown to include millions of participants across more than 180 countries.
DayAtlas provides comprehensive historical information for any date and location, including weather patterns, significant events, and notable births and deaths. The platform enables users to explore what happened on specific dates throughout history and understand the broader context of particular moments in time.
Explore everything about today 1st July.
Clarity emerges not from answers, but from better questions.
Fortune of the Day
21st November in the Stars – Star Sign Scorpio
Personality Profile
Personality Those born on 21 November blend intense Scorpio depth with lunar emotional sensitivity. They probe feelings and truths passionately while appearing more emotionally accessible than typical Scorpios. Their nature combines psychological acuity with intuitive receptiveness.
Strengths & Weaknesses These individuals shine through loyalty, analytical power, and transformative potential. Their weaknesses include controlling tendencies and emotional overwhelm. Their ability to perceive hidden truths can turn into bitterness if unconsciously expressed.
Love In relationships, they seek deep emotional fusion and absolute fidelity. Lunar influence makes them more attuned to a partner's feelings, though Scorpio jealousy remains. Trust-building takes time, but genuine bonds receive lifelong devotion.
Caree & Finance Professionally they thrive in psychology, research, finance, or crisis management roles with transformative impact. Intuition combined with strategic thinking drives financial success and resource mastery. Control over money and influence matters deeply.
Health Emotional depth requires regular release through movement and mindfulness practices. Psychosomatic issues emerge when feelings remain suppressed. Water sports, therapy, and periodic detoxification support sustainable physical and mental wellbeing.
That night, the moon was in its waxing gibbous phase.
Chinese year of the Snake (Wood).
Fun Facts About 21st November
Name Days in Your Language: Cade, Cadell, Caden, Cadence, Caiden, Cayden, Kade, Kaden, Kadence, Kadin, Kadyn, Kaiden, Kayden, Kaydence, Valda, Velda
Someone born on this day would be just 222 days old today — roughly 5,336 hours, 320,207 minutes, or 19,212,438 seconds spent on Earth so far.
It's the 325. day of the year. In 2025, 21st November falls on a Friday.
There are 40 days still to come.
We’re currently in Week 47 — the year marches on.
Famous Birthdays on 21st November
On this day, 207 notable people were born on 21st November — spanning from 1495 to 2004. From world leaders to artists and scientists, discover who shares this birthday.
21/11/2004
Liz, South Korean singer
Kim Ji-won, known professionally as Liz, is a South Korean singer under Starship Entertainment. She is a member of the South Korean girl group Ive.
Rico Lewis, English footballer
Rico Mark Lewis is an English professional footballer who plays as a full-back or defensive midfielder for Premier League club Manchester City and the England national team.
21/11/2001
Rizky Ridho, Indonesian footballer
Rizky Ridho Ramadhani is an Indonesian professional footballer who plays as a centre-back for Super League club Persija Jakarta and the Indonesia national team.
21/11/2000
Isabel May, American actress
Isabel May is an American actress. She first gained attention as high school student Katie Cooper on the Netflix series Alexa & Katie (2018–2020) as well as playing Elsa Dutton on the Paramount+ series 1883 (2021–2022). She reprised her role as Elsa Dutton as the narrator of its sequel series, 1923 (2022–2025). In 2026, she joined the Scream franchise starring as Tatum Evans, daughter of Sidney Prescott in Scream 7.
Matt O'Riley, English-Danish footballer
Matthew Sean O'Riley is a professional footballer who plays as an attacking midfielder for Premier League club Brighton & Hove Albion. Born in England, he plays for the Denmark national team.
21/11/1999
Jaelin Howell, American soccer player
Jaelin Marie Howell is an American professional soccer player who plays as a midfielder for Gotham FC of the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL) and the United States national team. She played college soccer for the Florida State Seminoles, winning the Hermann Trophy in two consecutive seasons. She won national championships in 2018 and 2021.
21/11/1998
Ognjen Ilić, Serbian cyclist
Ognjen Ilić is a Serbian cyclist.
Vangelis Pavlidis, Greek footballer
Evangelis "Vangelis" Pavlidis is a Greek professional footballer who plays as a centre forward for Primeira Liga club Benfica and the Greece national team.
21/11/1997
Reo Hatate, Japanese footballer
Reo Hatate is a Japanese professional footballer who plays as a central midfielder for Scottish Premiership club Celtic and the Japan national team.
21/11/1995
Chris Chiozza, American basketball player
Christopher Xavier Chiozza is an American professional basketball player for Cantù of Italian Lega Basket Serie A (LBA). He played college basketball for the Florida Gators. Chiozza won an NBA championship with the Warriors in 2022.
Vladislav Gavrikov, Russian ice hockey player
Vladislav Andreyevich Gavrikov is a Russian professional ice hockey player who is a defenceman for the New York Rangers of the National Hockey League (NHL). He was drafted 159th overall by the Columbus Blue Jackets in the 2015 NHL entry draft.
21/11/1994
Andreas Johnsson, Swedish ice hockey player
Andreas Karl Johnsson is a Swedish professional ice hockey winger for Skellefteå AIK of the Swedish Hockey League (SHL). Johnsson played with the Toronto Maple Leafs, New Jersey Devils, San Jose Sharks, and Pittsburgh Penguins in the National Hockey League (NHL). He was selected by the Toronto Maple Leafs in the seventh round, 202nd overall, of the 2013 NHL entry draft.
Saúl Ñíguez, Spanish footballer
Saúl Ñíguez Esclápez, often known simply as Saúl, is a Spanish professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for Campeonato Brasileiro Série A club Flamengo. A versatile player, he can also be deployed as a box-to-box midfielder or a left-back.
Wyatt Teller, American football player
Wyatt Teller is an American professional football guard for the Houston Texans of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Virginia Tech Hokies.
21/11/1991
Almaz Ayana, Ethiopian sprinter
Almaz Ayana Eba is an Ethiopian long-distance runner. She won the gold medal in the 10,000 metres and bronze in the 5,000 metres at the 2016 Rio Olympics. Almaz is a four-time World Athletics Championships medallist earning a bronze for the 5,000m in 2013, gold at the event in 2015 as well as gold in the 10,000m and silver in the 5,000m in 2017.
Lewis Dunk, English footballer
Lewis Carl Dunk is an English professional footballer who plays as a centre-back for Premier League club Brighton & Hove Albion. He has played international football for the England national team, most recently in 2024.
Peni Terepo, New Zealand rugby league player
Peni Terepo is a Tonga former international rugby league footballer who played as a prop, second-row and lock for the Parramatta Eels in the NRL.
21/11/1990
Dani King, English cyclist
Danielle Rowe is a British former road and track cyclist. As a track cyclist, she is an Olympic gold medallist, three-time world champion, and two-time European champion in the team pursuit. She is a member of the British Cycling Hall of Fame.
Georgie Twigg, English field hockey player
Georgina Sophie Twigg is an English international field hockey player and an Olympic gold medalist at the 2016 Summer Olympics.
21/11/1989
Will Buckley, English footballer
William Edward Buckley is an English former professional footballer who played as a winger.
Dárvin Chávez, Mexican footballer
Dárvin Francisco Chávez Ramírez is a Mexican former professional footballer who played as a left-back. He is an Olympic gold medalist.
Fabian Delph, English footballer
Fabian Delph is an English former professional footballer who primarily played as a midfielder.
José Pirela, Venezuelan baseball player
José Manuel Pirela is a Venezuelan professional baseball second baseman and outfielder for the Diablos Rojos del México of the Mexican League. He has previously played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the New York Yankees, San Diego Padres, and Philadelphia Phillies. He has also played in Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB) for the Hiroshima Toyo Carp and in the KBO League for the Samsung Lions.
Chris Singleton, American basketball player
Christopher Carl Singleton Jr. is an American former professional basketball player. Listed at 6'9", he played as a power forward and small ball center. He played college basketball for the Florida State Seminoles.
Justin Tucker, American football player
Justin Paul Tucker is an American professional football placekicker. He played college football for the Texas Longhorns and signed with the Baltimore Ravens as an undrafted free agent in 2012, spending 13 seasons with the team. Regarded as one of the greatest placekickers ever, Tucker previously held the NFL record for longest field goal at 66 yards and is third in career field goal percentage at 89.1%. He has also been named to seven Pro Bowls and five first-team All-Pro teams, and was a member of the Ravens team that won Super Bowl XLVII.
21/11/1988
Larry Sanders, American basketball player
Larry Sanders is an American professional basketball player. He played power forward for the Virginia Commonwealth University Rams before declaring himself eligible for the 2010 NBA draft and was selected 15th overall by the Milwaukee Bucks.
Len Väljas, Canadian skier
Lennard "Len" Väljas is a Canadian former cross-country skier. He was born in Toronto, and is of Estonian descent. He is the younger brother of Canadian beach volleyball Olympian Kristina May.
Preston Zimmerman, American soccer player
Preston Mark Zimmerman is a retired American soccer player.
21/11/1987
Stefan Glarner, Swiss footballer
Stefan Glarner is a Swiss footballer who plays for FC Köniz in the Swiss 1. Liga.
Eesha Karavade, Indian chess player
Eesha Karavade is an Indian chess player from Pune. She holds the titles of International Master (IM) and Woman Grandmaster (WGM). She played for India in the Chess Olympiads of 2010, 2012 and 2014.
Karl Stollery, Canadian ice hockey player
Karl Stollery is a Canadian former professional ice hockey defenceman. He most recently played with HC Bolzano, Italian team of the ICE Hockey League (ICEHL).
21/11/1986
Colleen Ballinger, American YouTuber, comedian, actress, and singer
Colleen Mae Ballinger is an American comedian, YouTuber, actress, singer and writer. She is best known for her creation and portrayal of the Internet character Miranda Sings, posting videos of the character on YouTube, performing her one-woman comedy act on tour in theatres worldwide, and creating and starring in a Netflix original series titled Haters Back Off (2016–2017). Ballinger created the comically talentless, egotistical and eccentric character to satirize the many YouTube videos featuring people singing badly in hopes of breaking into show business but who appear unaware of their lack of talent.
Ben Bishop, American ice hockey player
Benjamin Manning Bishop III is an American former professional ice hockey player. As a goaltender, he played for the St. Louis Blues, Ottawa Senators, Tampa Bay Lightning, Los Angeles Kings, and Dallas Stars of the NHL. Nicknamed "Big Ben", Bishop is the tallest goaltender ever to play in the NHL, along with Mikko Koskinen, Mads Søgaard, Ivan Fedotov, and Dennis Hildeby at a height of 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m). He was a three-time Vezina Trophy finalist as the NHL's top goaltender.
Kristof Goddaert, Belgian cyclist (died 2014)
Kristof Goddaert was a Belgian road racing cyclist who competed as a professional between 2008 and 2014 for the Topsport Vlaanderen–Mercator, Ag2r–La Mondiale and IAM Cycling squads.
Sam Palladio, English actor and musician
Sam Christian Palladio Scott is an English actor and musician. He is best known for his starring role as Gunnar Scott in the ABC musical drama series Nashville (2012–18). Palladio has also had recurring roles on the comedy series Episodes (2012–15) and the science fiction series Humans (2015–2018). His feature film credits include 7 Lives (2011), Runner, Runner (2013), Strange Magic (2015), The Princess Switch (2018), The Princess Switch: Switched Again (2020) and The Princess Switch 3: Romancing the Star (2021).
21/11/1985
Carly Rae Jepsen, Canadian singer-songwriter and actress
Carly Rae Jepsen is a Canadian singer, songwriter and actress. After studying musical theatre for most of her school life and while in university, Jepsen garnered mainstream attention after placing third on the fifth season of Canadian Idol in 2007. Jepsen released her folk-influenced debut studio album Tug of War the following year.
Jesús Navas, Spanish footballer
Jesús Navas González is a Spanish former professional footballer who played as a right-back or right winger.
Nicola Silvestri, Italian footballer
Nicola Silvestri is an Italian footballer.
21/11/1984
Álvaro Bautista, Spanish motorcycle racer
Álvaro Bautista Arce is a Spanish motorcycle road racer. He won the 2022 and 2023 Superbike World Championship with the Ducati factory team. He was the 2006 125cc World Champion and runner-up in 250cc, and finished in the top six in MotoGP in 2012 and 2013. He competed in the MotoGP class from 2010 to 2018.
Josh Boone, American basketball player
Oscar Joshua Boone is an American former professional basketball player. A 6'10" power forward-center, he played three years of college basketball for UConn. He declared for the 2006 NBA draft after his junior season, forgoing his final year of college.
Lindsey Haun, American actress, singer, and director
Lindsey Haun is an American actress, singer, and director. She is known for her role as Hadley on the HBO television series True Blood. She was nominated for a Young Artist Award for her role in the 2000 Disney Channel original movie The Color of Friendship as Mahree Bok, and has starred in the film Broken Bridges, for which she also recorded a portion of the soundtrack. She starred in and co-directed the 2023 comedy horror film Hanky Panky.
Jena Malone, American actress and singer
Jena Malone is an American actress. Malone spent her early life in Sparks, Nevada, and in Las Vegas, while her mother acted in local theater productions. Inspired to become an actress herself, Malone convinced her mother to relocate to Los Angeles. After a series of auditions, Malone was cast in the television film Bastard Out of Carolina (1996), for which she received Independent Spirit and Screen Actors Guild Award nominations, and the television film Hope (1997), for which she received a Golden Globe Award nomination. She next appeared in the feature films Contact (1997) and Stepmom (1998), winning a Saturn Award for the former.
21/11/1983
Brie Bella, American wrestler and television personality
Brianna Monique Danielson, also known by the stage names Brie Bella and Brie Garcia, is an American professional wrestler and media personality. She is signed to WWE, where she performs under the ring name Brie Bella and is the current one-half of the WWE Women's Tag Team Champion with Paige in their first reign as team. She is one-half of The Bella Twins alongside her twin sister Nikki Bella.
Nikki Bella, American wrestler and television personality
Stephanie Nicole Garcia-Colace, also known by the stage names Nikki Bella and Nikki Garcia, is an American professional wrestler and television personality. She is signed to WWE, where she performs on the Raw brand.
21/11/1982
Ioana Ciolacu, Romanian fashion designer
Ioana Ciolacu Miron Mistretu is a Romanian fashion designer and researcher. She is the founder and creative director of the womenswear label Ioana Ciolacu, known for combining architectural design principles with contemporary womenswear and sustainable fashion practices.
Georgios Kalogiannidis, Greek archer
Georgios Kalogiannidis is an archer from Greece. He competed at the 2004 Summer Olympics.
John Lucas III, American basketball player and coach
John Harding Lucas III is an American professional basketball coach and former player who is currently serving as a player development coach for the Las Vegas Aces of the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA). He played college basketball for Baylor and Oklahoma State.
21/11/1981
Wesley Britt, American football player
Wesley Britt is an American former professional football player who was a tackle for three seasons with the New England Patriots in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Alabama Crimson Tide and received third-team All-American and a first-team All-SEC honors as a senior. Selected by the San Diego Chargers in the fifth round of the 2005 NFL draft, Britt was released before making the final roster and signed with the Patriots, where he played from 2006 to 2008. He is the husband of U.S. Senator Katie Britt.
Ainārs Kovals, Latvian javelin thrower
Ainārs Kovals is a Latvian track and field athlete who competes in the javelin throw. His personal best throw is 86.64 m. He achieved this at the 2008 Summer Olympics, where he finished second.
Jonny Magallón, Mexican footballer
José Jonny Magallón Oliva is a Mexican former professional footballer who played as a centre-back.
21/11/1980
Hank Blalock, American baseball player
Hank Joe Blalock is an American former professional baseball third baseman. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Texas Rangers and Tampa Bay Rays.
Alec Brownstein, American author and director
Alec Brownstein is an American creative marketer, the co-author of several humor books, and a film director. He attended The Haverford School in Haverford, Pennsylvania, and Tufts University. He is currently advisor and investor in a number of American startups. Previously, he was Global Head of Creative at PayPal Honey and was also the original Creative Director of Dollar Shave Club.
Leonardo González, Costa Rican footballer
Leonardo González Arce is a Costa Rican former professional footballer who played as a defender.
21/11/1979
Vincenzo Iaquinta, Italian footballer
Vincenzo Iaquinta is an Italian former professional footballer who played as a striker.
Stromile Swift, American basketball player
Stromile Emanuel Swift is an American former professional basketball player. He played college basketball for the LSU Tigers before being selected second overall by the Vancouver Grizzlies in the 2000 NBA draft. At 6'10" and 220 lbs, he played the power forward and center positions.
Alex Tanguay, Canadian ice hockey player
Alex Joseph Jean Tanguay is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player who was a winger for the Colorado Avalanche, Calgary Flames, Montreal Canadiens, Tampa Bay Lightning and Arizona Coyotes in the National Hockey League (NHL) and briefly for HC Lugano in the Swiss National League A in 2004. An offensive player, he is best known for his passing and playmaking ability. Tanguay currently serves as an assistant coach for the Detroit Red Wings.
21/11/1978
Daniel Bradshaw, Australian footballer
Daniel Mark Bradshaw is a former Australian rules footballer who played for the Brisbane Bears, Brisbane Lions and Sydney Swans in the Australian Football League (AFL).
Lucía Jiménez, Spanish actress and singer
Lucía Jiménez Arranz is a Spanish actress.
21/11/1977
Michael Batiste, American basketball player
Michael James Batiste is an American professional basketball coach and former player who is currently an assistant coach for the Toronto Raptors of the National Basketball Association (NBA). A two-time All-EuroLeague selection, Batiste won three EuroLeague championships in 2007, 2009, and 2011 with the Greek Basket League club Panathinaikos. In 2018, he was named one of the 101 Greats of European Basketball. He was inducted into the Greek Basket League Hall of Fame in 2022.
Yolande James, Canadian lawyer and politician
Yolande James is a former Quebec provincial politician. She was the first black female MNA, the youngest, and the first black cabinet minister in Quebec history. A member of the Quebec Liberal Party, she represented the multicultural riding of Nelligan in the Island of Montreal from 2004 to 2014.
Jonas Jennings, American football player
Jonas Duran Jennings is an American former professional football player who was an offensive tackle that played in the National Football League (NFL). He was selected by the Buffalo Bills in the third round of the 2001 NFL draft. He has also played for the San Francisco 49ers. He played college football for the Georgia Bulldogs. Jennings is now director of player development for his alma mater, the University of Georgia. He was part of the Bulldogs' coaching staff that won the National Championship over Alabama in the 2021 season.
21/11/1976
Mihaela Botezan, Romanian long-distance runner
Mihaela Maria Botezan is a Romanian long-distance runner who specializes mainly in the 10000 metres and the half marathon. She represented Romania at the 2004 Summer Olympics, the 2002 European Athletics Championships, twice at the World Championships in Athletics and five times at the IAAF World Half Marathon Championships.
Saleem Elahi, Pakistani cricketer
Saleem Elahi is a former Pakistani cricketer who played 13 Test matches and 48 One Day Internationals between 1995 and 2004. He made 102 not out on his international debut, against Sri Lanka in September 1995, becoming the first player from Pakistan to score a century on ODI debut.
Martin Meichelbeck, German footballer
Martin Meichelbeck is a German former professional footballer who played as a centre-back.
Daniel Whiston, English figure skater
Daniel J Whiston is an English figure skater. He appeared in Strictly Ice Dancing on BBC One in 2004 and for all series of ITV show Dancing on Ice since its inception in 2006. He won the first series of Dancing on Ice while partnering actress Gaynor Faye, the fifth series with former Emmerdale actress Hayley Tamaddon and the eighth series with Olympic artistic gymnast, Beth Tweddle. Since 2019, Whiston has been Associate Creative Director of Dancing on Ice responsible for creating all professional routines and training all celebrity contestants.
Michael Wilson, Australian footballer
Michael Robert Wilson is a former professional Australian rules footballer who played for Port Adelaide Football Club in the Australian Football League (AFL) and the South Australian National Football League (SANFL)
21/11/1975
Jimmi Simpson, American actor
Jimmi Simpson is an American actor. Known for his work across film, television, and theatre, he is the recipient of BAFTA, Primetime Emmy, and Screen Actors Guild Award nominations.
21/11/1974
Marina de Tavira, Mexican actress
Marina de Tavira Servitje is a Mexican actress. She is internationally known for her role in the film Roma (2018), for which she received widespread acclaim and a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress.
21/11/1972
Rich Johnston, English author and critic
Richard "Rich" Johnston is a British comics creator, columnist, and founder of the comics news site Bleeding Cool.
Rain Phoenix, American actress and singer
Rain Joan of Arc Phoenix is an American actress, musician, and singer. She is the older sister of Joaquin, Liberty and Summer Phoenix and younger sister of River Phoenix.
21/11/1971
Michael Strahan, American football player, actor, and talk show host
Michael Anthony Strahan is an American television host and former professional football defensive end who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 15 seasons with the New York Giants. A dominant pass rusher, Strahan set the NFL single-season record for quarterback sacks and helped the Giants win Super Bowl XLII in his final season in 2007. He was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2014.
21/11/1970
Karen Davila, Filipino journalist
Kristin Karen Lising Davila–Sta. Ana, is a Filipino broadcast journalist. She has been the anchor or host of multiple programs under ABS-CBN's News and Current Affairs division, including Bandila, My Puhunan: Kaya Mo!, and TV Patrol.
Justin Langer, Australian cricketer and coach
Justin Lee Langer is an Australian cricket coach and former cricketer. He is the former coach of the Australia men's national team, having been appointed to the role in May 2018 and leaving in February 2022 and became the coach of Lucknow based IPL franchise Lucknow Super Giants in July, 2023. A left-handed batsman, Langer is best known for his partnership with Matthew Hayden as Australia's test opening batsmen during the early and mid-2000s, considered one of the most successful ever. Representing Western Australia domestically, Langer played English county cricket for Middlesex and also Somerset. He holds the record for the most runs scored at first-class level by an Australian. As Australia's coach, he led the team to victory in the 2021 T20 World Cup.
21/11/1969
Ken Griffey Jr., American baseball player and actor
George Kenneth Griffey Jr., nicknamed "Junior" and "the Kid", is an American former professional baseball outfielder who played 22 years in Major League Baseball (MLB). He spent most of his career with the Seattle Mariners and Cincinnati Reds, along with a short stint with the Chicago White Sox. The first overall pick in the 1987 draft and a 13-time All-Star, Griffey is widely considered one of the greatest baseball players of all time. His 630 home runs rank as the seventh-most in MLB history. Griffey was also an exceptional defender and won 10 Gold Glove Awards in center field. He is tied for the record of most consecutive games with a home run.
21/11/1968
Jan Bertels, Belgian politician
Jan Bertels is a Belgian politician and member of the Chamber of Representatives. A member of Vooruit, he has represented Antwerp since June 2024. He had previously been a member of the Chamber of Representatives from June 2019 to November 2020. He was a member of the Flemish Parliament from June 2014 to May 2019.
Andy Caddick, New Zealand-English cricketer
Andrew Richard Caddick is a former cricketer who played for England as a fast bowler in Tests and ODIs. At 6 ft 5in, Caddick was a successful bowler for England for a decade, taking 13 five-wicket hauls in Test matches. He spent his entire English domestic first-class cricket career at Somerset County Cricket Club, and then played one Minor Counties match for Wiltshire in 2009.
Alex James, English singer-songwriter, bass player
Steven Alexander James is an English musician, best known as the bassist of the rock band Blur. He has also played with the bands Fat Les, Me Me Me, WigWam and Bad Lieutenant.
Antonio Tarver, American boxer, sportscaster, and actor
Antonio Deon Tarver is an American former professional boxer and boxing commentator. In boxing, he competed from 1997 to 2015, and held multiple light heavyweight world championships, including the WBA (Unified), WBC, IBF and Ring magazine titles, as well as the IBO light heavyweight and cruiserweight titles. Tarver will be inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame in 2026.
21/11/1967
Ken Block, American race car driver (died 2023)
Kenneth Paul Block was an American professional rally driver, extreme sports racer, and business entrepreneur with the Hoonigan Racing Division, formerly known as the Monster World Rally Team. Block was also one of the co-founders of DC Shoes. He also competed in many action sports events, including skateboarding, snowboarding, and motocross.
Tripp Cromer, American baseball player
Roy Bunyan "Tripp" Cromer III is an American former professional baseball player. He is an alumnus of the University of South Carolina. His younger brother, D. T. was also a Major League Baseball player.
Toshihiko Koga, Japanese martial artist (died 2021)
Toshihiko Koga was a Japanese judoka, 9th degree black belt and Olympic champion who competed in the –71 kg and –78 kg divisions. Koga is regarded as having perhaps the greatest ippon seoi nage ever. He died of cancer on 24 March 2021 at the age of 53.
Amanda Lepore, American model and singer
Amanda Lepore is an American model, singer, and performance artist. A former Club Kid, she has appeared in advertising for numerous companies. Lepore is noted as a regular subject in photographer David LaChapelle's work, serving as his muse, as well as many other photographers, such as Terry Richardson and Ruben van Schalm. She participated in LaChapelle's Artists and Prostitutes 1985–2005 exhibit in New York City, where she "lived" in a voyeuristic, life-sized set.
21/11/1966
Troy Aikman, American football player and sportscaster
Troy Kenneth Aikman is an American former professional football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 12 seasons with the Dallas Cowboys. After transferring from the Oklahoma Sooners, he played college football for the UCLA Bruins and won the Davey O'Brien Award in 1988. Aikman was selected first overall in the 1989 NFL draft by the Cowboys, where he was named to six Pro Bowls and won three Super Bowls. He was also named MVP of Super Bowl XXVII, the franchise's first title in over a decade. Aikman was inducted to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2006 and the College Football Hall of Fame in 2008.
Evgeny Bareev, Russian chess player and coach
Evgeny Ilgizovich Bareev is a Russian-Canadian chess player, trainer, and writer. Awarded the FIDE Grandmaster title in 1989, he was ranked fourth in the world in the international rankings in 1992 and again in 2003, with an Elo rating of 2739.
Thanasis Kolitsidakis, Greek footballer
Thanasis Kolitsidakis is a Greek football manager and former player.
21/11/1965
Björk, Icelandic singer-songwriter
Björk Guðmundsdóttir is an Icelandic singer, songwriter, composer, record producer and actress. Noted for her distinct voice, three-octave vocal range, and eccentric public persona, she has developed an eclectic musical style over a career spanning five decades, drawing on electronica, pop, dance, trip hop, jazz, and avant-garde music. She is regarded as one of the most influential musicians of her era.
Reggie Lewis, American basketball player (died 1993)
Reginald C. Lewis was an American professional basketball player for the National Basketball Association's Boston Celtics from 1987 to 1993. Lewis died at the age of 27, and his number was posthumously retired by the team.
21/11/1964
Shane Douglas, American wrestler and manager
Troy Allan Martin is an American professional wrestler, manager, and promoter, better known by his ring name Shane Douglas. He is best known for his tenures in Extreme Championship Wrestling (ECW), World Championship Wrestling (WCW), the World Wrestling Federation (WWF), Xtreme Pro Wrestling (XPW), and Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA).
Olden Polynice, Haitian-American basketball player and coach
Olden Polynice is a Haitian former professional basketball player. He played center for the Seattle SuperSonics, Los Angeles Clippers, Detroit Pistons, Sacramento Kings, and Utah Jazz of the National Basketball Association (NBA).
Liza Tarbuck, English actress, television and radio presenter
Liza Tarbuck is an English actress, comedian, and television and radio presenter.
21/11/1963
Dave Molyneux, Manx motorcycle racer
Dave Molyneux is a Manx sidecar racer and chassis engineer. He is the most successful Sidecar competitor in the history of the Isle of Man TT races, achieving 17 TT victories and 30 podium finishes. His race wins place him fourth on the all-time wins list, behind solo bike racers Michael Dunlop, Joey Dunlop and John McGuinness (23).
Nicollette Sheridan, English actress
Nicollette Sheridan is a British-born American actress. She began her career as a fashion model before landing a role in the short-lived ABC primetime soap opera Paper Dolls in 1984, as well as starring in the romantic comedy film The Sure Thing (1985). She rose to prominence as Paige Matheson on the CBS primetime soap opera Knots Landing (1986–1993), for which she received two Soap Opera Digest Awards. Thereafter, Sheridan appeared in lead roles in numerous television films and miniseries, including Lucky Chances (1990), Virus (1995), and The People Next Door (1996). She also appeared in the feature films Noises Off (1992), Spy Hard (1996), Beverly Hills Ninja (1997), and Code Name: The Cleaner (2007).
21/11/1962
Steven Curtis Chapman, American Christian music singer-songwriter, musician, record producer, actor, author, and social activist
Steven Curtis Chapman is an American contemporary Christian music singer, songwriter, record producer, actor, author, and social activist.
Alan Smith, English football player
Alan Martin Smith is an English football commentator and former player who played as a striker. He played for Leicester City and Arsenal in a career that spanned over a decade. A co-commentator for Sky Sports, Smith has also provided his voice to the football video game series FIFA alongside Martin Tyler from 2011 until 2019.
21/11/1961
João Domingos Pinto, Portuguese footballer and manager
João Domingos da Silva Pinto is a Portuguese former footballer and manager. He spent his entire professional career with Porto.
21/11/1960
Mark Bailey, English rugby player, author, and educator
Mark David Bailey, is a British academic, headteacher and former rugby union player. Since 2020, he has been Professor of Late Medieval History at the University of East Anglia. In 2019, he delivered the James Ford Lectures in British History at Oxford University, which were later published as a book, After the Black Death: Economy, society, and the law in fourteenth-century England.
Brian McNamara, American actor, director, and producer
Brian McNamara is an American actor. His first major role was in the film The Flamingo Kid (1984). He then went on to appear in a few films, such as Short Circuit (1986), Caddyshack II (1988), Arachnophobia (1990) and Mystery Date (1991).
Brian Ritchie, American bass player and songwriter
Brian Taigan Ritchie is an American musician, best known as the bassist for the alternative rock band Violent Femmes. Ritchie was born and raised in the United States and is currently a dual citizen of the U.S. and Australia, with his full-time residence in Australia.
21/11/1959
Sergei Ratnikov, Estonian footballer and manager
Sergei Ratnikov is an Estonian professional football manager and former player. He last managed Levadia in Estonian Meistriliiga.
21/11/1956
Cherry Jones, American actress
Cherry Jones is an American actress. She started her career in theater as a founding member of the American Repertory Theater in 1980 before transitioning into film and television. Celebrated for her dynamic roles on stage and screen, she has received various accolades, including three Primetime Emmy Awards and two Tony Awards, as well as nominations for an Olivier Award and a Screen Actors Guild Award.
21/11/1955
Peter Koppes, Australian singer-songwriter and guitarist
Peter Koppes is an Australian guitarist, best known as a founding and almost-continuous member of the independent rock band The Church. He is a multi-instrumentalist, also playing mandolin, drums, piano, and harmonica. He has also released various solo albums and various recordings with his group The Well (1989-1995). Koppes lives on the Australian Central Coast in NSW but sometimes spends time on the Sunshine Coast in Queensland where he sometimes produces albums and has previously conducted seasonal 'song writing' and 'performance for demo recording' short courses at Nambour TAFE, as well as offering private tuition in guitar, bass, drums and song writing. His daughters are Tatiana 'O' Koppes and Neige Koppes who had their own band, Rain Party but now have independent solo careers.
Cedric Maxwell, American basketball player, coach, and sportscaster
Cedric Bryan Maxwell is an American former professional basketball player now in radio broadcasting. Nicknamed "Cornbread", he played 11 seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA), and played a key role in two championships with the Boston Celtics.
Glenn Ridge, Australian radio and television host and producer
Glenn Daryl Ridge is an Australian television and radio presenter, and the owner and managing director of the Q Media Group, a production company making television specials and documentaries.
21/11/1954
Fiona Pitt-Kethley, English journalist, author, and poet
Fiona Pitt-Kethley is a British poet, novelist, travel writer and journalist, who is the author of more than 20 books of poetry and prose. She lived for many years in Hastings, East Sussex and moved to Spain in 2002 with her husband James Plaskett and their son, Alexander.
21/11/1953
Tina Brown, English-American journalist and author
Christina Hambley Brown, Lady Evans, is a British and American journalist, magazine editor, columnist, broadcaster, and author. She is the former editor in chief of Tatler (1979–1982), Vanity Fair (1984–1992), The New Yorker (1992–1998), and the founding editor in chief of The Daily Beast (2008–2013). From 1998–2002, Brown was chairman of Talk Media, which included Talk magazine and Talk Miramax Books. In 2010, she founded Women in the World, a live journalism platform to elevate the voices of women globally, with summits held through 2019. Brown is author of The Diana Chronicles (2007), The Vanity Fair Diaries (2017) and The Palace Papers (2022).
21/11/1952
Mervyn Davies, Baron Davies of Abersoch, Welsh banker and politician
Evan Mervyn Davies, Baron Davies of Abersoch, is a British former banker and was a Labour government minister until May 2010, as Minister of State for Trade, Investment and Small Business. Davies remains a UK government Trade Envoy for Sri Lanka.
Janne Kristiansen, Norwegian lawyer and jurist
Janne Kristiansen is a Norwegian jurist. She was the first head of the Criminal Cases Review Commission from 2004 to 2009. and head of the Norwegian Police Security Service (PST) from 2009 to 2012, a position from which she resigned following a heavily politicized scandal.
Lorna Luft, American actress and singer
Lorna Luft is an American actress and singer. She is the daughter of Judy Garland and Sidney Luft, the sister of Joey Luft and the half-sister of Liza Minnelli.
21/11/1950
Hisham Barakat, Egyptian lawyer and judge (died 2015)
Hisham Muhammad Zaki Barakat was Attorney General of Egypt from 2013 to 2015. During his term as state prosecutor, he was responsible of thousands of controversial prosecutions, including several widely deemed politically motivated resulting in death sentences for hundreds of Muslim Brotherhood members and supporters of deposed Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi. He was assassinated in a car bombing on 29 June 2015.
Livingston Taylor, American singer-songwriter and musician
Livingston Taylor is an American singer-songwriter and folk musician. Born in Boston and raised in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, he is the brother of singer-songwriter James Taylor, singer-songwriter Kate Taylor, singer Alex Taylor, and innkeeper and singer Hugh Taylor. Taylor is most notable for his Billboard hits "I Will Be In Love With You", "First Time Love", and "I'll Come Running".
21/11/1948
Alphonse Mouzon, American jazz drummer (died 2016)
Alphonse Lee Mouzon was an American musician and vocalist, most prominently known as a jazz fusion drummer. He was also a composer, arranger, producer, and actor. Mouzon gained popularity in the late 1960s and early 1970s. He was the owner of Tenacious Records, a label that primarily released Mouzon's recordings.
Michel Suleiman, Lebanese general and politician, 16th President of Lebanon
Michel Suleiman is a Lebanese politician who served as the 12th president of Lebanon from 2008 to 2014. Before becoming president, he served as commander of the Lebanese Armed Forces from 1998 to 2008.
21/11/1945
Vincent Di Fate, American artist
Vincent Di Fate is an American artist specializing in science fiction, fantasy and realistic space art illustration. He was inducted by the Science Fiction Hall of Fame on June 25, 2011.
Goldie Hawn, American actress, singer, and producer
Goldie Jeanne Hawn is an American actress, comedian, producer, dancer, and singer. She achieved stardom and acclaim for playing lighthearted comedic roles in film and television. In a career spanning six decades, she has received several awards, including an Academy Award and a Golden Globe Award as well as nominations for a BAFTA Award and two Primetime Emmy Awards.
21/11/1944
Dick Durbin, American lawyer and politician
Richard Joseph Durbin is an American politician and attorney serving as the senior United States senator from Illinois, a seat he has held since 1997. A member of the Democratic Party, Durbin is in his fifth Senate term and has served since 2005 as the Senate Democratic Whip and since 2025 as the Senate minority whip. He is the longest-serving Democratic whip since the position was established in 1913.
Earl Monroe, American basketball player
Vernon Earl Monroe is an American former professional basketball player. He played for two teams, the Baltimore Bullets and the New York Knicks, during his career in the National Basketball Association (NBA). Both teams have retired Monroe's number. Due to his on-court success and flashy style of play, Monroe was given the nicknames "Black Jesus" and "Earl the Pearl". Monroe was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 1990 and the International Sports Hall of Fame in 2013. In 1996, Monroe was named as one of the 50 Greatest Players in NBA History, and in 2021, Monroe was named as one of the 75 greatest players in NBA history.
Harold Ramis, American actor, director, producer, and screenwriter (died 2014)
Harold Allen Ramis was an American actor, comedian, and filmmaker. His film acting roles include Egon Spengler in Ghostbusters (1984) and Ghostbusters II (1989), and as Russell Ziskey in Stripes (1981); he also co-wrote those films. As a director, his films include the comedies Caddyshack (1980), National Lampoon's Vacation (1983), Groundhog Day (1993), Analyze This (1999) and Analyze That (2002). Ramis was the original head writer of the television series SCTV, on which he also performed, as well as a co-writer of Groundhog Day and National Lampoon's Animal House (1978). The final film that he wrote, produced, directed, and acted in was Year One (2009).
21/11/1943
Phil Bredesen, American businessman and politician, 48th Governor of Tennessee
Philip Norman Bredesen Jr. is an American politician and businessman who served as the 48th governor of Tennessee from 2003 to 2011. A member of the Democratic Party, he was elected in 2002 with 50.6% of the vote and re-elected in 2006 with 68.6%. He served as the 66th mayor of Nashville from 1991 to 1999. Bredesen is the founder of the HealthAmerica Corporation, which he sold in 1986. He is the last Democrat to win and/or hold statewide office in Tennessee.
Jacques Laffite, French race car driver
Jacques-Henri Marie Sabin Laffite is a French former racing driver and broadcaster, who competed in Formula One from 1974 to 1986. Laffite won six Formula One Grands Prix across 13 seasons.
21/11/1942
Heidemarie Wieczorek-Zeul, German educator and politician
Heidemarie Wieczorek-Zeul is a German politician and a member of the Social Democratic Party (SPD) since 1965.
21/11/1941
Juliet Mills, English-American actress
Juliet Maryon Mills is an English and American actress. The daughter of actor Sir John Mills and older sister of actress Hayley Mills, she began her career as a child actress and was nominated at age 18 for a Tony Award for her stage performance in Five Finger Exercise in 1960. She progressed to film work and then to television, playing the lead role on the sitcom Nanny and the Professor in the early 1970s. She received Golden Globe Award nominations for her work in this series and for her role in the film Avanti! in 1972. She won an Emmy Award for her performance in the television miniseries QB VII.
David Porter, American songwriter, musician, and producer
David Porter is an American record producer, singer, songwriter, entrepreneur and philanthropist.
21/11/1940
Freddy Beras-Goico, Dominican comedian and television host (died 2010)
Freddy Reinaldo Antonio Beras-Goico, popularly known as "Freddy Beras" or just "Beras-Goico", was a Dominican comedian, TV presenter, writer and media personality for over 30 years. He hosted the TV show El Gordo de La Semana and he was a staple of primetime TV. He was one of the most recognized personalities in the Dominican Republic.
Terry Dischinger, American basketball player (died 2023)
Terry Gilbert Dischinger was an American professional basketball player in the National Basketball Association (NBA). Dischinger was a three-time NBA All-Star and the 1963 NBA Rookie of the Year, after averaging 28 points per game in his three seasons at Purdue University.
Richard Marcinko, American commander and author (died 2021)
Richard Marcinko was a U.S. Navy SEAL commander and Vietnam War veteran. He was the first commanding officer of SEAL Team Six. After retiring from the United States Navy, he became an author, radio talk show host, military consultant, and motivational speaker.
Natalia Makarova, Russian ballerina, choreographer, and actress
Natalia Romanovna Makarova is a Russian prima ballerina and choreographer. The History of Dance, published in 1981, notes that "her performances set standards of artistry and aristocracy of dance which mark her as the finest ballerina of her generation in the West."
21/11/1939
R. Budd Dwyer, American educator and politician, 30th Treasurer of Pennsylvania (died 1987)
Robert Budd Dwyer was an American politician who served as the 70th treasurer of Pennsylvania from 1981 until his suicide in 1987. He had previously served from 1965 to 1971 as a Republican member of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives and from 1971 to 1981 as a member of the Pennsylvania State Senate representing the state's 50th district. Dwyer committed suicide by gunshot during a press conference following his conviction for accepting a bribe in the CTA scandal.
21/11/1937
John Kerin, Australian politician (died 2023)
John Charles Kerin was an Australian economist and Labor Party politician who served in the House of Representatives from 1972 to 1975 and again from 1978 to 1993. He held a number of senior ministerial roles in both the Hawke and Keating governments, including six months as Treasurer of Australia and eight years as Minister for Primary Industries and Energy, holding the latter role for the longest period in Australian history.
Ingrid Pitt, Polish-English actress (died 2010)
Ingrid Pitt was a Polish and British actress and writer. She was best known for her work in British horror cinema of the 1970s.
Marlo Thomas, American actress, producer, and activist
Margaret Julia "Marlo" Thomas is an American actress, producer, author, and social activist. She is best known for starring as Ann Marie in a sitcom series That Girl (1966–1971) and her children's franchise Free to Be... You and Me. She has received three Primetime Emmy Awards, a Daytime Emmy Award, a Golden Globe Award, and a Peabody Award for her work in television and was inducted into the Broadcasting and Cable Hall of Fame. She also received a Grammy Award for her children's album Marlo Thomas and Friends: Thanks & Giving All Year Long. She was married to American television host Phil Donahue from May 1980 until his death in August 2024.
21/11/1936
Victor Chang, Chinese-Australian surgeon (died 1991)
Victor Peter Chang was a Chinese-born Australian cardiac surgeon and a pioneer of modern heart transplantation in Australia.
21/11/1934
Laurence Luckinbill, American actor, director, and playwright
Laurence George Luckinbill is an American actor, playwright and director. He has worked in film, television and theatre, doing triple duty in the theatre by writing, directing and starring in stage productions. He is known for penning and starring in one-man shows based upon the lives of U.S. president Theodore Roosevelt, author Ernest Hemingway, and American defense attorney Clarence Darrow; starring in a one-man show based upon the life of U.S. president Lyndon B. Johnson; and for his portrayal of Spock's half-brother Sybok in the film Star Trek V: The Final Frontier.
Peter Philpott, Australian cricketer (died 2021)
Peter Ian Philpott was an Australian cricketer. He was a leg-spin bowler and middle order batsman who played for New South Wales and the national team in the 1960s. More recently, he was known as a coach.
21/11/1933
Henry Hartsfield, American colonel, pilot, and astronaut (died 2014)
Henry Warren Hartsfield Jr. was a colonel in the United States Air Force and a NASA astronaut who logged over 480 hours in space. He was inducted into the United States Astronaut Hall of Fame in 2006.
Jean Shepard, American country music singer-songwriter (died 2016)
Ollie Imogene "Jean" Shepard, was an American country singer who was considered one of the genre's first significant female artists. Her commercial success ran from the 1950s to the 1970s while also being a member of the Grand Ole Opry for 60 years.
Etta Zuber Falconer, American educator and mathematician (died 2002)
Etta Zuber Falconer was an American educator and mathematician the bulk of whose career was spent at Spelman College, where she eventually served as department head and associate provost. She was one of the earlier African-American women to receive a Ph.D. in mathematics.
21/11/1932
Beryl Bainbridge, English author and screenwriter (died 2010)
Dame Beryl Margaret Bainbridge was an English writer. She was primarily known for her works of psychological fiction, often macabre tales set among the English working class. She won the Whitbread Awards prize for best novel in 1977 and 1996, and was nominated five times for the Booker Prize. She was described in 2007 as a national treasure. In 2008, The Times named Bainbridge on their list of the "50 greatest British writers since 1945".
Pelle Gudmundsen-Holmgreen, Danish composer (died 2016)
Pelle Gudmundsen-Holmgreen was a Danish composer.
21/11/1931
Lewis Binford, American archaeologist and academic (died 2011)
Lewis Roberts Binford was an American archaeologist known for his influential work in archaeological theory, ethnoarchaeology and the Paleolithic period. He is widely considered among the most influential archaeologists of the later 20th century, and is credited with fundamentally changing the field with the introduction of processual archaeology in the 1960s. Binford's influence was controversial, however, and most theoretical work in archaeology in the late 1980s and 1990s was explicitly construed as either a reaction to or in support of the processual paradigm. Recent appraisals have judged that his approach owed more to prior work in the 1940s and 50s than suggested by Binford's strong criticism of his predecessors.
Revaz Dogonadze, Georgian chemist and physicist (died 1985)
Revaz Dogonadze was a notable Georgian scientist, Corresponding Member of the Georgian National Academy of Sciences (GNAS) (1982), Doctor of Physical & Mathematical Sciences (1966), Professor (1972), one of the founders of quantum electrochemistry,
Stanley Kalms, Baron Kalms, English businessman (died 2025)
Harold Stanley Kalms, Baron Kalms was a British businessman who was the life president and chairman of Currys plc. In 1948 he joined Dixons, which was founded by his father Charles Kalms in 1937. He spent his whole career with the company, through its various mergers and acquisitions into Currys.
Malcolm Williamson, Australian pianist and composer (died 2003)
Malcolm Benjamin Graham Christopher Williamson was an Australian composer. He was the Master of the Queen's Music from 1975 until his death. According to Grove Music Online, although Williamson's earlier compositions aligned with Serialist techniques, "he later modified his approach to composition in the search of a more inclusive musical language that was fundamentally tonal and, above all, lyrical. In the 1960s, he was commonly referred to as the most often commissioned composer in Britain, and over his lifetime he produced more than 250 works in a wide variety of genres."
21/11/1930
Marjan Rožanc, Slovenian journalist, author, and playwright (died 1990)
Marjan Rožanc was a Slovenian author, playwright, and journalist. He is mostly known for his essays, and is considered one of the foremost essayists in Slovene, along with Ivan Cankar, Jože Javoršek, and Drago Jančar, and as a great master of style.
21/11/1929
Marilyn French, American author and academic (died 2009)
Marilyn French was an American radical feminist author, most widely known for her second book and first novel, the 1977 work The Women's Room.
Laurier LaPierre, Canadian historian, journalist, and politician (died 2012)
Laurier L. LaPierre was a Canadian Senator, professor, broadcaster, journalist and author. He was a member of the Liberal Party of Canada.
21/11/1927
Georgia Frontiere, American businesswoman (died 2008)
Georgia Frontiere was an American businesswoman and entertainer. She was the majority owner and chairperson of the Los Angeles/St. Louis Rams NFL team.
21/11/1926
Matti Ranin, Finnish actor (died 2013)
Matti Helge Ranin was a Finnish actor.
William Wakefield Baum, American cardinal (died 2015)
William Wakefield Baum was an American Catholic prelate who served as bishop of Springfield-Cape Girardeau in Missouri and archbishop of Washington in the District of Columbia. He then served in the Roman Curia as prefect of the Congregation for Catholic Education and the major penitentiary.
21/11/1925
Veljko Kadijević, Croatian general and politician, 5th Federal Secretary of People's Defence (died 2014)
Veljko Kadijević was a Serbian general of the Yugoslav People's Army (JNA). He was the Minister of Defence in the Yugoslav government from 1988 until his resignation in 1992, which made him de facto commander-in-chief of the JNA during the Ten-Day War in Slovenia and the initial stages of the Croatian War of Independence.
21/11/1924
Joseph Campanella, American actor (died 2018)
Joseph Anthony Campanella was an American character actor. He appeared in more than 200 television and film roles from the early 1950s to 2009. Campanella was widely known for his roles as Joe Turino on Guiding Light from 1959 to 1962, Lew Wickersham on the detective series Mannix from 1967 to 1968, Brian Darrell on the legal drama The Bold Ones: The Lawyers from 1969 to 1972, Harper Deveraux on the soap opera Days of Our Lives from 1987 to 1992, co-host of Science International from 1976 to 1979, and his recurring role as Jonathan Young on The Bold and the Beautiful from 1996 to 2005.
Milka Planinc, Yugoslav politician, 28th Prime Minister of Yugoslavia (died 2010)
Milka Planinc was a Croatian communist politician who served as Prime Minister of Yugoslavia from 1982 to 1986. She was the first and only woman to hold this office. Planinc was also the first female head of government of a diplomatically recognized socialist state in Europe.
Christopher Tolkien, English author and academic (died 2020)
Christopher John Reuel Tolkien was an English academic editor and writer. The son of the author and academic J. R. R. Tolkien, he edited 24 volumes based on his father's posthumously published work, including The Silmarillion and the 12-volume series The History of Middle-Earth, a task that took 45 years. He drew the original maps for his father's fantasy novel The Lord of the Rings. He spent the second half of his life in France, becoming a French citizen.
21/11/1922
Abe Lemons, American basketball player and coach (died 2002)
A.E. "Abe" Lemons was an American college basketball player and coach. As a head coach at Oklahoma City University, Pan American University and the University of Texas at Austin, he compiled a record of 594–343 in 34 seasons.
21/11/1921
Donald Sheldon, American pilot (died 1975)
Donald Edward Sheldon was an Alaskan bush pilot who pioneered the technique of glacier landings on Denali during the 1950s and 1960s.
21/11/1920
Ralph Meeker, American actor (died 1988)
Ralph Meeker was an American film, stage, and television actor. He first rose to prominence for his roles in the Broadway productions of Mister Roberts (1948–1951) and Picnic (1953), the former of which earned him a Theatre World Award for his performance. In film, Meeker is known for his portrayal of Mike Hammer in Robert Aldrich's 1955 Kiss Me Deadly and as condemned infantryman Cpl. Philippe Paris in Stanley Kubrick’s Paths of Glory.
Stan Musial, American baseball player and manager (died 2013)
Stanley Frank Musial, nicknamed "Stan the Man", was an American professional baseball player. Widely considered to be one of the greatest and most consistent hitters in baseball history, Musial spent 22 seasons as an outfielder and first baseman in Major League Baseball (MLB), playing for the St. Louis Cardinals from 1941 to 1944 and from 1946 to 1963. He was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1969 in his first year of eligibility.
21/11/1919
Paul Bogart, American director and producer (died 2012)
Paul Bogart was an American television director and producer. Bogart directed episodes of the television series 'Way Out in 1961, Coronet Blue in 1967, Get Smart, The Dumplings in 1976, All in the Family from 1975 to 1979, Mama Malone in 1982, and four episodes of the first season of The Golden Girls in 1985. Among his films are Oh, God! You Devil, Torch Song Trilogy, Halls of Anger, Marlowe, Skin Game, and Class of '44. He won five Primetime Emmy Awards during his long career, from sixteen nominations. In 1991, he was awarded the French Festival Internationelle Programmes Audiovisuelle at the Cannes Film Festival.
21/11/1917
Chung Il-kwon, Korean politician, diplomat, and soldier (died 1994)
Chung Il-kwon was a South Korean politician, diplomat, and soldier. A general in the Republic of Korea Army, he served as foreign minister 1963 to 1964, and prime minister from 1964 to 1970. He was an ally of President Park Chung Hee.
21/11/1916
Sid Luckman, American football player and soldier (died 1998)
Sidney Luckman was an American professional football quarterback who played for the Chicago Bears of the National Football League (NFL) from 1939 through 1950. During his 12 seasons with the Bears, he led them to four NFL championships in 1940, 1941, 1943, and 1946. He also played safety on defense for most of his career.
21/11/1915
Norm Smith, Australian footballer and coach (died 1973)
Norman Walter Smith was an Australian rules football player and coach in the Victorian Football League (VFL). After more than 200 games as a player with Melbourne and Fitzroy, Smith began a twenty-year coaching career, including a fifteen-year stint at Melbourne.
21/11/1914
Nusret Fişek, Turkish physician and politician, Turkish Minister of Health (died 1990)
Hasan Nusret Fişek was a Turkish physician and Minister of Health.
Henri Laborit, French physician and philosopher (died 1995)
Henri Laborit was a French surgeon, neurobiologist, writer and philosopher. In 1952, Laborit was instrumental in the development of the drug chlorpromazine, published his findings, and convinced three psychiatrists to test it on a patient, resulting in great success. Laborit was recognized for his work, but as a surgeon searching for an anesthetic, he came to be at odds with psychiatrists who made their own discoveries and competing claims.
21/11/1913
John Boulting, English director, producer, and screenwriter (died 1985)
John Edward Boulting and Roy Alfred Clarence Boulting, known collectively as the Boulting brothers, were English filmmakers and identical twins who became known for their series of satirical comedies in the 1950s and 1960s. They produced many of their films through their own production company, Charter Film Productions, which they founded in 1937.
Roy Boulting, English director, producer, and screenwriter (died 2001)
John Edward Boulting and Roy Alfred Clarence Boulting, known collectively as the Boulting brothers, were English filmmakers and identical twins who became known for their series of satirical comedies in the 1950s and 1960s. They produced many of their films through their own production company, Charter Film Productions, which they founded in 1937.
Gunnar Kangro, Estonian mathematician, author, and academic (died 1975)
Gunnar Kangro was an Estonian mathematician. He worked mainly on summation theory. He taught various courses on mathematical analysis, functional analysis and algebra in the University of Tartu and he has written several university textbooks.
21/11/1912
Eleanor Powell, American actress and dancer (died 1982)
Eleanor Torrey Powell was an American dancer and actress. Best remembered for her tap dance numbers in musical films in the 1930s and 1940s, she was one of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer's top dancing stars during the Golden Age of Hollywood. Powell appeared in vaudeville, on Broadway, and most prominently, in a series of movie musical vehicles tailored especially to showcase her dance talents, including Born to Dance (1936), Broadway Melody of 1938 (1937), Rosalie (1937), and Broadway Melody of 1940 (1940). She retired from films in the mid-1940s but resurfaced for the occasional specialty dance scene in films such as Thousands Cheer. In the 1950s she hosted a Christian children's TV show and eventually headlined a successful nightclub act in Las Vegas. She died from cancer at 69. Powell is known as one of the most versatile and athletic female dancers of the Hollywood studio era.
21/11/1908
Leo Politi, Italian-American author and illustrator (died 1996)
Atiglio Leoni Politi was an American artist and author who wrote and illustrated some 20 children's books, as well as Bunker Hill, Los Angeles (1964), intended for adults. His works often celebrated cultural diversity, and many were published in both English and Spanish.
Elizabeth George Speare, American author and educator (died 1994)
Elizabeth George Speare was an American writer of children's historical fiction, including two Newbery Medal winners, recognizing the year's "most distinguished contribution to American literature for children". In 1989 she received the Children's Literature Legacy Award for her contributions to American children's literature and one of the Educational Paperback Association's top 100 authors.
21/11/1907
Buck Ram, American songwriter and music producer (died 1991)
Samuel "Buck" Ram was an American songwriter, and popular music producer and arranger. He was one of BMI's top five songwriters/air play in its first 50 years, alongside Paul Simon, Kris Kristofferson, Jimmy Webb, and Paul McCartney. He is best known for his long association with The Platters and also wrote, produced and arranged for the Penguins, the Coasters, the Drifters, Ike and Tina Turner, Ike Cole, Duke Ellington, Glenn Miller, Ella Fitzgerald, and many others. He was also known as Ande Rand, Lynn Paul or Jean Miles.
21/11/1905
Georgina Battiscombe, British biographer (died 2006)
Georgina Battiscombe was a British biographer, specialising mainly in lives from the Victorian era.
21/11/1904
Coleman Hawkins, American saxophonist and clarinet player (died 1969)
Coleman Randolph Hawkins, nicknamed "Hawk" and sometimes "Bean", was an American jazz tenor saxophonist. One of the first prominent jazz musicians on his instrument, as Joachim E. Berendt explained: "There were some tenor players before him, but the instrument was not an acknowledged jazz horn." Hawkins biographer John Chilton described the prevalent styles of tenor saxophone solos prior to Hawkins as "mooing" and "rubbery belches". Hawkins denied being first and noted his contemporaries Happy Caldwell, Stump Evans, and Prince Robinson, although he was the first to tailor his method of improvisation to the saxophone rather than imitate the techniques of the clarinet. Hawkins's virtuosic, arpeggiated approach to improvisation, with his characteristic rich, emotional, and vibrato-laden tonal style, was the main influence on a generation of tenor players that included Chu Berry, Charlie Barnet, Tex Beneke, Ben Webster, Vido Musso, Herschel Evans, Buddy Tate, and Don Byas, and through them the later tenormen, Arnett Cobb, Illinois Jacquet, Flip Phillips, Ike Quebec, Al Sears, Paul Gonsalves, and Lucky Thompson. While Hawkins became known with swing music during the big band era, he had a role in the development of bebop in the 1940s.
21/11/1903
Isaac Bashevis Singer, Polish-American novelist and short story writer, Nobel Prize laureate (died 1991)
Isaac Bashevis Singer was a Polish-born Jewish American novelist, short-story writer, memoirist, essayist, and translator in the United States. Some of his works were adapted for the theater. He wrote and published first in Yiddish and later translated his own works into English with the help of editors and collaborators. He was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1978. A leading figure in the Yiddish literary movement, he was awarded two U.S. National Book Awards, one in Children's Literature for his memoir A Day of Pleasure: Stories of a Boy Growing Up in Warsaw (1970) and one in Fiction for his collection A Crown of Feathers and Other Stories (1974).
21/11/1902
Foster Hewitt, Canadian sportscaster (died 1985)
Foster William Hewitt was a Canadian radio broadcaster, most famous for his play-by-play calls for Hockey Night in Canada. He was the son of W. A. Hewitt, and the father of Bill Hewitt.
Mikhail Suslov, Russian soldier, economist, and politician (died 1982)
Mikhail Andreyevich Suslov was a Soviet politician. In addition to serving as the Central Committee's longtime Secretary of Ideology, he held office as Second Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union from 1965 until his death in 1982.
21/11/1899
Jobyna Ralston, American actress (died 1967)
Jobyna Ralston was an American stage and film actress. She had a featured role in Wings in 1927, and is remembered for her on-screen chemistry with Harold Lloyd, with whom she appeared in seven films.
Harekrushna Mahatab, Indian journalist and politician, 1st Chief Minister of Odisha (died 1987)
Harekrushna Mahatab was a leader of the Indian National Congress, a notable figure in the Indian independence movement and the Chief Minister of Odisha from 1946 to 1950 and from 1956 to 1961. He was popularly known by the sobriquet "Utkal Keshari".
21/11/1898
René Magritte, Belgian painter (died 1967)
René François Ghislain Magritte was a Belgian surrealist artist known for his depictions of familiar objects in unfamiliar, unexpected contexts, which often provoked questions about the nature and boundaries of reality and representation. His imagery has influenced pop art, minimalist art, and conceptual art.
21/11/1897
Mollie Steimer, Russian-American activist (died 1980)
Mollie Steimer was an anarchist activist. A Ukrainian Jew, she left Russia and settled in New York City in 1913. She quickly became involved in the local anarchist movement and was caught up in the case of Abrams v. United States. Charged with sedition, she was eventually deported to Soviet Russia, where she met her lifelong partner Senya Fleshin and agitated for the rights of anarchist political prisoners in the country. For her activities, she and Fleshin were again deported to western Europe, where they spent time organising aid for exiles and political prisoners, and took part in the debates of the international anarchist movement. Following the rise of the Nazis in Europe, she and Fleshin fled to Mexico, where they spent the rest of their lives working as photographers.
21/11/1894
Cecil M. Harden, American politician (died 1984)
Cecil Murray Harden was an American educator who became a Republican politician and an advocate of women's rights. She served five terms in the U.S. Representative representing Indiana's 6th congressional district. Harden was the only Republican woman elected to represent Indiana in the U.S. Congress until 2012.
21/11/1886
Harold Nicolson, English author and politician (died 1968)
Sir Harold George Nicolson was a British politician, writer, broadcaster and gardener. His wife was Vita Sackville-West.
21/11/1878
Gustav Radbruch, German lawyer and politician, German Minister of Justice (died 1949)
Gustav Radbruch was a German legal scholar and politician. He served as Minister of Justice of Germany during the early Weimar period. Radbruch is also regarded as one of the most influential legal philosophers of the 20th century.
21/11/1877
Sigfrid Karg-Elert, German composer and educator (died 1933)
Sigfrid Theodor Karg-Elert was a German composer and organist who wrote prolifically for pipe and reed organs.
21/11/1876
Olav Duun, Norwegian author and educator (died 1939)
Olav Duun was a writer of Norwegian fiction. He is generally recognized to be one of the more outstanding writers in Norwegian literature. He was nominated for the Nobel Prize in Literature twenty-four times in fourteen years, and once lacked only one vote to receive the prize.
21/11/1870
Alexander Berkman, Lithuanian-American activist and author (died 1936)
Alexander Berkman was a Russian-American anarchist and author. He was a leading member of the anarchist movement in the early 20th century, famous for both his political activism and his writing.
Joe Darling, Australian cricketer and politician (died 1946)
Joseph Darling was an Australian cricketer who played 34 Test matches as a specialist batsman between 1894 and 1905. As captain, he led Australia in a total of 21 Tests, winning seven and losing four. In Test cricket, he scored 1,657 runs at an average of 28.56 per innings, including three centuries. Darling toured England four times with the Australian team—in 1896, 1899, 1902 and 1905; the last three tours as captain. He was captain of the Australian cricket team in England in 1902, widely recognised as one of the best teams in Australian cricket history.
Stanley Jackson, English cricketer and politician (died 1947)
Sir Francis Stanley Jackson, known as the Honourable Stanley Jackson during his playing career, was an English cricketer, soldier and Conservative Party politician. He played in 20 Test matches for the England cricket team between 1893 and 1905.
21/11/1866
Sigbjørn Obstfelder, Norwegian poet and author (died 1900)
Sigbjørn Obstfelder was a 19th-century Norwegian writer and poet.
Konishiki Yasokichi I, Japanese sumo wrestler, the 17th Yokozuna (died 1914)
Konishiki Yasokichi I was a Japanese professional sumo wrestler from Musha District, Kazusa Province. He was the sport's 17th yokozuna.
21/11/1854
Pope Benedict XV (died 1922)
Pope Benedict XV was head of the Catholic Church from 1914 until his death in January 1922. His pontificate was largely overshadowed by World War I and its political, social, and humanitarian consequences in Europe.
21/11/1853
Hussein Kamel of Egypt (died 1917)
Hussein Kamel was the Sultan of Egypt from 19 December 1914 to 9 October 1917, during the British protectorate over Egypt. He was the first person to hold the title of Sultan of Egypt since the killing of Sultan Tuman II by the Ottomans in 1517 following their conquest of Egypt.
21/11/1852
Francisco Tárrega, Spanish guitarist and composer (died 1909)
Francisco de Asís Tárrega y Eixea was a Spanish composer and classical guitarist of the late Romantic period. He is known for such pieces as Capricho Árabe, Recuerdos de la Alhambra and Gran Vals.
21/11/1851
Désiré-Joseph Mercier, Belgian cardinal and theologian (died 1926)
Désiré Félicien François Joseph Mercier was a Belgian Catholic prelate who served as Archbishop of Mechelen from 1906 until his death in 1926. A Thomist scholar, he had several of his works translated into other European languages. He was known for his book, Les origines de la psychologie contemporaine (1897). He was elevated to the cardinalate in 1907.
21/11/1840
Victoria, Princess Royal of England (died 1901)
Victoria, Princess Royal was German Empress and Queen of Prussia as the wife of Frederick III, German Emperor. She was the eldest child of Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom and Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha and was created Princess Royal in 1841. As the eldest child of the British monarch, she was briefly heir presumptive until the birth of her younger brother, the future Edward VII. She was the mother of Wilhelm II, the last German Emperor.
21/11/1834
Hetty Green, American businesswoman and financier (died 1916)
Henrietta "Hetty" Howland Robinson Green was an American businesswoman and financier known as "the richest woman in America" during the Gilded Age. Those who knew her well referred to her admiringly as the "Queen of Wall Street" due to her willingness to lend freely and at reasonable interest rates to financiers and city governments during financial panics. Her extraordinary discipline during such times enabled her to amass a fortune as a financier at a time when nearly all major financiers were men.
21/11/1818
Lewis H. Morgan, American lawyer, anthropologist, and theorist (died 1881)
Lewis Henry Morgan (November 21, 1818 – December 17, 1881) was an American anthropologist and social theorist, who worked as a railroad lawyer. He is best known for his work on kinship and social structure, his theories of social evolution, and his ethnography of the Iroquois. Interested in what holds societies together, he proposed the concept that the earliest human domestic institution was the matrilineal clan, not the patriarchal family.
21/11/1811
Ludwik Gorzkowski, Polish politician, physicist, and revolutionary activist (died 1857)
Ludwik Jędrzej Gorzkowski (1811–1857) was a Polish politician, physicist and revolutionary activist, one of the organizers of the Kraków uprising, during which he was a member of the newly formed Polish National Government alongside Jan Tyssowski and Aleksander Grzegorzewski.
21/11/1787
Samuel Cunard, Canadian businessman, founded the Cunard Line (died 1865)
Sir Samuel Cunard, 1st Baronet, was a British-Canadian shipping magnate, born in Halifax, Nova Scotia, who founded the Cunard Line, establishing the first scheduled steamship connection with North America. He was the son of a master carpenter and timber merchant who had fled the American Revolution and settled in Halifax.
21/11/1785
William Beaumont, American surgeon, "Father of Gastric Physiology" (died 1853)
William Beaumont was a surgeon in the U.S. Army. He served as an assistant surgeon from 1812 to 1815, and then rejoined the army in 1820. He became known as the "Father of Gastric Physiology" for his research on human digestion on Alexis St. Martin in 1822.
21/11/1768
Friedrich Schleiermacher, German theologian, philosopher, and scholar (died 1834)
Friedrich Daniel Ernst Schleiermacher was a German Reformed theologian, pastor, philosopher, and biblical scholar known for his attempt to reconcile the criticisms of the Enlightenment with traditional Protestant Christianity. He also became influential in the evolution of higher criticism, and his work forms part of the foundation of the modern field of hermeneutics. Because of his profound effect on subsequent Christian thought, he is often called the "Father of Modern Liberal Theology" and is considered an early leader in liberal Christianity. The neo-orthodoxy movement of the twentieth century, typically seen to be spearheaded by Karl Barth, was in many ways an attempt to challenge his influence. As a philosopher he was a leader of German Romanticism.
21/11/1760
Joseph Plumb Martin, American sergeant (died 1850)
Joseph Plumb Martin was a soldier in the Connecticut Militia and Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War, and was mustered out as a 23-year-old Sergeant in a Sapper company. His published narrative of his experiences, re-discovered in the 1950s, has become a valuable resource for historians in understanding the conditions of a common soldier of that era, as well as the battles in which Martin participated.
21/11/1729
Josiah Bartlett, American physician and politician, 6th Governor of New Hampshire (died 1795)
Josiah Bartlett was an American Founding Father, physician, statesman, a delegate to the Continental Congress for New Hampshire, and a signatory to the Declaration of Independence and Articles of Confederation. He was a member of the convention which framed the Constitution of the United States in 1787. He served as the fourth governor of New Hampshire and chief justice of the New Hampshire Superior Court of Judicature, now the New Hampshire Supreme Court.
21/11/1718
Friedrich Wilhelm Marpurg, German composer, critic, and theorist (died 1795)
Friedrich Wilhelm Marpurg was a German music critic, music theorist and composer. Described as "one of Germany's leading mid[18th-]century music critics," he was friendly and active with many figures of the Enlightenment.
21/11/1694
Voltaire, French writer and philosopher (died 1778)
François-Marie Arouet, known by his pen name Voltaire, was a French Enlightenment writer, philosopher (philosophe), satirist, and historian. Famous for his wit and his criticism of Christianity and of slavery, Voltaire was an advocate of freedom of speech, freedom of religion, and separation of church and state.
21/11/1692
Carlo Innocenzo Frugoni, Italian poet and academic (died 1768)
Carlo Innocenzo Frugoni was an Italian poet and librettist. As a poet Frugoni was one of the best of the school of the Arcadian Academy, and his lyrics and pastorals had great facility and elegance. His collected works were published at Parma in 10 volumes in 1799, and a more complete edition appeared at Lucca in the same year in 15 volumes.
21/11/1631
Catharina Questiers, Dutch poet (died 1669)
Catharina Questiers was a Dutch poet and dramatist. Along with Cornelia van der Veer and Katharyne Lescailje, she was the most successful female Dutch poet of the second half of the 17th century. Her brother David also achieved some note as a poet.
21/11/1567
Anne de Xainctonge, French saint, founded the Society of the Sisters of Saint Ursula of the Blessed Virgin (died 1621)
Anne de Xainctonge was a French religious sister who founded of the Society of the Sisters of Saint Ursula of the Blessed Virgin. She was declared venerable by the Roman Catholic Church in 1991.
21/11/1495
John Bale, English bishop and historian (died 1563)
John Bale was an English churchman, historian controversialist, and Bishop of Ossory in Ireland. He wrote the oldest known historical verse drama in English, King Johan, which depictes King John in a virtuous struggle against the Catholic Church. Bale also developed and published a very extensive list of the works of British authors down to his own time, just as the monastic libraries were being dispersed. His contention that Joseph of Arimathea had brought a proto-Protestant faith to Britain that was purer than Catholicism was to have far-reaching ramifications; but his unhappy disposition and habit of quarrelling earned him the nickname "bilious Bale".
Lives Remembered on 21st November
On 21st November, 117 remarkable people passed away — from 615 to 2024. Remember the lives and legacies of those we lost on this day.
21/11/2024
Alice Brock, American artist, author and restauranteur (born 1941)
Alice May Brock was an American artist, author and restauranteur. A resident of Massachusetts for her entire adult life, Brock owned and operated three restaurants in the Berkshires—The Back Room, Take-Out Alice, and Alice's at Avaloch—in succession between 1965 and 1979. The first of these was the subject of Arlo Guthrie's 1967 song "Alice's Restaurant", which in turn inspired the 1969 film.
21/11/2021
Lou Cutell, American actor (born 1930)
Lou Cutell was an American actor. He was best known for his appearance as Amazing Larry in the 1985 film Pee-wee's Big Adventure.
Jean-Pierre Schumacher, French Trappist monk and survivor of the Thibirine monks (born 1924)
Jean-Pierre Schumacher, OCSO was a French Trappist monk and prior who was one of the two survivors of the deadly terrorist attack on the Algerian Abbey of Our Lady of Atlas in 1996.
21/11/2017
David Cassidy, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (born 1950)
David Bruce Cassidy was an American actor and musician. While he was best known in the United States for his role as Keith Partridge in the 1970s musical-sitcom The Partridge Family, he was an international success in his solo career as a singer. For a period, he was the highest-paid entertainer in the world.
21/11/2016
Hassan Sadpara, Pakistani mountaineer and adventurer (born 1963)
Hassan Sadpara PP was a Pakistani mountaineer and adventurer from Skardu in Gilgit-Baltistan, Pakistan. He is the first Pakistani to have climbed six eight-thousanders including Mount Everest (8848m), K2 (8611m), Gasherbrum I (8080m), Gasherbrum II (8034m), Nanga Parbat and Kangchenjunga (8586m). Although, he is credited for summiting five of the eight-thousanders without supplemental oxygen but, contrary to initial reports, Hassan Sadpara clarified that he used supplemental oxygen during his Everest ascent due to bad weather.
21/11/2015
Gil Cardinal, Canadian director, producer, and screenwriter (born 1950)
Gilbert Joseph "Gil" Cardinal was a Canadian filmmaker of Métis descent. Born in Edmonton in 1950, and placed in a foster home at the age of two, Cardinal only discovered his Métis roots while making his documentary Foster Child. This 1987 National Film Board of Canada (NFB) film received over 10 international film awards, including a Gemini Award for best direction for a documentary program, following its broadcast on CBC's Man Alive series.
Ameen Faheem, Indian-Pakistani poet and politician (born 1939)
Makhdoom Muhammad Ameen Faheem was a Pakistani populist left-wing political figure and poet. He was the senior vice-chairman of Pakistan Peoples Party, chairman of Pakistan People's Party Parliamentarians and former chairman of Alliance for Restoration of Democracy.
Bob Foster, American boxer and police officer (born 1938)
Robert Wayne Foster was an American professional boxer who fought as a light heavyweight and heavyweight. He won the world light heavyweight title from Dick Tiger in 1968 via fourth-round knockout, and went on to defend the title fourteen times against thirteen different fighters in total from 1968 to 1974. Foster challenged Joe Frazier and Muhammad Ali during his career, but was knocked out by both. He was named to Ring's list of 100 Greatest Punchers of all time. He was also named to Ring's list of the 80 Best Fighters of the Last 80 Years, ranking at No. 55. He was inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame in the inaugural class of 1990.
Anthony Read, English screenwriter and producer (born 1935)
Anthony Read was an English television producer, screenwriter, script editor and author. He was principally active in British television from the 1960s to the mid-1980s, which included a period as a script editor and writer of Doctor Who from 1977 to 1979, although he occasionally contributed to televised productions until 1999.
Joseph Silverstein, American violinist and conductor (born 1932)
Joseph Harry Silverstein was an American violinist and conductor.
21/11/2014
John H. Land, American soldier and politician (born 1920)
John Horting Land was Mayor of Apopka, Florida for a total of 61 years, from 1950 to 1968 and again from 1971 to 2014. He was the longest-serving mayor in the history of Florida and one of the longest-serving mayors in the United States. After having served continuously since 1971, Land was defeated in a bid for re-election by Joe Kilsheimer on April 8, 2014.
Robert Richardson, English general (born 1929)
Lieutenant-General Sir Robert Francis Richardson was a British Army officer. Among other posts, he commanded a battalion and a brigade during the Troubles before becoming General Officer Commanding in Northern Ireland from 1982 to 1985.
21/11/2013
John Egerton, American journalist and author (born 1935)
John Egerton was an American journalist and author known for his writing on the civil rights movement, Southern food, history of the South, and Southern culture.
Fred Kavli, Norwegian-American businessman and philanthropist, founded The Kavli Foundation (born 1927)
Fred Kavli was a Norwegian-American businessman and philanthropist born on a small farm in Eresfjord, Norway. He founded the Kavlico Corporation in Moorpark, California. Under his leadership, Kavlico became one of the world's largest suppliers of sensors for aeronautic, automotive, and industrial applications supplying General Electric and the Ford Motor Company.
Dimitri Mihalas, American astronomer and author (born 1939)
Dimitri Manuel Mihalas was a laboratory fellow at the Los Alamos National Laboratory in the field of astronomy, astrophysics, and stellar atmospheres. He was born in Los Angeles, California and was of Greek origin.
Vern Mikkelsen, American basketball player and coach (born 1928)
Arild Verner Agerskov Mikkelsen was an American professional basketball player. One of the National Basketball Association's first power forwards in the 1950s, he was known for his tenacious defense and durability, playing 699 out of a possible 704 games during his career. He was a six-time All-Star and four-time Second Team All-Pro, and was inducted into the NAIA Basketball Hall of Fame and the sport's Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 1995.
Bernard Parmegiani, French composer (born 1927)
Bernard Parmegiani was a French composer best known for his electronic or acousmatic music.
Tôn Thất Đính, Vietnamese general (born 1926)
Lieutenant General Tôn Thất Đính was an officer who served in the Army of the Republic of Vietnam (ARVN). He is best known as one of the key figures in the November 1963 coup that led to the arrest and assassination of Ngô Đình Diệm, the first president of the Republic of Vietnam, commonly known as South Vietnam.
Maurice Vachon, Canadian-American wrestler (born 1929)
Joseph Maurice Régis Vachon was a Canadian professional wrestler, best known by his ring name Mad Dog Vachon. He was the older brother of wrestlers Paul and Vivian Vachon, and the uncle of wrestler Luna Vachon.
21/11/2012
Emily Squires, American director, producer, and screenwriter (born 1941)
Emily Squires was an American television producer and director best known for her Emmy Award-winning work on Sesame Street.
Austin Peralta, American pianist (born 1990)
Austin Peralta was an American jazz pianist and composer from Los Angeles, California. He was the son of film director and Z-Boys skateboarder Stacy Peralta.
21/11/2011
Anne McCaffrey, American science fiction and fantasy author (born 1926)
Anne Inez McCaffrey was an American writer known for the Dragonriders of Pern science fiction series. She was the first woman to win a Hugo Award for fiction and the first to win a Nebula Award. Her 1978 novel The White Dragon became one of the first science-fiction books to appear on the New York Times Best Seller list.
21/11/2010
Norris Church Mailer, American author (born 1949)
Norris Church Mailer was an American novelist, actress, artist, and model. Norris published two novels, Windchill Summer and Cheap Diamonds, and a memoir, A Ticket to the Circus, which focuses on her nearly thirty-year marriage to Norman Mailer.
David Nolan, American activist and politician (born 1943)
David Fraser Nolan was an American activist and politician. He was one of the founders of the Libertarian Party of the United States, having hosted the meeting in 1971 at which the Party was founded. Nolan subsequently served the party in a number of roles including National Committee Chair, editor of the party newsletter, Chair of the By-laws Committee, Chair of the Judicial Committee, and Chair of the Platform Committee.
Margaret Taylor-Burroughs, American painter and author, co-founded the DuSable Museum of African American History (born 1917)
Margaret Taylor-Burroughs, also known as Margaret Taylor Goss, Margaret Taylor Goss Burroughs or Margaret T G Burroughs, was an American visual artist, writer, poet, educator, and arts organizer. She co-founded the Ebony Museum of Chicago, now the DuSable Museum of African American History.
21/11/2009
Konstantin Feoktistov, Russian engineer and astronaut (born 1926)
Konstantin Petrovich Feoktistov, was Russian engineer and a cosmonaut in the former Soviet space program.
21/11/2007
Fernando Fernán Gómez, Spanish actor, director, and screenwriter (born 1921)
Fernando Fernández Gómez, better known as Fernando Fernán Gómez, was a Spanish actor, screenwriter, film director, theater director, novelist, and playwright. Prolific in all these fields, he was elected member of the Royal Spanish Academy in 1998. He was born in Lima, Peru while his mother, Spanish actress Carola Fernán-Gómez, was making a tour in Latin America. He would later use her surname for his stage name when he moved to Spain in 1924.
Tom Johnson, Canadian-American ice hockey player and coach (born 1928)
Thomas Christian "Tomcat" Johnson was a Canadian professional ice hockey player and executive. As a player, he played for the Montreal Canadiens and Boston Bruins in the National Hockey League. He later served as the assistant general manager and head coach of the Bruins. Johnson was the recipient of the Norris Trophy in 1959. He was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1970.
Noel McGregor, New Zealand cricketer (born 1931)
Spencer Noel McGregor was a Test cricketer who played 25 Test matches for New Zealand between 1954–55 and 1964–65. He was the New Zealand Cricket Almanack Player of the Year in 1968.
21/11/2006
Hassan Gouled Aptidon, Somalian-Djiboutian politician, 1st President of Djibouti (born 1916)
Hassan Gouled Aptidon was a Djiboutian politician who served as the first President of Djibouti from 1977 to 1999.
Pierre Amine Gemayel, Lebanese lawyer and politician (born 1972)
Pierre Amine Gemayel was a Lebanese politician in the Kataeb Party, also known as the Phalange Party in English.
21/11/2005
Alfred Anderson, Scottish soldier (born 1896)
Alfred Anderson was a Scottish joiner and veteran of the First World War. He was the last known holder of the 1914 Star, the last known combatant to participate in the 1914 World War I Christmas truce, Scotland's last known World War I veteran, and Scotland's oldest man for more than a year.
Hugh Sidey, American journalist and academic (born 1927)
Hugh Swanson Sidey was an Iowa State University educated American journalist who worked for Life magazine starting in 1955, then moved on to Time magazine in 1957.
21/11/2002
Hadda Brooks, American singer-songwriter and pianist (born 1916)
Hadda Brooks was an American pianist, vocalist and composer, who occasionally appeared playing the piano in film. Billed as "Queen of the Boogie", she was inducted in the Rhythm and Blues Foundation Hall of Fame in 1993.
21/11/2000
Ernest Lluch, Spanish economist and politician (born 1937)
Ernest Lluch Martín, OC3, OCS, was a Spanish economist and politician, member of the Socialists' Party of Catalonia (PSC). He was Minister of Health and Consumer Affairs from 1982 to 1986 in the first Spanish Socialist Workers' Party (PSOE) government of Felipe González. He was assassinated in 2000 by the Basque separatist organisation, ETA.
Emil Zátopek, Czech runner (born 1922)
Emil Zátopek was a Czech long-distance runner who won three gold medals at the 1952 Summer Olympics in Helsinki. He came first in the 5,000 metres and 10,000 metres runs before he decided at the last minute to compete in the first marathon of his life, which he also won. Zátopek was nicknamed the "Czech Locomotive".
21/11/1999
Quentin Crisp, English actor, author, and illustrator (born 1908)
Quentin Crisp was an English raconteur whose personal expression broke social norms of the era. Crisp gained notoriety for the 1968 memoir The Naked Civil Servant, popularized by its 1975 screen adaptation. Her flamboyant personality, fashion, and wit made Crisp a queer icon, and a sensation in live solo appearances later in life.
21/11/1996
Bernard Rose, English organist and composer (b 1916)
Bernard William George Rose was a British organist, soldier, composer, and academic.
Abdus Salam, Pakistani-English physicist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (born 1926)
Mohammad Abdus Salam was a Pakistani theoretical physicist and Nobel laureate. He shared the 1979 Nobel Prize in Physics with Steven Weinberg and Sheldon Glashow "for their contributions to the theory of the unified weak and electromagnetic interaction between elementary particles, including, inter alia, the prediction of the weak neutral current". He was the first Pakistani, first Muslim scientist, and second person from any Muslim country to win a Nobel Prize.
21/11/1995
Peter Grant, English actor and manager (born 1935)
Peter Grant was an English music manager, best known as the manager of Led Zeppelin from their creation in 1968 to their breakup in 1980. With his intimidating size and weight, confrontational manner, knowledge and experience, Grant was able to procure strong and unprecedented deals for Led Zeppelin, and is widely credited with improving pay and conditions for all musicians in dealings with concert promoters. Grant has been described as "one of the shrewdest and most ruthless managers in rock history".
Noel Jones, Indian-English diplomat, British ambassador to Kazakhstan (born 1940)
Noel Andrew Stephen Jones was an Indian-born British diplomat, British ambassador to Kazakhstan from 1993 to 1995. He was the first British ambassador to have come from an ethnic minority.
21/11/1994
Willem Jacob Luyten, Dutch-American astronomer and academic (born 1899)
Willem Jacob Luyten was a Dutch-American astronomer.
21/11/1993
Bill Bixby, American actor (born 1934)
Wilfred Bailey Everett Bixby III was an American actor and television director. His career spanned more than three decades, including appearances on stage, in films, and on television series. He is known for his roles in the CBS sitcom My Favorite Martian as Tim O'Hara, in the ABC sitcom The Courtship of Eddie's Father as Tom Corbett, in the NBC crime drama series The Magician as stage illusionist Anthony Blake, in the ABC miniseries Rich Man, Poor Man as Willie Abbott, and the CBS science-fiction drama series The Incredible Hulk as Dr. David Bruce Banner.
21/11/1992
Kaysone Phomvihane, Laotian soldier and politician, 2nd President of Laos (born 1920)
Kaysone Phomvihane was the first leader of the Communist Lao People's Revolutionary Party from 1955 until his death in 1992. After the Communists seized power in the wake of the Laotian Civil War, he was the de facto leader of Laos from 1975 until his death. He served as the first Prime Minister of the Lao People's Democratic Republic from 1975 to 1991 and then as the second President from 1991 to 1992. His theories and policies are officially known as Kaysone Phomvihane Thought.
Ricky Williams, American singer-songwriter and drummer (born 1956)
Ricky Williams, also known as Ricky Tractor, was an American musician based in San Francisco. He is best known as a vocalist and lyricist, but also played drums and guitar. He was the second drummer for Crime (1976–1977), the original singer for Flipper (1979) and the Sleepers (1977–1981), and vocalist for Toiling Midgets (1981–1983). He has been credited with giving Flipper their band name, although he was fired before they made any recordings. Williams died at the age of 36 on November 21, 1992, of a heroin overdose.
21/11/1991
Sonny Werblin, American businessman and philanthropist (born 1907)
David Abraham "Sonny" Werblin was a prominent entertainment industry executive and sports impresario who was an owner of the New York Jets and served as chairman of Madison Square Garden, and who built and managed the Meadowlands Sports Complex.
21/11/1990
Dean Hart, Canadian wrestler and referee (born 1954)
Dean Harry Anthony Hart was a Canadian–American amateur wrestler, professional wrestler, referee, wrestling as well as music promoter and member of the Hart family who wrestled in Canadian regional promotions during the 1970s and 1980s, most notably in the Calgary-based Stampede Wrestling.
21/11/1989
Harvey Hart, Canadian director, producer, and screenwriter (born 1928)
Harvey Hart was a Canadian director and producer of film and television.
Margot Zemach, American author and illustrator (born 1931)
Margot Zemach was an American illustrator of more than forty children's books, some of which she also wrote. Many were adaptations of folk tales from around the world, especially Yiddish and other Eastern European stories. She and her husband Harvey Fischtrom, writing as Harve Zemach, collaborated on several picture books including Duffy and the Devil for which she won the 1974 Caldecott Medal.
21/11/1988
Carl Hubbell, American baseball player and scout (born 1903)
Carl Owen Hubbell, nicknamed "the Meal Ticket" and "King Carl", was an American Major League Baseball (MLB) player. He was a pitcher for the New York Giants of the National League (NL) from 1928 to 1943, and remained on the team's payroll for the rest of his life, long after their move to San Francisco.
21/11/1987
Jim Folsom, American politician and 42nd Governor of Alabama (born 1908)
James Elisha "Big Jim" Folsom Sr. was an American politician who served as the 42nd governor of Alabama, having served from 1947 to 1951, and again from 1955 to 1959. He was the first governor of Alabama born in the 20th century.
21/11/1986
Jerry Colonna, American singer-songwriter and actor (born 1904)
Gerardo Luigi Colonna was an American musician, actor, comedian, singer, songwriter and trombonist who played the zaniest of Bob Hope's sidekicks in Hope's popular radio shows and films of the 1940s and 1950s. He also voiced the March Hare in Walt Disney's 1951 animated feature film Alice in Wonderland.
21/11/1984
Ben Wilson, American basketball player (born 1967)
Benjamin Wilson Jr. was an American high school basketball player from Chicago, Illinois. Wilson, a Neal F. Simeon Vocational High School basketball player, was regarded as the top high school player in the U.S. by scouts and coaches attending the 1984 Athletes For Better Education basketball camp. Wilson is noted as the first Chicago athlete to receive this honor. On November 21, 1984, Wilson died due to injuries he sustained in a shooting the day before.
21/11/1982
John Hargrave, English activist and author (born 1894)
John Gordon Hargrave, , was a prominent youth leader and politician in Britain during the 1920s and 1930s, Head Man of the Kibbo Kift, described in his obituary as an 'author, cartoonist, inventor, lexicographer, artist and psychic healer'. He was a Utopian thinker, a believer in both science and magic, and a figure-head for the Social Credit movement in British politics.
21/11/1981
Harry von Zell, American actor and comedian (born 1906)
Harry Rudolph Von Zell was an American announcer of radio programs, and an actor in films and television shows. He is best remembered for his work on The George Burns and Gracie Allen Show.
21/11/1980
Sara García, Mexican actress (born 1895)
Sara Rita de la Luz García was a Mexican actress and comedian who made her biggest mark during the "Golden Age of Mexican cinema". During the 1940s and 1950s, she often played the part of a no-nonsense but lovable grandmother in numerous Mexican films. In later years, she played parts in Mexican telenovelas.
21/11/1975
Gunnar Gunnarsson, Icelandic author (born 1889)
Gunnar Gunnarsson was an Icelandic author who wrote mainly in Danish. He grew up, in considerable poverty, on Valþjófsstaður in Fljótsdalur valley and on Ljótsstaðir in Vopnafjörður. During the first half of 20th century he became one of the most popular novelists in Denmark and Germany. One time he went to Germany and had a meeting with Hitler and is considered to be the only Icelander to have met him.
21/11/1974
John B. Gambling, American radio host (born 1897)
John Bradley Gambling was an American radio personality. He was a member of the Gambling family, 3 generations of whom—John B., John A. and John R.—were hosts of WOR Radio's morning show Rambling with Gambling over the course of over 75 years.
Frank Martin, Swiss-Dutch pianist and composer (born 1890)
Frank Théodore Martin was a Swiss composer who spent much of his life in the Netherlands.
21/11/1973
Thomas Pelly, American lawyer and politician (born 1902)
Thomas Minor Pelly was an American politician. He served as a U.S. Representative from the state of Washington between 1953 and 1973.
21/11/1970
Newsy Lalonde, Canadian lacrosse and ice hockey player (born 1887)
Édouard Cyrille "Newsy" Lalonde was a Canadian professional ice hockey forward in the National Hockey League (NHL) and a professional lacrosse player. Lalonde is regarded as one of hockey's and lacrosse's greatest players of the first half of the 20th century and one of Canadian sport's most colourful characters. He played for the Montreal Canadiens – considered to be the original "Flying Frenchman" – in the National Hockey Association and the NHL. As player-coach, Lalonde led the Canadiens to their first Stanley Cup in 1916. His goal-scoring prowess in the 1919 Stanley Cup playoffs set three NHL records that remain unbroken over a century later. He also played for the WCHL's Saskatoon Sheiks.
C. V. Raman, Indian physicist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (born 1888)
Chandrasekhara Venkata Raman was an Indian physicist known for his work in the field of light scattering. Using a spectrograph that he developed, he and his student K. S. Krishnan discovered that when light traverses a transparent material, the deflected light changes its wavelength. This phenomenon, a hitherto unknown type of scattering of light they called modified scattering, was subsequently termed the Raman effect or Raman scattering. In 1930, Raman received the Nobel Prize in Physics "for his work on the scattering of light and for the discovery of the effect named after him" and became the first Asian and non-White person to receive a Nobel Prize in Physics.
21/11/1967
C. M. Eddy, Jr., American author (born 1896)
Clifford Martin Eddy Jr. was an American writer known for his horror, mystery and supernatural short stories. He is best remembered for his work in Weird Tales magazine and his friendship with H. P. Lovecraft.
21/11/1964
Catherine Bauer Wurster, American architect and public housing advocate (born 1905)
Catherine Krouse Bauer Wurster was an American public housing advocate and educator of city planners and urban planners. A leading member of the "housers," a group of planners who advocated affordable housing for low-income families, she dramatically changed social housing practice and law in the United States. Wurster's influential book Modern Housing was published by Houghton Mifflin Company in 1934 and is regarded as a classic in the field.
21/11/1963
Artur Lemba, Estonian composer and educator (born 1885)
Artur Lemba was an Estonian composer and piano teacher, and one of the most important figures in Estonian classical music. Artur and his older brother Theodor (1876–1962) were the first professional pianists in Estonia to give concerts abroad. Artur's 1905 opera Sabina was the first opera composed by an Estonian. His Symphony No. 1 in 1908 was the first symphony composed by an Estonian.
Robert Stroud, American ornithologist and author (born 1890)
Robert Franklin Stroud, known as the "Birdman of Alcatraz", was a convicted murderer, American federal prisoner, and author who has been cited as one of the most notorious criminals in the United States. During his time at Leavenworth Penitentiary, he reared and sold birds and became a respected ornithologist. From 1942 to 1959, he was incarcerated at Alcatraz, where regulations did not allow him to keep birds. Stroud was never released from the federal prison system; he was imprisoned from 1909 to his death in 1963.
21/11/1962
Frank Amyot, Canadian canoeist (born 1904)
Francis Amyot was a Canadian sprint canoeist who competed in the 1930s. He won Canada's only gold medal at the 1936 Summer Olympics.
21/11/1959
Max Baer, American boxer, referee, and actor (born 1909)
Maximilian Adelbert Baer Sr. was an American professional boxer and the world heavyweight champion from June 14, 1934, to June 13, 1935. He was known in his time as the Livermore Larupper and Madcap Maxie. Two of his fights were rated Fight of the Year by The Ring magazine. Baer was also a boxing referee, and had occasional roles in film and television. He was the brother of heavyweight boxing contender Buddy Baer and father of actor Max Baer Jr. Baer is rated #22 on The Ring magazine's list of 100 greatest punchers of all time.
21/11/1958
Mel Ott, American baseball player, manager, and sportscaster (born 1909)
Melvin Thomas Ott, nicknamed "Master Melvin", was an American professional baseball right fielder, who played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the New York Giants, from 1926 through 1947.
21/11/1957
Francis Burton Harrison, American general and politician, 6th Governor-General of the Philippines (born 1873)
Francis Burton Harrison was an American-Filipino statesman who served four terms in the United States House of Representatives between 1903 and 1913 and was appointed governor-general of the Philippines by President of the United States Woodrow Wilson. Harrison was a prominent adviser to the president of the Philippine Commonwealth, as well as the next four presidents of the Republic of the Philippines. He is the only former governor-general of the Philippines to be awarded Philippine citizenship.
21/11/1953
Felice Bonetto, Italian race car driver (born 1903)
Felice Bonetto was an Italian racing driver, who competed in Formula One at 16 Grands Prix from 1950 to 1953. Nicknamed "il Pirata", Bonetto won the Targa Florio in 1952 with Lancia.
António Cabreira, Portuguese polygraph (born 1868)
D. António Tomás da Guarda Cabreira de Faria e Alvelos Drago da Ponte was a Portuguese mathematician, polygraph and publicist. A member of the aristocratic Cabreira family, António Cabreira was a claimant to the Miguelist noble titles of Count of Lagos and Viscount of Vale da Mata, which he used.
Larry Shields, American clarinet player and composer (born 1893)
Lawrence James Shields was an early American dixieland jazz clarinetist. He was a member of the Original Dixieland Jazz Band, the first jazz band to record commercially.
21/11/1951
Jean Trescases, French soldier who died during the Indochina War
Jean Jules Émile Trescases, also known as Jean Trescases, was a French Army Chief warrant officer who fought in various conflicts. Born on April 5, 1916, in Palalda, in the present-day commune of Amélie-les-Bains in the Pyrénées-Orientales region, he died in action on November 21, 1951, during the Indochina War.
21/11/1947
William McCormack, Australian politician, 22nd Premier of Queensland (born 1879)
William McCormack was Premier of Queensland, Australia, from 1925 to 1929.
21/11/1945
Robert Benchley, American humorist, newspaper columnist, and actor (born 1889)
Robert Charles Benchley was an American humorist, newspaper columnist and actor. From his beginnings at The Harvard Lampoon while attending Harvard University, through his many years writing essays and articles for Vanity Fair and The New Yorker and his acclaimed short films, Benchley's style of humor brought him respect and success during his life, from his peers at the Algonquin Round Table in New York City to contemporaries in the burgeoning film industry.
Al Davis, American boxer (born 1920)
Al "Bummy" Davis, born Albert Abraham Davidoff, was an American lightweight and welterweight boxer who fought from 1937 to 1945. He was a serious contender, and a world ranked boxer in both weight classes.
Ellen Glasgow, American author (born 1873)
Ellen Anderson Gholson Glasgow was an American novelist who won the Pulitzer Prize for the Novel in 1942 for her novel In This Our Life. She published 20 novels, as well as short stories, to critical acclaim. A lifelong Virginian, Glasgow portrayed the changing world of the contemporary South in a realistic manner, differing from the idealistic escapism that characterized Southern literature after Reconstruction.
Alexander Patch, American general (born 1889)
Alexander McCarrell Patch was a senior United States Army officer who fought in both world wars, rising to rank of general. During World War II, he commanded U.S. Army and Marine Corps forces during the Guadalcanal campaign in the Pacific, and the Seventh Army on the Western Front in Europe.
21/11/1943
Winifred Carney, Irish suffragist, trade unionist, and Irish republican (born 1887)
Maria Winifred "Winnie" Carney, was an Irish republican, a participant in the 1916 Easter Rising in Dublin and, as a trade union secretary, women's suffragist, and socialist party member, a lifelong social and political activist in Belfast. In March 2024, a statue to her was unveiled on the grounds of Belfast City Hall.
21/11/1942
Count Leopold Berchtold, Austrian-Hungarian politician, Foreign Minister of Austria-Hungary (born 1863)
Leopold Anton Johann Sigismund Josef Korsinus Ferdinand Graf Berchtold von und zu Ungarschitz, Frättling und Püllütz was an Austro-Hungarian politician, diplomat and statesman who served as his nation's Foreign Minister at the outbreak of the First World War.
J. B. M. Hertzog, South African general and politician, 3rd Prime Minister of South Africa (born 1866)
General James Barry Munnik Hertzog, better known as Barry Hertzog or J. B. M. Hertzog, was a South African general and politician. He was a Boer commander during the Second Boer War who served as the third prime minister of the Union of South Africa from 1924 to 1939. Hertzog advocated for the development of Afrikaner culture and was determined to prevent Afrikaners from being excessively influenced by British culture. He founded the National Party in 1914.
21/11/1941
Henrietta Vinton Davis, American actress and playwright (born 1860)
Henrietta Vinton Davis was an elocutionist, dramatist, and impersonator. In addition to being "the premier actress of all nineteenth-century black performers on the dramatic stage", Davis was proclaimed by Marcus Garvey to be the "greatest woman of the Negro race today".
21/11/1938
Leopold Godowsky, Polish-American pianist and composer (born 1870)
Leopold Mordkhelovich Godowsky Sr. was a virtuoso pianist, composer and teacher, born in what is now Lithuania to Jewish parents, who became an American citizen in 1891. He was one of the most highly regarded performers of his time, known for his theories concerning the application of relaxed weight and economy of motion within pianistic technique – principles later propagated by his pupils, such as Heinrich Neuhaus.
21/11/1934
John Scaddan, Australian politician, 10th Premier of Western Australia (born 1876)
John Scaddan, CMG, popularly known as "Happy Jack", was Premier of Western Australia from 7 October 1911 until 27 July 1916.
21/11/1928
Heinrich XXVII, Prince Reuss Younger Line (born 1858)
Heinrich XXVII, Prince Reuss Younger Line was the last reigning Prince Reuss Younger Line from 1913 to 1918. Then he became Head of the House of Reuss Younger Line from 1918 to 1928.
21/11/1926
Edward Cummins, American golfer (born 1886)
Edward McClellan Cummins was an American golfer who competed in the 1904 Summer Olympics. In 1904 he was part of the American team which won the gold medal. He finished 25th in this competition. In the individual competition he finished 25th in the qualification and was eliminated in the first round of the match play. He died in a car accident in 1926.
21/11/1922
Ricardo Flores Magón, Mexican journalist and activist (born 1874)
Cipriano Ricardo Flores Magón was a Mexican anarchist and social reform activist. His brothers Enrique and Jesús were also active in politics. Followers of the Flores Magón brothers were known as Magonistas. He has been considered an important participant in the social movement that sparked the Mexican Revolution.
21/11/1916
Franz Joseph I, Emperor of Austria (born 1830)
Franz Joseph I or Francis Joseph I was Emperor of Austria, King of Hungary, and the ruler of the other states of the Habsburg monarchy from 2 December 1848 until his death in 1916. In the early part of his reign, his realms and territories were referred to as the Austrian Empire, but in 1867 they were reconstituted as the dual monarchy of Austria-Hungary. From 1 May 1850 to 24 August 1866, he was also president of the German Confederation.
21/11/1909
Peder Severin Krøyer, Norwegian-Danish painter (born 1851)
Peder Severin Krøyer, also known as P. S. Krøyer, was a Danish painter.
21/11/1908
Carl Friedrich Schmidt, German-Russian geologist and botanist (born 1832)
Carl Friedrich Schmidt was a Baltic German geologist and botanist in the Russian Empire. He is acknowledged as the founder of Estonian geology. In the mid-19th century, he researched Estonian oil shale, kukersite, and named it after Kuckers.
21/11/1907
Harry Boyle, Australian cricketer (born 1847)
Henry Frederick Boyle was a leading Australian cricketer of the 1870s and 1880s.
Paula Modersohn-Becker, German painter (born 1876)
Paula Modersohn-Becker was a German Expressionist painter and draftswoman of the late 19th and early 20th centuries. She is noted for the many self-portraits, including nudes. She is considered one of the most important representatives of early expressionism, producing more than 700 paintings and over 1000 drawings during her active painting life. She is recognized both as the first known woman painter to paint nude self-portraits, and the first woman to have a museum devoted exclusively to her art. Additionally, she is believed to be the first woman artist to depict herself pregnant.
21/11/1899
Garret Hobart, American lawyer and politician, 24th Vice President of the United States (born 1844)
Garret Augustus Hobart was the 24th vice president of the United States, serving from 1897 until his death in 1899, under President William McKinley. A member of the Republican Party, Hobart was an influential New Jersey businessman and political operative prior to his vice presidency.
21/11/1881
Ami Boué, German-Austrian geologist and ethnographer (born 1794)
Ami Boué was a geologist of French Huguenot origin. Born at Hamburg, he was trained in Edinburgh and across Europe. Based on fossil and the strata in which he observed them, he suggested that there were continuous change in the animal forms that existed over time and opposed the theories of catastrophism of the period. He travelled across Europe, studying geology, as well as ethnology, and is considered to be among the first to produce a geological map of the world.
21/11/1874
Marià Fortuny, Spanish painter (born 1838)
Mariano Fortuny y Marsal was a Spanish painter known for works focusing on Romantic fascination with Orientalist themes, historicist genre painting, and military painting of Spanish imperial expansion.
21/11/1870
Karel Jaromír Erben, Czech historian and poet (born 1811)
Karel Jaromír Erben was a Czech folklorist. He is best known for his collection Kytice, which contains poems based on traditional and folkloric themes. He also wrote Písně národní v Čechách which contains 500 songs and Prostonárodní české písně a říkadla, a five-part book that brings together most of Czech folklore.
21/11/1861
Jean-Baptiste Henri Lacordaire, French priest and activist (born 1802)
Jean-Baptiste Henri-Dominique Lacordaire, OP, often styled Henri-Dominique Lacordaire, was a French Catholic priest, journalist, theologian and political activist. He re-established the Dominican Order in post-Revolutionary France. Lacordaire was reputed to be the greatest pulpit orator of the nineteenth century.
21/11/1859
Yoshida Shōin, Japanese academic and politician (born 1830)
Yoshida Shōin , commonly named Torajirō (寅次郎), was one of Japan's most distinguished intellectuals in the late years of the Tokugawa shogunate. He devoted himself to nurturing many ishin shishi who in turn made major contributions to the Meiji Restoration.
21/11/1844
Ivan Krylov, Russian poet and playwright (born 1769)
Ivan Andreyevich Krylov is Russia's best-known fabulist and probably the most epigrammatic of all Russian authors. Formerly a dramatist and journalist, he only discovered his true genre at the age of 40. While many of his earlier fables were loosely based on Aesop's and La Fontaine's, later fables were original work, often with a satirical bent.
21/11/1811
Heinrich von Kleist, German poet and author (born 1777)
Bernd Heinrich Wilhelm von Kleist was a German poet, dramatist, novelist, short story writer and journalist. His best known works are the theatre plays The Prince of Homburg, Das Käthchen von Heilbronn, The Broken Jug, Amphitryon and Penthesilea, and the novellas Michael Kohlhaas and The Marquise of O. Kleist ended his life in a suicide pact by shooting himself together with a close female friend who was terminally ill.
21/11/1782
Jacques de Vaucanson, French engineer (born 1709)
Jacques de Vaucanson was a French inventor and artist who built the first all-metal lathe. This invention was crucial for the Industrial Revolution. The lathe is known as the mother of machine tools, as it was the first machine tool that led to the invention of other machine tools. He was responsible for the creation of impressive and innovative automata. He also was the first person to design an automatic loom.
21/11/1775
John Hill, English botanist and author (born 1719)
Sir John Hill was an English composer, actor, author and botanist. He contributed to contemporary periodicals and engaged in literary battles with poets, playwrights and scientists. He is remembered for his illustrated botanical compendium The Vegetable System, one of the first works to use the nomenclature of Carl Linnaeus. In recognition of his efforts, he was created a knight of the Order of Vasa in 1774 by Gustav III of Sweden and thereafter called himself Sir John Hill.
21/11/1710
Bernardo Pasquini, Italian organist and composer (born 1637)
Bernardo Pasquini was an Italian composer of operas, oratorios, cantatas and keyboard music. A renowned virtuoso keyboard player, he was one of the most important Italian composers for harpsichord between Girolamo Frescobaldi and Domenico Scarlatti, having also made substantial contributions to opera and oratorio.
21/11/1695
Henry Purcell, English organist and composer (born 1659)
Henry Purcell was an English composer and organist of the middle Baroque era. He was extremely prolific, having composed more than 100 songs, a tragic opera Dido and Aeneas, and wrote incidental music to a version of Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream called The Fairy Queen.
21/11/1652
Jan Brożek, Polish mathematician, physician, and astronomer (born 1585)
Jan Brożek or Johannes Broscius was the most prominent Polish mathematician of his era and an early biographer of Copernicus. He held numerous ecclesiastical offices in the Catholic Church and was associated with the Kraków Academy for his entire career.
21/11/1639
Henry Grey, 8th Earl of Kent, English politician, Lord Lieutenant of Bedfordshire (born 1583)
Henry Grey, 8th Earl of Kent of Wrest Park, Bedfordshire was Earl of Kent from 1623 to his death.
21/11/1579
Thomas Gresham, English merchant and financier (born 1519)
Sir Thomas Gresham the Elder was an English merchant and financier who acted on behalf of King Edward VI (1547–1553) and Edward's half-sisters, queens Mary I (1553–1558) and Elizabeth I (1558–1603). In 1565 Gresham founded the Royal Exchange in the City of London.
21/11/1566
Annibale Caro, Italian poet and author (born 1507)
Fra' Annibale Caro, K.M., was an Italian writer and poet.
21/11/1555
Georgius Agricola, German mineralogist, philologist, and scholar (born 1490)
Georgius Agricola was a German Renaissance humanist scholar, mineralogist and metallurgist. Born in the small town of Glauchau, in the Electorate of Saxony of the Holy Roman Empire, he was broadly educated, but took a particular interest in the mining and refining of metals. He was the first to drop the Arabic definite article al-, exclusively writing chymia and chymista in describing activity that we today would characterize as chemical or alchemical, giving chemistry its modern name. For his groundbreaking work De Natura Fossilium published in 1546, he is generally referred to as the father of mineralogy and the founder of geology as a scientific discipline.
21/11/1361
Philip I, Duke of Burgundy (born 1346)
Philip of Rouvres was the Count of Burgundy and Count of Artois from 1347, Duke of Burgundy from 1349, and Count of Auvergne and Boulogne from 1360. He was the only son of Philip, heir to the Duchy of Burgundy, and Joan I, heiress of Auvergne and Boulogne.
21/11/1325
Yury of Moscow, Prince of Moscow and Vladimir
Yury (Georgy) Danilovich was Prince of Moscow from 1303 to 1325 and Grand Prince of Vladimir from 1318 to 1322. He contested the title of Grand Prince of Vladimir with his uncle Mikhail of Tver. As Yury's father had never held the title, he had no legitimate claim. Despite two failed campaigns by Mikhail to subdue Yury, the latter allied with the Golden Horde and married the khan's sister Konchaka. However, he never had any children with her and was made grand prince after Mikhail's execution in 1318.
21/11/1150
García Ramírez of Navarre (born 1112)
García Ramírez, sometimes García IV, V, VI or VII, called the Restorer, was the King of Navarre (Pamplona) from 1134. The election of García Ramírez restored the independence of the Navarrese kingdom after 58 years of political union with the Kingdom of Aragon. After some initial conflict he would align himself with king Alfonso VII of León and Castile, and as his ally take part in the Reconquista.
21/11/1136
William de Corbeil, English archbishop (born 1070)
William de Corbeil or William of Corbeil was a medieval Archbishop of Canterbury. Very little is known of William's early life or his family, except that he was born at Corbeil, south-east of Paris, and that he had two brothers. Educated as a theologian, he taught briefly before serving the bishops of Durham and London as a clerk and subsequently becoming an Augustinian canon. William was elected to the See of Canterbury as a compromise candidate in 1123, the first canon to become an English archbishop. He succeeded Ralph d'Escures who had employed him as a chaplain.
21/11/1011
Reizei, emperor of Japan (born 950)
Emperor Reizei was the 63rd emperor of Japan, according to the traditional order of succession.
21/11/0933
Al-Tahawi, Arab imam and scholar (born 853)
Abū Jaʿfar Aḥmad aṭ-Ṭaḥāwī, commonly known as at-Tahawi, was an Egyptian Arab Hanafi jurist and Traditionalist theologian. He studied with his uncle al-Muzani and was a Shafi'i jurist, before then changing to the Hanafi school. He is known for his work al-'Aqidah al-Tahawiyyah, a summary of Sunni Islamic creed which influenced Hanafis in Egypt.
21/11/0615
Columbanus, Irish missionary and saint (born 543)
Columbanus was an Irish missionary notable for founding a number of monasteries after 590 in the Frankish and Lombard kingdoms, most notably Luxeuil Abbey in present-day France and Bobbio Abbey in present-day Italy.
Celebrations & Special Days Worldwide on 21st November
Armed Forces Day (Bangladesh)
Armed Forces Day is annually observed in Bangladesh on 21 November, signifying formation of Bangladesh Armed Forces on the day in 1971, when the members of the Bangladesh Army, Navy and Air Force were officially unified under and launched joint operations against the Pakistan Armed Forces in the Bangladesh Liberation War. On 16 December 1971, the Pakistani Army of 93,000 surrendered to the joint forces of Bangladesh and India, ending the 9-month long Liberation War of Bangladesh.
Christian feast days: Amelberga of Susteren
Saint Amelberga of Susteren was the Benedictine abbess of Susteren Abbey, Netherlands in the 9th century AD; she died about 900 AD.
Christian feast days: Digain
Digain was a 5th-century Welsh saint and Prince of Dumnonia.
Christian feast days: Maurus of Parentium
Maurus of Parentium is the patron saint of the Istrian city of Poreč/Parenzo in Croatia, called Parentium in Roman times. He is commemorated on November 21.
Christian feast days: Pope Gelasius I
Pope Gelasius I was the bishop of Rome from 1 March 492 to his death on 21 November 496. Gelasius was a prolific author whose style placed him on the cusp between Late Antiquity and the Early Middle Ages. Some scholars have argued that his predecessor Felix III may have employed him to draft papal documents, although this is not certain.
Christian feast days: Franciszka Siedliska
Maria Franciszka Siedliska, CSFN, known in religion as Maria of Jesus the Good Shepherd, was a Polish Catholic nun who founded the Sisters of the Holy Family of Nazareth in 1875.
Christian feast days: Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary
The Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary, known in the East as The Entry of the Most Holy Theotokos into the Temple, is a liturgical feast celebrated on November 21 by the Catholic, Eastern Orthodox, and some Anglo-Catholic Churches.
Christian feast days: Rufus of Rome (no. 7 in list)
There are several saints named Rufus, of which the Roman Martyrology records ten; historical mention is made of the following, who have liturgical feasts:On 19 April, a group of martyrs in Melitene in Armenia, one of whom bears the name of Rufus. These martyrs are mentioned already in the Martyrologium Hieronymianum. On 1 August, Rufus, with several companions who, according to the most reliable manuscripts of the "Martyrologium Hieronymianum" died at Tomi, the place being afterwards by mistake changed to Philadelphia. On 27 August, two martyrs named Rufus at Capua -- one, whose name also appears as Rufinus in the "Martyrologium Hieronymianum". The other is said to have suffered with a companion, Carpophorus, in Diocletian's persecution circa 304 AD. On 25 September, several martyrs at Damascus, among them one named Rufus. On 7 November, a Rufus of Metz, who is said to have been Bishop of Metz; his history, however, is legendary. His name was inserted at a later date in an old manuscript of the "Martyrologium Hieronymianum"(ed. cit., 140). In the ninth century his relics were transferred to Gau-Odernheim in Hesse, Diocese of Mainz. On 12 November, Rufus, legend, without any historical proof, the supposed first Bishop of Avignon, who is perhaps identical with Rufus, the disciple of Paul. On 21 November, Rufus the disciple of the Apostles, who lived at Rome and to whom Saint Paul sent a greeting, as well as he did also to the mother of Rufus. St. Mark says in his Gospel that Simon of Cyrene was the father of Rufus, and as Mark wrote his Gospel for the Roman Christians, this Rufus is probably the same as the one to whom Paul sent a salutation. On 28 November, a Roman martyr Rufus, probably identical with the Rufinianus who was buried in the Catacomb of Generosa on the Via Portuensis, and who is introduced in the legendary Acts of the martyrdom of St. Chrysogonus. On 18 December, the holy martyrs Rufus and Zosimus, who were taken to Rome with St. Ignatius of Antioch and were put to death there for their unwavering confession of Christianity during the persecution of Trajan. St. Polycarp speaks of them in his letter to the Philippians.
Christian feast days: William Byrd, John Merbecke and Thomas Tallis (Episcopal Church (USA))
William Byrd was an English Renaissance composer. Considered among the greatest composers of the Renaissance, he had a profound influence on composers both from his native country and on the Continent. He is often considered along with John Dunstaple and Henry Purcell as one of England's most important composers of early music.
Christian feast days: November 21 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
November 20 - Eastern Orthodox liturgical calendar - November 22
World Television Day (United Nations observance)
In December 1996 the United Nations proclaimed 21 November as World Television Day commemorating the date on which the first World Television Forum was held in 1996. This day was observed annually to recognize the increasing impact of television on decision making by bringing global attention to conflicts, threats to peace and security, and its potential role in focusing on other major issues, including economic and social matters.
What Happened on 21st November?
69 significant events took place on Tuesday, 21st November — stretching from -164 to 2022. Explore the moments that shaped history on this day.
21/11/2022
A magnitude 5.6 earthquake on the Indonesian island of Java kills between 335 and 602 people.
On 21 November 2022, at 13:21 WIB (UTC+07:00), a Mww 5.6 earthquake struck near Cianjur in West Java, Indonesia. The strike-slip earthquake occurred with a focal depth of 11 km (6.8 mi). Between 335 and 635 people died, 7,729 were injured and five remain missing. More than 62,628 homes were damaged across 16 districts in Cianjur Regency and the surrounding region. It is the deadliest earthquake to affect Indonesia since the 2018 Sulawesi earthquake, and the most deadliest in West Java since 2009 earthquake. Damage evaluated after the event earned it a maximum Modified Mercalli intensity of VIII (Severe).
21/11/2021
An SUV plows through a Christmas parade in Waukesha, Wisconsin, killing six and injuring 62.
On November 21, 2021, Darrell Edward Brooks Jr. drove a sport utility vehicle (SUV) through the annual Christmas parade in Waukesha, Wisconsin, United States, killing six people and injuring 62 others. The parade was live-streamed, and other attendees captured the incident on videos later posted to social media.
21/11/2019
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is indicted on charges of bribery, fraud, and breach of trust.
Benjamin Netanyahu, nicknamed "Bibi", is an Israeli politician and diplomat who has served as Prime Minister of Israel since 2022. Having previously held office from 1996 to 1999 and from 2009 to 2021, Netanyahu is Israel's longest-serving prime minister.
Tesla launches the SUV Cybertruck. A gaffe occurs during the launch event when its "unbreakable" windows shatter during demonstration.
Tesla, Inc. is an American multinational automotive and clean energy company. Headquartered in Austin, Texas, it designs, manufactures, and sells battery electric vehicles (BEVs), stationary battery energy storage devices from home to grid-scale, solar panels and solar shingles, and related products and services.
21/11/2017
Robert Mugabe formally resigns as President of Zimbabwe, after thirty-seven years in office.
Robert Gabriel Mugabe was a Zimbabwean revolutionary and politician who led Zimbabwe from 1980 until he was deposed in a coup in 2017. He served as the first Prime Minister of Zimbabwe from internationally recognised independence in 1980 to 1987, then as the second president of Zimbabwe from 1987 to 2017. He was also the Leader of the Zimbabwe African National Union (ZANU) from 1975 to 1980 and led its successor political party, the ZANU – Patriotic Front (ZANU–PF) as its First Secretary, from 1980 to 2017. Ideologically an African nationalist, during the 1970s and 1980s he identified as a Marxist–Leninist, and from the 1990s as a socialist.
21/11/2015
The government of Belgium imposes a security lockdown on Brussels, including the closure of shops, schools, and public transportation, due to potential terrorist attacks.
The Federal Government of Belgium exercises executive power in the Kingdom of Belgium. It consists of ministers and secretaries of state drawn from the political parties which form the governing coalition. The federal government is led by the prime minister of Belgium, and ministers lead ministries of the government. Ministers together form the Council of Ministers, which is the supreme executive organ of the government.
21/11/2014
A stampede in Kwekwe, Zimbabwe caused by the police firing tear gas kills at least eleven people and injures 40 others.
On 21 November 2014, a stampede occurred at Mbizo Stadium in Kwekwe, Zimbabwe, killing 11 and injuring 40 people. Reuters reported that around 30,000 people attended a religious service officiated by Walter Magaya. After the service, the crowd left toward a single exit in a stampede, killing four immediately; seven others were pronounced dead at hospital. The Business Standard reported that the stampede was caused by police firing teargas after some of the crowd attempted to break off parts of the stadium wall to exit.
21/11/2013
Fifty-four people are killed when the roof of a shopping center collapses in Riga, Latvia.
On 21 November 2013 the roof of a Maxima shopping centre in the Zolitūde neighbourhood of Riga, Latvia, collapsed at 17:44 local time, resulting in the deaths of 54 people, including three rescue workers, and injuries to another 41 people. An unknown number of people were able to leave the store on their own after the initial collapse. It was the worst disaster in Latvia since 1950, when the steamer Mayakovsky sank in Riga, killing 147 people. The disaster is often called Zolitūdes traģēdija by Latvian media outlets.
Massive protests start in Ukraine after President Viktor Yanukovych suspended signing the Ukraine–European Union Association Agreement.
Euromaidan, or the Maidan Uprising, was a wave of demonstrations and civil unrest in Ukraine, which began on 21 November 2013 with large protests in Maidan Nezalezhnosti in Kyiv. The protests were sparked by President Viktor Yanukovych's sudden decision not to sign the European Union–Ukraine Association Agreement, instead choosing closer ties to Russia and the Eurasian Economic Union. Ukraine's parliament had overwhelmingly approved of finalising the Agreement with the EU, but Russia had put pressure on Ukraine to reject it. The scope of the protests widened, with calls for the resignation of Yanukovych and the Azarov government. Protesters opposed what they saw as widespread government corruption, abuse of power, human rights violations, and the influence of oligarchs. Transparency International named Yanukovych as the top example of corruption in the world. The violent dispersal of protesters on 30 November caused further anger. Euromaidan was the largest democratic mass movement in Europe since 1989 and led to the 2014 Revolution of Dignity.
21/11/2012
At least 28 are wounded after a bomb is thrown onto a bus in Tel Aviv.
The 2012 Tel Aviv bus bombing was a mass-injury terror attack carried out on November 21, 2012, on a crowded passenger bus driving in the center of Tel Aviv's business district. The attack was carried out by an Israeli citizen of Arab descent, who remotely detonated an explosive device, which he had hid on the bus in advance. Twenty-eight civilians were injured in the attack, among them three who were injured seriously. The attack was carried out on the 8th and last day of Operation Pillar of Defense, only a few hours before the ceasefire was reached.
21/11/2009
A mine explosion in Heilongjiang, China kills 108.
The 2009 Heilongjiang mine explosion was a mining accident that occurred on November 21, 2009, near Hegang in the Heilongjiang, northeastern China, which killed 108 people. A further 29 people were hospitalised. The explosion occurred in the Xinxing coal mine shortly before dawn, at 02:30 CST, when 528 people were believed to be in the pit. Of these, 420 are believed to have been rescued.
21/11/2006
Anti-Syrian Lebanese politician and government minister Pierre Gemayel is assassinated in suburban Beirut.
Pierre Amine Gemayel was a Lebanese politician in the Kataeb Party, also known as the Phalange Party in English.
21/11/2004
The second round of the Ukrainian presidential election is held, giving rise to massive protests and controversy over the election's integrity.
Presidential elections were held in Ukraine on 31 October, 21 November, 26 December 2004 and 1 January 2005. This was the fourth presidential election in Ukraine following independence from the Soviet Union. The last stages of the election were contested between the opposition leader Viktor Yushchenko and incumbent Prime Minister Viktor Yanukovych from the Party of Regions. It was later determined by the Ukrainian Supreme Court that the election was plagued by widespread falsification of the results in favour of Yanukovych.
Dominica is hit by the most destructive earthquake in its history. The northern half of the island sustains the most damage, especially the town of Portsmouth. In neighboring Guadeloupe, one person is killed.
Dominica, officially the Commonwealth of Dominica, is an island country in the Caribbean. It is part of the Windward Islands chain in the Lesser Antilles archipelago in the Caribbean Sea. The capital, Roseau, is located on the western side of the island. Dominica's closest neighbours are two constituent territories of the European Union, both overseas departments of France: Guadeloupe to the northwest and Martinique to the south-southeast. Dominica comprises a land area of 750 km2 (290 sq mi), and the highest point is Morne Diablotins, at 1,448 m (4,751 ft) in elevation. The population was 71,293 at the 2011 census.
The Paris Club agrees to write off 80% (up to $100 billion) of Iraq's external debt.
Paris Club is a group of major creditor countries aiming to provide a sustainable way to tackle debt problems in debtor countries. Its creation, which is the first informal meeting, dates back to 1956, when Argentina agreed to hold a meeting with its public creditors.
China Eastern Airlines Flight 5210 crashes after takeoff from Baotou Donghe Airport, killing 55.
China Eastern Airlines Flight 5210 (CES5210/MU5210), also known as the Baotou Air Disaster, was a scheduled flight from Baotou in Inner Mongolia, China, to Shanghai, with a planned stopover at Beijing. On 21 November 2004, just two minutes after takeoff from Baotou, the Bombardier CRJ200ER fell from the sky and crashed into a lake in Nanhai Park, next to the airport, killing all 53 people on board and two more on the ground.
21/11/2002
NATO invites Bulgaria, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Romania, Slovakia and Slovenia to become members.
The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) is an intergovernmental military alliance between 32 member states. Founded in the aftermath of World War II, NATO was established with the signing of the North Atlantic Treaty in 1949. The organization serves as a system of collective security and deterrence, whereby its independent members agree to defend each-other from attack by any outside party. This is enshrined in Article 5 of the treaty, which states that an armed attack against the territory of one member shall be considered an attack against them all.
Arturo Guzmán Decena, founder of Los Zetas and high-member of the Gulf Cartel, is killed in a shoot-out with the Mexican Army and the police.
Arturo Guzmán Decena, also known by his code name Z-1, was a Mexican Army Special Forces officer and high-ranking member of Los Zetas, a criminal group based in Tamaulipas. He defected from the military in 1997 and formed Los Zetas, the Gulf Cartel's former paramilitary wing, under the leadership of the kingpin Osiel Cárdenas Guillén.
21/11/1998
Finnish satanist Jarno Elg kills a 23-year-old man and performs a ritual-like cutting and eating of body parts in Hyvinkää, Finland.
Satanism is a group of religious, ideological, or philosophical beliefs based on Satan—particularly his worship or veneration. Because of the ties to the historical Abrahamic religious figure, Satanism—as well as other religious, ideological, or philosophical beliefs that align with Satanism—is considered a countercultural Abrahamic religion.
21/11/1996
Humberto Vidal explosion: Thirty-three people die when a Humberto Vidal shoe shop in Río Piedras, Puerto Rico explodes.
The Humberto Vidal explosion was a gas explosion that occurred on November 21, 1996 at the Humberto Vidal shoe store in Río Piedras, Puerto Rico. The explosion killed 33 and wounded 69 others when the building exploded, causing much of the interior of the building to collapse. It is one of the deadliest disasters to have occurred on the island.
21/11/1995
The Dayton Agreement is initialed at the Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, near Dayton, Ohio, ending three and a half years of war in Bosnia and Herzegovina.
The General Framework Agreement for Peace in Bosnia and Herzegovina, also known as the Dayton Agreement or the Dayton Accords, and colloquially known as the Dayton, is the peace agreement ending the three-and-a-half-year-long Bosnian War, an armed conflict part of the larger Yugoslav Wars. It was signed on 21 November 1995 in Dayton, Ohio, United States, at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base. It was re-signed ceremonially in Paris, France, on 14 December 1995.
21/11/1992
A major tornado strikes the Houston, Texas area during the afternoon. Over the next two days the largest tornado outbreak ever to occur in the US during November spawns over 100 tornadoes.
A tornado, also known as a twister, is a rapidly rotating column of air that extends vertically from the surface of the Earth to the base of a cumulonimbus or cumulus cloud. Tornadoes are often visible in the form of a condensation funnel originating from the cloud base, with a cloud of rotating debris and dust close to the ground. Most tornadoes have wind speeds less than 180 kilometers per hour, are about 80 meters across, and travel several kilometers before dissipating. The most extreme tornadoes can attain wind speeds of more than 480 kilometers per hour (300 mph), can be more than 3 kilometers (2 mi) in diameter, and can stay on the ground for more than 100 km (62 mi).
21/11/1990
Bangkok Airways Flight 125 crashes on approach to Samui Airport, killing 38.
Bangkok Airways Flight 125 was a scheduled domestic passenger flight from Bangkok to Koh Samui, Thailand. On 21 November 1990, the de Havilland Canada Dash 8-100 operating the flight was on approach to Samui Airport in bad weather when the pilots decided to go around after not seeing the runway. With little to no visual reference, the pilots suffered spatial disorientation amidst a left turn, stalled, and crashed into a coconut and mango grove five kilometers southwest of the airport. All 33 passengers and five crew members were killed. Flight 125 is Bangkok Airways' first fatal accident.
21/11/1989
Aeroflot Flight 37577 crashes on approach to Sovetsky Airport, killing 32.
Aeroflot Flight 37577 was a scheduled domestic passenger flight from Perm to Sovetsky. On November 21, 1989, the An-24B aircraft crashed near Sovetsky, killing 32 of the 40 people on board.
21/11/1986
National Security Council member Oliver North and his secretary start to shred documents allegedly implicating them in the Iran–Contra affair.
Oliver Laurence North is an American political commentator, television host, military historian, author, and retired United States Marine Corps lieutenant colonel.
21/11/1985
United States Navy intelligence analyst Jonathan Pollard is arrested for spying after being caught giving Israel classified information on Arab nations. He is subsequently sentenced to life in prison.
Jonathan Jay Pollard is an American-born Israeli spy and former intelligence analyst who was jailed for spying for Israel.
21/11/1980
A deadly fire breaks out at the MGM Grand Hotel in Paradise, Nevada (now Bally's Las Vegas). Eighty-five people are killed and more than 650 are injured in the worst disaster in Nevada history.
The MGM Grand fire occurred on Friday, November 21, 1980, at the MGM Grand Hotel and Casino, located on the Las Vegas Strip in Paradise, Nevada. The fire killed 85 people, most through smoke inhalation. The fire began from a refrigerated pastry display case in a restaurant located on the first floor. A fire engulfed the resort's casino, and smoke spread into the hotel tower.
21/11/1979
The United States Embassy in Islamabad, Pakistan, is attacked by a mob and set on fire, killing four.
Islamabad is the capital city of Pakistan. It is the country's tenth-most populous city with a population of over 1.1 million; and is federally administered by the Pakistani government as part of the Islamabad Capital Territory — with a metropolitan population of over 2.3 million. Built as a planned city in the 1960s and established in 1967 along the Margalla Hills, Islamabad replaced Karachi as Pakistan's national capital. It is located north of the city of Rawalpindi, the largest in northern Punjab, with which it forms a metropolitan area of over 5.7 million inhabitants.
21/11/1977
Minister of Internal Affairs Allan Highet announces that the national anthems of New Zealand shall be the traditional anthem "God Save the Queen" and "God Defend New Zealand".
The Minister of Internal Affairs is a minister in the New Zealand Government with responsibility over the Department of Internal Affairs. The position of Minister of Internal Affairs has existed since the Department of Internal Affairs replaced the Colonial Secretary's office from 19 November 1907. The responsibilities of the office have been progressively reduced as other ministerial roles have been spun-off from the Department of Internal Affairs. Today his or her remit includes internal security and administering applications for citizenship.
21/11/1974
The Birmingham pub bombings kill 21 people. The Birmingham Six are sentenced to life in prison for the crime but are later exonerated.
On 21 November 1974, bombs exploded in two pubs in Birmingham, England, killing 21 people and injuring 182 others.
21/11/1972
Voters in South Korea overwhelmingly approve a new constitution, giving legitimacy to Park Chung Hee and the Fourth Republic.
Park Chung Hee was a South Korean politician and army officer who served as the third president of South Korea from 1962 after he seized power in the May 16 coup of 1961 until his assassination in 1979. His regime oversaw a period of intense economic growth and transformation, making Park one of the most consequential leaders in Korean history, although his legacy as a military dictator remains a bitter subject.
21/11/1971
Indian troops, partly aided by Mukti Bahini (Bengali guerrillas), defeat the Pakistan army in the Battle of Garibpur.
The Mukti Bahini, initially called the Mukti Fauj, also known as the Bangladesh liberation Forces, was a big tent armed guerrilla resistance movement consisting of the East Pakistani military personnel, paramilitary personnel and civilians during the Bangladesh Liberation War that turned East Pakistan into Bangladesh in 1971.
21/11/1970
Vietnam War: Operation Ivory Coast: A joint United States Air Force and Army team raids the Sơn Tây prisoner-of-war camp in an attempt to free American prisoners of war thought to be held there.
Operation Ivory Coast was a mission conducted by United States Special Operations Forces and other American military elements to rescue U.S. prisoners of war during the Vietnam War. It was also the first joint military operation in United States history conducted under the direct control of the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. The specially selected raiders extensively trained and rehearsed the operation at Eglin Air Force Base, Florida, while planning and intelligence gathering continued from 25 May to 20 November 1970.
21/11/1969
U.S. President Richard Nixon and Japanese Premier Eisaku Satō agree on the return of Okinawa to Japanese control in 1972. The U.S. retains rights to bases on the island, but these are to be nuclear-free.
Richard Milhous Nixon was the 37th president of the United States, serving from 1969 until his resignation in 1974. A member of the Republican Party, he represented California in both houses of the United States Congress before serving as the 36th vice president under President Dwight D. Eisenhower from 1953 to 1961. His presidency saw the reduction of U.S. involvement in the Vietnam War, détente with the Soviet Union and China, the Apollo 11 Moon landing, and the establishment of the Environmental Protection Agency and Occupational Safety and Health Administration. Nixon's second term ended early when he became the only U.S. president to resign from office, as a result of the Watergate scandal.
The first permanent ARPANET link is established between UCLA and SRI.
The Advanced Research Projects Agency Network (ARPANET) was the first wide-area packet-switched network with distributed control and one of the first computer networks to implement the TCP/IP protocol suite. Both technologies became the technical foundation of the Internet. The ARPANET was established by the Advanced Research Projects Agency of the United States Department of Defense.
21/11/1967
Vietnam War: American General William Westmoreland tells news reporters: "I am absolutely certain that whereas in 1965 the enemy was winning, today he is certainly losing."
The Vietnam War was an armed conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia fought between North Vietnam and South Vietnam and their allies. North Vietnam was supported by the Soviet Union and China, while South Vietnam was supported by the United States and other anti-communist nations. The conflict was the second of the Indochina wars and a proxy war of the Cold War between the Soviet Union and US. The Vietnam War was one of the postcolonial wars of national liberation, a theater in the Cold War, and a civil war, with civil warfare a defining feature from the outset. Direct US military involvement escalated from 1965 until US forces were withdrawn in 1973. The fighting spilled into the Laotian and Cambodian civil wars, which ended with all three countries becoming communist in 1975.
21/11/1964
The Verrazzano–Narrows Bridge opens to traffic. At the time it is the world's longest bridge span.
The Verrazzano–Narrows Bridge is a suspension bridge connecting the boroughs of Staten Island and Brooklyn in New York City, New York, U.S. It spans the Narrows, a body of water linking the relatively enclosed New York Harbor with Lower New York Bay and the Atlantic Ocean. It is the only fixed crossing of the Narrows. The double-deck bridge carries 13 lanes of Interstate 278: seven on the upper level and six on the lower level. The span is named for Giovanni da Verrazzano, who in 1524 was the first European explorer to enter New York Harbor and the Hudson River.
Second Vatican Council: The third session of the Roman Catholic Church's ecumenical council closes.
The Second Ecumenical Council of the Vatican, commonly known as the Second Vatican Council or Vatican II, was the twenty-first and most recent ecumenical council of the Catholic Church. It met in St. Peter's Basilica in Vatican City from 11 October 1962 to 8 December 1965, during the pontificates of Pope John XXIII and Pope Paul VI.
21/11/1962
The Chinese People's Liberation Army declares a unilateral ceasefire in the Sino-Indian War.
The People's Liberation Army (PLA) is the military wing of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and the primary armed forces of the People's Republic of China (PRC). It consists of four services—Ground Force, Navy, Air Force, and Rocket Force—and four arms—Aerospace Force, Cyberspace Force, Information Support Force, and Joint Logistics Support Force. It operates under the CCP's absolute control and is led by the Central Military Commission (CMC) with its chairman as commander-in-chief. Alongside the paramilitary People's Armed Police (PAP) and the Militia, the PLA forms the bulk of the country's armed forces.
21/11/1961
"La Ronde" opens in Honolulu, the first revolving restaurant in the United States.
La Ronde was a restaurant in Honolulu, Hawaii. Built in 1961 and designed by John Graham, it was the first revolving restaurant in the United States and the third of its kind in the world. The restaurant is now closed.
21/11/1959
American disc jockey Alan Freed, who had popularized the term "rock and roll" and music of that style, is fired from WABC radio over allegations he had participated in the payola scandal.
Albert James "Alan" Freed was an American disc jockey. He also produced and promoted large traveling concerts with various acts, helping to spread the importance of rock and roll music throughout North America, including popularizing the term "rock and roll".
21/11/1954
People's Action Party, an eventual dominative political party in Singapore, was established.
The People's Action Party (PAP) is a major conservative political party in Singapore and is the contemporary governing political party represented in the Parliament of Singapore, followed by the opposition Workers' Party (WP).
21/11/1953
The Natural History Museum, London announces that the "Piltdown Man" skull, initially believed to be one of the most important fossilized hominid skulls ever found, is a hoax.
The Natural History Museum in London, England, is a museum that exhibits a vast range of specimens from various segments of natural history. It is one of three major museums on Exhibition Road in South Kensington, the others being the Science Museum and the Victoria and Albert Museum. The Natural History Museum's main frontage, however, is on Cromwell Road.
21/11/1950
Two Canadian National Railway trains collide in northeastern British Columbia in the Canoe River train crash; the death toll is 21, with 17 of them Canadian troops bound for Korea.
The Canadian National Railway Company is a Canadian Class I freight railway headquartered in Montreal, Quebec, which serves Canada and the Midwestern and Southern United States. It is one of Canada's two main freight rail companies, along with Canadian Pacific Kansas City.
21/11/1945
The United Auto Workers strike 92 General Motors plants in 50 cities to back up worker demands for a 30-percent raise.
From November 21, 1945, to March 13, 1946, CIO's United Automobile Workers (UAW), organized "320,000 hourly workers" to form a nationwide strike against General Motors, workers used the tactic of the sit down strike. It was "the longest strike against a major manufacturer" that the UAW had yet seen, and it was also "the longest national GM strike in its history".
21/11/1944
World War II: American submarine USS Sealion sinks the Japanese battleship Kongō and Japanese destroyer Urakaze in the Formosa Strait.
World War II, or the Second World War, was a global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies and the Axis powers. Nearly all of the world's countries participated. World War II was the deadliest conflict in history, causing the death of 60 to 75 million people. Millions died as a result of massacres, starvation, disease, and genocides, including the Holocaust. After the Allied victory, Germany, Austria, Japan, and Korea were occupied, and German and Japanese leaders were tried for war crimes.
21/11/1942
The completion of the Alaska Highway (also known as the Alcan Highway) is celebrated (however, the highway is not usable by standard road vehicles until 1943).
The Alaska Highway is a highway in North America which was constructed during World War II to connect the contiguous United States with Alaska through Canada. It begins at the junction with a few Canadian highways in Dawson Creek, British Columbia, and runs to Delta Junction, Alaska, via Whitehorse, Yukon. When it was completed in 1942, it was about 1,700 miles long, but in 2012, it was only 1,387 mi (2,232 km). This is due to the realignments of the highway over the years, which has rerouted and straightened many sections. The highway opened to the public in 1948. Once legendary for being a rough, challenging drive, the highway is now paved over its entire length. Its component highways are British Columbia Highway 97, Yukon Highway 1, and Alaska Route 2.
21/11/1927
Columbine Mine massacre: Striking coal miners are allegedly attacked with machine guns by a detachment of Colorado state police dressed in civilian clothes.
The Columbine Mine massacre occurred in 1927, in the town of Serene, Colorado. In the midst of the 1927–1928 Colorado Coal Strike across the state, workers had been picketing one of the few remaining operating mines, in Serene. A fight broke out between Colorado state militia and a group of striking coal miners, during which the unarmed miners were attacked with firearms. The miners testified that machine guns were fired at them, which the state police disputed. Six strikers were killed, and dozens were injured.
21/11/1922
Rebecca Latimer Felton of Georgia takes the oath of office, becoming the first female United States Senator.
Rebecca Ann Felton was an American writer, politician, white supremacist, and slave owner who was the first woman to serve in the United States Senate, serving for only one day.
21/11/1920
Irish War of Independence: On "Bloody Sunday" in Dublin, the Irish Republican Army (IRA) assassinated a group of British Intelligence agents, and British forces killed 14 civilians at a Gaelic football match at Croke Park.
The Irish War of Independence, also known as the Anglo-Irish War, was a guerrilla war fought in Ireland from 1919 to 1921 between the Irish Republican Army and British forces: the British Army, along with the quasi-military Royal Irish Constabulary (RIC) and its paramilitary forces the Auxiliaries and Ulster Special Constabulary (USC). It was part of the Irish revolutionary period.
21/11/1918
The Flag of Estonia, previously used by pro-independence activists, is formally adopted as the national flag of the Republic of Estonia.
The national flag of Estonia is a tricolour featuring three equal horizontal bands of blue at the top, black in the middle, and white at the bottom. The flag is called sinimustvalge in Estonian.
The Parliament (Qualification of Women) Act 1918 is passed, allowing women to stand for Parliament in the UK.
The Parliament Act 1918 is an act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It gave women over 21 the right to stand for election as a Member of Parliament.
A pogrom takes place in Lwów (now Lviv); over three days, at least 50 Jews and 270 Ukrainian Christians are killed by Poles.
The Lwów pogrom was a pogrom perpetrated by Polish soldiers and civilians against the Jewish population of the city of Lwów. It happened on 21–23 November 1918, during the Polish–Ukrainian War that followed World War I.
21/11/1916
World War I: Mines from SM U-73 sink HMHS Britannic, the largest ship lost in the war.
World War I, or the First World War, also known as the Great War, was a global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies and the Central Powers. Major areas of conflict included Europe and the Middle East, as well as parts of Africa and the Asia-Pacific. The war saw important developments in weaponry including tanks, aircraft, artillery, machine guns, and chemical weapons. One of the deadliest conflicts in history, it resulted in an estimated 15 to 22 million military and civilian casualties and genocide. The movement of large numbers of people was a major factor in the deadly Spanish flu pandemic.
21/11/1910
Sailors on board Brazil's warships including the Minas Gerais, São Paulo, and Bahia, violently rebel in what is now known as the Revolta da Chibata (Revolt of the Lash).
Minas Geraes, spelled Minas Gerais in some sources, was a dreadnought battleship of the Brazilian Navy. Named in honor of the state of Minas Gerais, the ship was laid down in April 1907 as the lead ship of its class, making the country the third to have a dreadnought under construction and igniting a naval arms race between Brazil, Argentina, and Chile.
21/11/1905
Albert Einstein's paper that leads to the mass–energy equivalence formula, E = mc², is published in the journal Annalen der Physik.
Albert Einstein was a German-born theoretical physicist best known for developing the known theory of relativity. Einstein also made important contributions to quantum theory. His mass–energy equivalence formula E = mc2, which arises from special relativity, has been called "the world's most famous equation". He received the 1921 Nobel Prize in Physics for "his services to theoretical physics, and especially for his discovery of the law of the photoelectric effect".
21/11/1902
The Philadelphia Football Athletics defeat the Kanaweola Athletic Club of Elmira, New York, 39–0, in the first-ever professional American football night game.
The Philadelphia Athletics were a professional American football team based in Philadelphia and founded in 1902. The team was a member of the 1902 National Football League. The league comprised a curious mixture of baseball and football players.
21/11/1900
Claude Monet's paintings shown at Gallery Durand-Ruel in Paris.
Oscar-Claude Monet was a French painter and founder of Impressionism who is seen as a key precursor to modernism, especially in his attempts to paint nature as he perceived it. During his long career, he was the most consistent and prolific practitioner of Impressionism's philosophy of expressing one's perceptions of nature, especially as applied to plein air (outdoor) landscape painting. The term "Impressionism" is derived from the title of his painting Impression, Sunrise, which was exhibited in 1874 at the First Impressionist Exhibition, initiated by Monet and a number of like-minded artists as an alternative to the Salon.
21/11/1894
Port Arthur, China, falls to the Japanese, a decisive victory of the First Sino-Japanese War; Japanese troops are accused of massacring the remaining inhabitants.
Lüshunkou District, commonly known as Lüshun (旅顺), is a district of Dalian, Liaoning province, China. The district has an area of 512.15 km2 (197.74 sq mi) and a permanent population of 398,579 as of 2020.
21/11/1877
Thomas Edison announces his invention of the phonograph, a machine that can record and play sound.
Thomas Alva Edison was an American inventor and businessman. He grew up in Michigan with little formal schooling and began working at a young age. He became deaf as a child and learned through books and tinkering. As a railroad telegrapher, he spent much of his time inventing improvements to telegraph systems. By the age of 22, he had sold a few of his early inventions and moved to New York to focus on engineering. He had three children with Mary, his first wife, but Edison was neglectful. She died at 29 years old. Edison had troubled relationships with his kids for the rest of his life. With the help of friends, the inventor attracted investment and grew his company. By the age of 29, he owned a telegraph recorder factory in Newark with over one hundred employees.
21/11/1861
American Civil War: Confederate President Jefferson Davis appoints Judah Benjamin Secretary of War.
The American Civil War was a civil war in the United States between the Union and the Confederacy, which was formed in 1861 by states that had seceded from the Union to preserve slavery in the United States. The South saw slavery as threatened because of the election of Abraham Lincoln and the growing abolitionist movement in the North. The war ended with Union victory, the dissolution of the Confederacy and the abolition of slavery, freeing four million African Americans.
21/11/1851
Mutineers take control of the Chilean penal colony of Punta Arenas in the Strait of Magellan.
The failed Mutiny of Cambiazo occurred during the 1851 Chilean Revolution in Punta Arenas.
21/11/1789
North Carolina ratifies the United States Constitution and is admitted as the 12th U.S. state.
North Carolina is a state in the Southeastern and South Atlantic regions of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, South Carolina to the south, Georgia to the southwest, and Tennessee to the west. The state is the 28th-largest and ninth-most populous of the United States. Along with South Carolina, it makes up the Carolinas region of the East Coast. At the 2020 census, the state had a population of 10,439,388. Raleigh is the state's capital and Charlotte is its most populous and one of the fastest growing cities in the United States. The Charlotte metropolitan area, with an estimated population of 2,883,370 in 2024, is the most populous metropolitan area in North Carolina, the 21st-most populous in the United States, and the largest banking center in the nation after New York City. The Research Triangle, with an estimated population of 2,368,947 in 2023, is the second-most populous combined metropolitan area in the state, 31st-most populous in the United States, and is home to the largest research park in the United States, Research Triangle Park.
21/11/1783
In Paris, Jean-François Pilâtre de Rozier and François Laurent d'Arlandes make the first untethered hot air balloon flight.
Jean-François Pilâtre de Rozier was a French chemistry and physics teacher, and one of the first pioneers of aviation. He made the first crewed free balloon flight, and first confirmed human flight of any kind, with François Laurent d'Arlandes on 21 November 1783, in a Montgolfier balloon. He later died when his balloon crashed near Wimereux in the Pas-de-Calais during an attempt to fly across the English Channel. He and his companion Pierre Romain thus became the first known fatalities in an air crash.
21/11/1676
The Danish astronomer Ole Rømer presents the first quantitative measurements of the speed of light.
An astronomer is a scientist in the field of astronomy who focuses on a specific question or field outside the scope of Earth. Astronomers study astronomical objects, such as stars, planets, moons, comets and galaxies, by some combination of observation and the application of astrophysical models. Examples of topics or fields astronomers study include planetary science, solar astronomy, the origin or evolution of stars, or the formation of galaxies. A related but distinct subject is physical cosmology, which studies the universe as a whole.
21/11/1620
Plymouth Colony settlers sign the Mayflower Compact (November 11, O.S.)
Plymouth Colony was the first permanent English colony in New England, founded in 1620, and the third permanent English colony in America, after Newfoundland and the Jamestown Colony. It was settled by the passengers on the Mayflower at a location that had previously been surveyed and named by Captain John Smith. The settlement served as the capital of the colony and developed as the town of Plymouth, Massachusetts. At its height, Plymouth Colony occupied most of what is now the southeastern portion of Massachusetts; it was approximately coterminous with the combined territories of Plymouth, Barnstable, and Bristol Counties, all of which were originally established by the General Court of the Plymouth Colony. Many of the people and events surrounding Plymouth Colony have become part of American folklore, including the American tradition of Thanksgiving and the monument of Plymouth Rock.
21/11/1386
Timur of Samarkand captures and sacks the Georgian capital of Tbilisi, taking King Bagrat V of Georgia captive.
Timur, also known as Tamerlane, was a Turco-Mongol conqueror, first ruler of the Timurid dynasty, and the founder of the Timurid Empire, which ruled over modern-day Afghanistan, Iran, and Central Asia. He was undefeated in battle and is widely regarded as one of the greatest military leaders and tacticians in history, as well as one of the most brutal and deadly. Timur is also considered a great patron of the arts, for he interacted with scholars and poets such as ibn Khaldun, Hafez, and Hafiz-i Abru. His reign led to the Timurid Renaissance.
21/11/0235
Pope Anterus succeeds Pontian as the nineteenth pope.
Pope Anterus was the bishop of Rome from 21 November 235 until his death on 3 January 236.
01/01/1970
Judas Maccabeus, son of Mattathias of the Hasmonean family, rededicates the Temple in Jerusalem, an event that is commemorated each year by the festival of Hanukkah. (25 Kislev 3597 in the Hebrew calendar.)
Judas Maccabaeus or Maccabeus, also known as Judah Maccabee, was a Jewish priest (kohen) and a son of the priest Mattathias. He was an early leader in the Maccabean Revolt against the Seleucid Empire, taking over from his father around 166 BCE, and leading the revolt until his death in 160 BCE.