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Today July 21st 2009 this day in history Read more below to view events, deaths, births, Holidays observances and video clips. Last database updated: Jan 17th, 2009
Events
356 BC – Herostratus sets fire to the Temple of Artemis in Ephesus, one of the Seven Wonders of the World.
285 – Diocletian appoints Maximian as Caesar, co-ruler.
1403 – Battle of Shrewsbury: King Henry IV of England defeats rebels to the north of the county town of Shropshire, England.
1545 – The first landing of French troops onto the coast of the Isle of Wight during the French invasion of the Isle of Wight occurs.
1568 – Eighty Years War: Battle of Jemmingen – Fernando Álvarez de Toledo, Duke of Alva defeats Louis of Nassau.
1718 – The Treaty of Passarowitz between the Ottoman Empire, Austria and the Republic of Venice is signed.
1774 – Russo-Turkish War, 1768-1774: Russia and the Ottoman Empire sign the Treaty of Kuchuk-Kainarji ending the war.
1831 – Inauguration of Léopold I of Belgium, first king of the Belgians.
1861 – American Civil War: First Battle of Bull Run – at Manassas Junction, Virginia, the first major battle of the war begins. The Confederate won.
1865 – In the market square of Springfield, Missouri, Wild Bill Hickok shoots and kills Davis Tutt in what is regarded as the first true western showdown.
1873 – At Adair, Iowa, Jesse James and the James-Younger gang pull off the first successful train robbery in the American West.
1877 – After rioting by Baltimore and Ohio Railroad workers and the deaths of nine rail workers at the hands of the Maryland militia, workers in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania stage a sympathy strike that is met with an assault by the state militia.
1918 – U-156 shells Nauset Beach, in Orleans, Massachusetts. This is the first time that the United States is shelled since the War of 1812.
1919 – The dirigible Wingfoot Air Express crashes into the Illinois Trust and Savings Building in Chicago, killing 12 people.
1925 – Scopes Trial: In Dayton, Tennessee, high school biology teacher John T. Scopes is found guilty of teaching evolution in class and fined $100.
1944 – World War II: Battle of Guam – American troops land on Guam starting the battle. It would end on August 10.
1949 – The United States Senate ratifies the North Atlantic Treaty.
1954 – First Indochina War: The Geneva Conference partitions Vietnam into North Vietnam and South Vietnam.
1960 – Sirimavo Bandaranaike is elected prime minister of Sri Lanka and becomes the first woman prime minister in the world.
1961 – Mercury program: Mercury-Redstone 4 Mission – Gus Grissom piloting Liberty Bell 7 becomes the second American to go into space (in a suborbital mission).
1964 – Singapore Race Riot – every year since then, Racial Harmony Day is celebrated on this day.
1969 – Neil Armstrong and Edwin Buzz Aldrin become the first men to walk on the Moon, during the Apollo 11 mission.
1970 – After 11 years of construction, the Aswan High Dam in Egypt is completed.
1972 – Bloody Friday bombing by the Provisional Irish Republican Army around Belfast, Northern Ireland – 22 bomb explosions, 9 people killed and 130 people seriously injured.
1973 – In the Lillehammer affair in Norway, Israeli Mossad agents kill a waiter whom they mistakenly thought was involved in 1972 s Munich Olympics Massacre.
1976 – Christopher Ewart-Biggs British ambassador to the Republic of Ireland is assassinated by the Provisional IRA.
1977 – The start of a four day long Libyan-Egyptian War takes place.
1983 – The world s lowest temperature is recorded at Vostok Station, Antarctica at -89.2°C (-129°F).
1994 – Tony Blair is declared the winner of the leadership election of the British Labour Party, paving the way for him to become Prime Minister in 1997.
1995 – Third Taiwan Strait Crisis: The People s Liberation Army begins firing missiles into the waters north of Taiwan.
1997 – The fully restored USS Constitution (aka Old Ironsides) celebrates her 200th birthday by setting sail for the first time in 116 years.
2002 – Telecom giant WorldCom files for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in the largest such filing in United States history.
2004 – The United Kingdom government publishes Delivering Security in a Changing World, a paper detailing wide-ranging reform of the country s armed forces.
2005 – Four terrorist bombings, occurring exactly two weeks after the similar July 7 bombings, target London s public transportation system. All four bombs fail to detonate and all four suspected suicide bombers are captured and later convicted and imprisoned for long terms.
2007 – Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, the final book in the bestselling Harry Potter series is released.
2008 – Bosnian-Serb war criminal Radovan Karadžic is arrested in Serbia and is indicted by the UN s ICTY tribunal.
Births
810 – Imam Bukhari, Islamic scholar (d. 870)
1515 – Philip Neri, Italian churchman (d. 1595)
1620 – Jean Picard, French astronomer (d. 1682)
1664 – Matthew Prior, English poet and diplomat (d. 1721)
1693 – Thomas Pelham-Holles, 1st Duke of Newcastle-upon-Tyne, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom (d. 1768)
1710 – Paul Möhring, German physician (d. 1792)
1808 – Simion Barnutiu, Romanian philosopher and politician (d. 1864)
1810 – Henri Victor Regnault, French chemist (d. 1878)
1816 – Paul Reuter, German-born British journalist (d. 1899)
1851 – Sam Bass, American train robber and outlaw (d. 1878)
1858 – Lovis Corinth, German painter (d. 1925)
1858 – Maria Christina of Austria, queen of Spain (d. 1929)
1858 – Alfred Henry O Keeffe, New Zealand artist (d. 1941)
1863 – Aubrey Smith, English cricketer and actor (d. 1948)
1870 – Emil Orlik, Czech painter (d. 1932)
1880 – Milan Rastislav Štefánik, Slovak politician and astronomer (d. 1919)
1882 – David Burliuk, Ukrainian artist (d. 1967)
1893 – Hans Fallada, German writer (d. 1947)
1899 – Hart Crane, American poet (d. 1932)
1899 – Ernest Hemingway, American writer, Nobel laureate (d. 1961)
1903 – Roy Neuberger, American financier
1908 – Harold Jug McSpaden, American professional golfer (d. 1996)
1911 – Marshall McLuhan, Canadian author (d. 1980)
1920 – Constance Dowling, American actress (d. 1969)
1920 – Isaac Stern, Ukrainian-born violinist (d. 2001)
1923 – Rudolph A. Marcus, Canadian chemist, Nobel laureate
1922 – Kay Starr, American singer
1922 – Mollie Sugden, British comedic actress
1924 – Don Knotts, American actor (d. 2006)
1925 – Anne Meacham, American actress
1926 – Paul Burke, American actor
1926 – Norman Jewison, Canadian film director
1926 – Rahimuddin Khan, Pakistani general
1926 – Karel Reisz, British film director (d. 2002)
1926 – Queenie Watts, English actress (d. 1980)
1928 – Marcel Gauthier, Canadian wrestler (d. 1998)
1929 – Bob Orton, American wrestler (d. 2006)
1930 – Anand Bakshi, Indian lyricist (d. 2002)
1932 – Ernie Warlick, American football player
1933 – John Gardner, American author (d. 1982)
1934 – Chandu Borde, Former Indian cricketer
1935 – Norbert Blüm, German politician
1935 – Moe Drabowsky, baseball player (d. 2006)
1938 – Les Aspin, American politician (d. 1995)
1938 – Anton Kuerti, Canadian pianist, composer and conductor
1938 – Janet Reno, 79th United States Attorney General
1939 – John Negroponte, 1st United States Director of National Intelligence
1943 – Edward Herrmann, American actor
1944 – Tony Scott, British film director
1944 – Paul Wellstone, American politician (d. 2002)
1945 – John Lowe, English darts player
1945 – Lydia Shum, Hong Kong comedian and actress (d. 2008)
1945 – Barry Richards, Former South African cricketer
1945 – Geoff Dymock, Former Australian cricketer
1946 – Kenneth Starr, American lawyer
1946 – Barry Whitwam, British musician (Herman s Hermits)
1947 – Chetan Chauhan, Former Indian cricketer
1948 – Ed Hinton, American sportswriter
1948 – Cat Stevens, English singer/songwriter
1948 – Garry Trudeau, American cartoonist
1949 – Al Hrabosky, baseball player
1950 – Ubaldo Fillol, Argentinian footballer
1951 – Robin Williams, American comedian/actor
1952 – John Barrasso, American politician
1953 – Brian Talbot, British footballer
1953 – Jeff Fatt, Chinese-Australian actor
1955 – Howie Epstein, American musician (d. 2003)
1955 – Taco Ockerse, Indonesian singer
1956 – Michael Connelly, American author
1957 – Jon Lovitz, American comedian
1957 – George Landress, American songwriter and music producer
1959 – Paul Vautin, Australian rugby league player
1960 – Lance Guest, American actor
1960 – Fritz Walter, German footballer
1961 – Amar Singh Chamkila, Punjabi folk singer
1961 – Jim Martin, American musician (Faith No More)
1963 – Kevin Poole, English footballer
1963 – Paulo Silva, Brazilian mixed martial artist
1964 – Jens Weißflog, German ski jumper
1965 – Gudni Bergsson, Icelandic footballer
1965 – Mike Bordick, American baseball player
1965 – Jovy Marcelo, Filipino racing driver (d. 1992)
1966 – Arija Bareikis, American actress
1968 – Johnnie Barnes, American football player
1968 – Brandi Chastain, American soccer player
1968 – Lyle Odelein, Canadian hockey player
1969 – Emerson Hart, American musician (Tonic)
1969 – Klaus Graf, German racing driver
1970 – Shawn Stasiak, American professional wrestler
1971 – Emmanuel Bangué, French long jumper
1971 – Charlotte Gainsbourg, French actress and singer
1971 – Nuno Markl, Portuguese comedian and radio host
1972 – Shinjiro Otani, Japanese professional wrestler
1973 – Ali Landry, American model and actress
1974 – Geoff Jenkins, American baseball player
1975 – Chris Bisson, British Actor
1975 – Mike Sellers, American football player
1975 – Ravindra Pushpakumara, Sri Lankan cricketer
1977 – Paul Casey, English golfer
1977 – Jaime Murray, British actress
1978 – Josh Hartnett, American actor
1978 – Justin Bartha, American actor
1978 – Damian Marley, Jamaican musician
1978 – Gary Teale, Scottish football player
1979 – David Carr, American football player
1979 – Tamika Catchings, American basketball player
1980 – Tailor James, Canadian model
1980 – CC Sabathia, American baseball player
1981 – Titus Bramble, English footballer
1981 – Stefan Schumacher, German cyclist
1981 – Joaquín Sánchez, Spanish footballer
1981 – Chrishell Stause, American actress
1981 – Blake Lewis, American musician
1982 – Mao Kobayashi, Japanese actress
1983 – Eivør Pálsdóttir, Faroese singer
1983 – Kellen Winslow II, American football player
1984 – Paul Davis, American basketball player
1984 – Liam Ridgewell, English footballer
1984 – Jurrick Juliana, Dutch footballer
1985 – Von Wafer, American basketball player
1987 – AnnaLynne McCord, American actress
1988 – Matt O Dwyer, Australian rules footballer
1988 – Chris Mitchell, Scottish footballer
1989 – Jamie Waylett, British actor
1989 – Rory Culkin, American actor
1989 – Chris Gunter, Welsh footballer
1992 – Rachael Flatt, American figure skater
Deaths
1403 – Henry Percy, English nobleman and soldier (b. c.1364)
1425 – Manuel II Palaeologus, Byzantine Emperor (b. 1350)
1688 – James Butler, 1st Duke of Ormonde, English statesman and soldier (b. 1610)
1793 – Bruni d Entrecasteaux, French explorer (b. 1739)
1796 – Robert Burns, Scottish poet (b. 1759)
1798 – François Sebastien Charles Joseph de Croix, Count of Clerfayt, Austrian field marshal (b. 1733)
1878 – Sam Bass, American train robber and outlaw (b. 1851)
1880 – Hiram Walden, American politician (b. 1800)
1889 – Nelson Dewey, American politician (b. 1813)
1899 – Robert G. Ingersoll, American politician and military officer (b. 1833)
1932 – Bill Gleason, American baseball player (b. 1858)
1938 – Owen Wister, American author (b. 1860)
1941 – Bohdan Lepky, Ukrainian writer and poet (b. 1872)
1943 – Charlie Paddock, American athlete (b. 1900)
1944 – Claus von Stauffenberg, German military officer (b. 1907)
1944 – Ludwig Beck, German Chief of Staff (b. 1880)
1946 – Gualberto Villarroel, Bolivian politician (b. 1908)
1948 – Arshile Gorky, Armenian-born American artist (b. 1904)
1967 – Jimmie Foxx, American baseball player (b. 1907)
1967 – Albert Lutuli, South African politician, Nobel Peace Prize laureate
1967 – Basil Rathbone, English actor (b. 1892)
1968 – Ruth St. Denis, American dancer and choreographer (b. 1878)
1970 – Mikhail Gerasimov, Russian anthropologist and sculptor (b. 1907)
1970 – Bob Kalsu, American football player (b. 1945)
1972 – Ralph Craig, American athlete (b. 1889)
1982 – Dave Garroway, American television host (b. 1913)
1986 – Ernest Maas, American screenwriter (b. 1892)
1991 – Paul Warwick, English racing driver (b. 1969)
1998 – Alan Shepard, American astronaut (b. 1923)
1998 – Robert Young, American actor (b. 1907)
2001 – Steve Barton, American actor (b. 1954)
2001 – Sivaji Ganesan, Indian Tamil actor (b. 1927)
2003 – John Davies, New Zealander athlete (b. 1938)
2003 – Walter M. Jefferies, American film art director (b. 1921)
2004 – Jerry Goldsmith, American composer (b. 1929)
2004 – Edward B. Lewis, American geneticist, Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine laureate (b. 1918)
2005 – Long John Baldry, British blues musician (b. 1941)
2005 – Lord Alfred Hayes, British wrestling announcer (b. 1928)
2006 – Mako, Japanese-born American actor (b. 1933)
2006 – Ta Mok, Cambodian Khmer Rouge leader (b. 1926)
Holidays and observances
Belgium: National holiday (1831 – inauguration of Léopold I, first king of the Belgians)
Guam: Liberation Day (1944)
Russia: summer Kazanskaya
Singapore: Racial Harmony Day
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