21 December: In a year, the 21st of December is the 355th day as per the Georgian Calendar. In a leap year, it is the 356th day of the year.
What special day is today?
On this day, Gangnam Style, the humorous pop song was released; the discovery of Radium, a radioactive metal that occurs in nature; and the Launch of Apollo 8.
Famous birthdays include Florence Griffith Joyner, Jane Fonda, and Chris Evert.
December 21 also marks Armed Forces Day in the Philippines.
Let’s explore what happened today.
What Happened Today? On This Day in History: 21 December
Art & Artists
- 2012 – Gangnam Style, the humorous pop song was released. It was sung by PSY, a popular singer from South Korea. It has the distinction of being YouTube’s first video that earned one billion views.
- 2016 – “Dangal”, a sports drama movie from India earned a whopping $300 million globally. The Aamir Khan starrer, Nitesh Tiwari directed movie was a super hit in India and abroad.
Science & Technology
- 1898 – The discovery of Radium, a radioactive metal that occurs in nature, by Marie and Pierre Curie. Later, the metal started to be used in cancer treatment.
- 1970 – F-14, multi-role combat aircraft took its maiden flight on this day.
Leaders & Politics
- 1845 – The beginning of the Battle of Firoz Shah involving British and Sikh forces at some point in the First Sikh War.
- 1973 – Opening of the Geneva Conference to discuss the conflict Arab–Israeli open.
People & Society
- 1988 – Antonov An-225 Mriya took its maiden flight on this day. It is the world’s biggest aircraft.
- 1995 – Bethlehem city was overtaken by Palestinians from Israeli control.
Disasters: Natural & Man-made
- 1910 – An underground explosion in Over Hulton, Westhoughton, England took the lives of 344 miners. It happened at the No. 3 Pit of the Hulton Bank Colliery.
- 1946 – A very high magnitude (8.1) earthquake caused a massive tsunami in the Japanese southern region of Nankaido in which over 1,300 people killed.
Discoveries & Explorations
- 1968 – Launch of Apollo 8, from Cape Kennedy (Cape Canaveral). The crewed spacecraft undertook 10 orbits of the Moon. It was the spacecraft that became the first to reach our planet, Moon. After its ‘performances’ it safely came back to Earth.
Leisure & Sports
- 1913 – The publication of a crossword puzzle in New York World. It wasthe first contemporary puzzle game.
- 1936 – Don Bradman, the cricket legend scored “zero” in two successive innings in Test Cricket.
Birth Anniversaries (21 December)
- 1773 – Robert Brown (Botanist, Scotland)
- 1937 – Jane Fonda (Actress, America)
- 1940 – Frank Zappa (Musician, America)
- 1954 – Chris Evert (Tennis Player, America)
- 1959 – Florence Griffith Joyner (Athlete, America)
Death Anniversaries (21 December)
- 1375 – Giovanni Boccaccio (Poet from Italy)
- 1940 – F. Scott Fitzgerald (Writer, America)
- 1958 – Lion Feuchtwanger (Writer, Germany)
- 1963 – Sir John Berry Hobbs (Cricketer, Britain)
- 1988 – Nikolaas Tinbergen (Zoologist, The Netherlands)
What Special Day is Today: (21 December)
- Armed Forces Day (Philippines)
- Sao Tome Day (Sao Tome and Príncipe)
- Forefathers’ Day (Plymouth, Massachusetts)
Conclusion
The story of the day (21 December) is just like a collage of tame & trackless, tit-for-tats, tit-bits of events and eventualities.
Several true-life events about science, politics, history, explorations, inventions, economy, etc. are covered on this day in history.
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