July 21

July 21 is the 202nd day of the year (203rd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar; 163 days remain until the end of the year.

Events[]

Pre-1600[]

• 356 BC – The Temple of Artemis in Ephesus, one of the Seven Wonders of the World, is destroyed by arson.
• 230 – Pope Pontian succeeds Urban I as the eighteenth pope.
• 285 – Diocletian appoints Maximian as Caesar and co-ruler.
• 365 – The 365 Crete earthquake affected the Greek island of Crete with a maximum Mercalli intensity of XI (Extreme), causing a destructive tsunami that affects the coasts of Libya and Egypt, especially Alexandria. Many thousands were killed.
• 905 – King Berengar I of Italy and a hired Hungarian army defeats the Frankish forces at Verona. King Louis III is captured and blinded for breaking his oath (see 902).^[1]
• 1242 – Battle of Taillebourg: Louis IX of France puts an end to the revolt of his vassals Henry III of England and Hugh X of Lusignan.
• 1403 – Battle of Shrewsbury: King Henry IV of England defeats rebels to the north of the county town of Shropshire, England.
• 1545 – The first landing of French troops on the coast of the Isle of Wight during the French invasion of the Isle of Wight.
• 1568 – Eighty Years' War: Battle of Jemmingen: Fernando Álvarez de Toledo, Duke of Alva defeats Louis of Nassau.

1601–1900[]

• 1645 – Qing dynasty regent Dorgon issues an edict ordering all Han Chinese men to shave their forehead and braid the rest of their hair into a queue identical to those of the Manchus.
• 1656 – The Raid on Málaga takes place during the Anglo-Spanish War.
• 1718 – The Treaty of Passarowitz between the Ottoman Empire, Austria and the Republic of Venice is signed.
• 1774 – Russo-Turkish War (1768–74): Russia and the Ottoman Empire sign the Treaty of Küçük Kaynarca ending the war.
• 1798 – French campaign in Egypt and Syria: Napoleon's forces defeat an Ottoman-Mamluk army near Cairo in the Battle of the Pyramids.
• 1831 – Inauguration of Leopold I of Belgium, first king of the Belgians.
• 1861 – American Civil War: First Battle of Bull Run: At Manassas Junction, Virginia, the first major battle of the war begins and ends in a victory for the Confederate army.
• 1865 – In the market square of Springfield, Missouri, Wild Bill Hickok shoots and kills Davis Tutt in what is regarded as the first western showdown.
• 1873 – At Adair, Iowa, Jesse James and the James–Younger Gang pull off the first successful train robbery in the American Old 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.

1901–present[]

• 1904 – Louis Rigolly, a Frenchman, becomes the first man to break the 100 mph (161 km/h) barrier on land. He drove a 15-liter Gobron-Brillié in Ostend, Belgium.
• 1907 – The passenger steamer SS Columbia sinks after colliding with the steam schooner San Pedro off Shelter Cove, California, killing 88 people.
• 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 human evolution in class and fined $100.
• 1925 – Malcolm Campbell becomes the first man to exceed 150 mph (241 km/h) on land. At Pendine Sands in Wales, he drives Sunbeam 350HP built by Sunbeam at a two-way average speed of 150.33 mph (242 km/h).^[2]
• 1936 – Spanish Civil War: The Central Committee of Antifascist Militias of Catalonia is constituted, establishing an anarcho-syndicalist economy in Catalonia.^[3]
• 1944 – World War II: Battle of Guam: American troops land on Guam, starting a battle that will end on August 10.
• 1944 – World War II: Claus von Stauffenberg and four fellow conspirators are executed for the July 20 plot to assassinate Adolf Hitler.
• 1949 – The United States Senate ratifies the North Atlantic Treaty.
• 1952 – The 7.3 M_w  Kern County earthquake strikes Southern California with a maximum Mercalli intensity of XI (Extreme), killing 12 and injuring hundreds.
• 1954 – First Indochina War: The Geneva Conference partitions Vietnam into North Vietnam and South Vietnam.
• 1959 – NS Savannah, the first nuclear-powered cargo-passenger ship, is launched as a showcase for Dwight D. Eisenhower's "Atoms for Peace" initiative.
• 1959 – Elijah Jerry "Pumpsie" Green becomes the first African-American to play for the Boston Red Sox, the last team to integrate. He came in as a pinch runner for Vic Wertz and stayed in as shortstop in a 2–1 loss to the Chicago White Sox.
• 1960 – Sirimavo Bandaranaike is elected Prime Minister of Sri Lanka, becoming the world's first female head of government
• 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).
• 1969 – Apollo program: At 02:56 UTC, astronaut Neil Armstrong becomes the first person to walk on the Moon, followed 19 minutes later by Edwin "Buzz" Aldrin.
• 1970 – After 11 years of construction, the Aswan High Dam in Egypt is completed.
• 1972 – The Troubles: Bloody Friday: The Provisional IRA detonate 22 bombs in central Belfast, Northern Ireland, United Kingdom in the space of 80 minutes, killing nine and injuring 130.
• 1973 – In Lillehammer, Norway, Mossad agents kill a waiter whom they mistakenly thought was involved in the 1972 Munich Olympics Massacre.
• 1976 – Christopher Ewart-Biggs, the British ambassador to the Republic of Ireland, is assassinated by the Provisional IRA.
• 1977 – The start of the four-day-long Libyan–Egyptian War.
• 1979 – Jay Silverheels, a Mohawk actor, becomes the first Native American to have a star commemorated in the Hollywood Walk of Fame.^[4]
• 1983 – The world's lowest temperature in an inhabited location is recorded at Vostok Station, Antarctica at −89.2 °C (−128.6 °F).
• 1990 – Taiwan's military police forces mainland Chinese illegal immigrants into sealed holds of a fishing boat Min Ping Yu No. 5540 for repatriation to Fujian, causing 25 people to die from suffocation.^[5]
• 1995 – Third Taiwan Strait Crisis: The People's Liberation Army begins firing missiles into the waters north of Taiwan.
• 2001 – At the conclusion of a fireworks display on Okura Beach in Akashi, Hyōgo, Japan, 11 people are killed and more than 120 are injured when a pedestrian footbridge connecting the beach to JR Asagiri Station becomes overcrowded and people leaving the event fall down in a domino effect.
• 2005 – Four attempted bomb attacks by Islamist extremists disrupt part of London's public transport system.
• 2008 – Ram Baran Yadav is declared the first President of Nepal.
• 2010 – President Barack Obama signs the Dodd–Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act.^[6]
• 2011 – NASA's Space Shuttle program ends with the landing of Space Shuttle Atlantis on mission STS-135 at NASA's Kennedy Space Center.^[7]
• 2012 – Erden Eruç completes the first solo human-powered circumnavigation of the world.
• 2019 – 2019 Yuen Long attack or "721 incident" in Hong Kong. Triad members indiscriminately beat civilians returning from protests while police failed to take action.^[8]

Births[]

Pre-1600[]

• 541 – Emperor Wen of Sui, emperor of the Sui Dynasty (died 604)
• 1030 – Kyansittha, King of Burma (died 1112)
• 1414 – Pope Sixtus IV (died 1484)^[9]
• 1462 – Queen Jeonghyeon, Korean royal consort (died 1530)
• 1476 – Alfonso I d'Este, Duke of Ferrara (died 1534)
• 1476 – Anna Sforza, Italian noble (died 1497)
• 1535 – García Hurtado de Mendoza, 5th Marquis of Cañete, Royal Governor of Chile (died 1609)

1601–1900[]

• 1616 – Anna de' Medici, Archduchess of Austria (died 1676)
• 1620 – Jean Picard, French astronomer (died 1682)
• 1648 – John Graham, 1st Viscount Dundee, Scottish general (died 1689)
• 1654 – Pedro Calungsod, Filipino catechist and sacristan; later canonized (died 1672)
• 1664 – Matthew Prior, English poet and diplomat, British Ambassador to France (died 1721)
• 1693 – Thomas Pelham-Holles, 1st Duke of Newcastle, English politician, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom (died 1768)
• 1710 – Paul Möhring, German physician, botanist, and zoologist (died 1792)
• 1783 – Charles Tristan, marquis de Montholon, French general (died 1853)
• 1808 – Simion Bărnuțiu, Romanian historian, academic, and politician (died 1864)
• 1810 – Henri Victor Regnault, French chemist and physicist (died 1878)
• 1811 – Robert Mackenzie, Scottish-Australian politician, 3rd Premier of Queensland (died 1873)
• 1816 – Paul Reuter, German-English journalist, founded Reuters (died 1899)
• 1858 – Maria Christina of Austria (died 1929)
• 1858 – Lovis Corinth, German painter (died 1925)
• 1858 – Alfred Henry O'Keeffe, New Zealand painter and educator (died 1941)
• 1863 – C. Aubrey Smith, English-American cricketer and actor (died 1948)
• 1866 – Carlos Schwabe, Swiss Symbolist painter and printmaker (died 1926)
• 1870 – Emil Orlík, Czech painter, etcher, and lithographer (died 1932)
• 1875 – Charles Gondouin, French rugby player and tug of war competitor (died 1947)
• 1880 – Milan Rastislav Štefánik, Slovak astronomer, general, and politician (died 1919)
• 1882 – David Burliuk, Ukrainian author and illustrator (died 1967)
• 1885 – Jacques Feyder, Belgian actor, director, and screenwriter (died 1948)
• 1891 – Julius Saaristo, Finnish javelin thrower and soldier (died 1969)
• 1893 – Hans Fallada, German author (died 1947)
• 1896 – Sophie Bledsoe Aberle, Native American anthropologist, physician and nutritionist (died 1996)
• 1898 – Sara Carter, American singer-songwriter (died 1979)
• 1899 – Hart Crane, American poet (died 1932)^[10]
• 1899 – Ernest Hemingway, American novelist, short story writer, and journalist, Nobel Prize laureate (died 1961)
• 1900 – Isadora Bennett, American theatre manager and modern dance publicity agent (died 1980)

1901–present[]

• 1903 – Russell Lee, American photographer and journalist (died 1986)
• 1903 – Roy Neuberger, American businessman and financier, co-founded Neuberger Berman (died 2010)
• 1908 – Jug McSpaden, American golfer and architect (died 1996)
• 1911 – Marshall McLuhan, Canadian author and theorist (died 1980)
• 1911 – Umashankar Joshi, Indian author, poet, and scholar (died 1988)
• 1914 – Aleksander Kreek, Estonian shot putter and discus thrower (died 1977)
• 1917 – Alan B. Gold, Canadian lawyer and jurist (died 2005)
• 1920 – Constant Nieuwenhuys, Dutch painter, sculptor, and illustrator (died 2005)
• 1920 – Isaac Stern, Russian-American violinist and conductor (died 2001)
• 1920 – Jean Daniel, Algerian-French-Jewish journalist and author (died 2020)
• 1921 – James Cooke Brown, American sociologist and author (died 2000)
• 1921 – John Horsley, English actor (died 2014)
• 1921 – Vusamazulu Credo Mutwa, Zulu sangoma (died 2020)
• 1922 – Kay Starr, American singer (died 2016)
• 1922 – Mollie Sugden, English actress (died 2009)
• 1923 – Rudolph A. Marcus, Canadian-American chemist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate
• 1923 – Queenie Watts, English actress and singer (died 1980)
• 1924 – Rahimuddin Khan, Pakistani general and politician, 7th Governor of Balochistan
• 1924 – Don Knotts, American actor and screenwriter (died 2006)
• 1926 – Paul Burke, American actor (died 2009)
• 1925 – Johnny Peirson, Canadian hockey player (died 2021)
• 1926 – Norman Jewison, Canadian actor, director, and producer
• 1926 – Bill Pertwee, English actor (died 2013)
• 1926 – Karel Reisz, Czech-English director and producer (died 2002)
• 1928 – Sky Low Low, Canadian wrestler (died 1998)
• 1929 – Bob Orton, American wrestler (died 2006)
• 1930 – Anand Bakshi, Indian poet and songwriter (died 2002)
• 1930 – Helen Merrill, American singer
• 1931 – Sonny Clark, American pianist and composer (died 1963)
• 1931 – Plas Johnson, American saxophonist
• 1931 – Leon Schidlowsky, Chilean-Israeli painter and composer
• 1932 – Kaye Stevens, American singer and actress (died 2011)
• 1933 – John Gardner, American novelist, essayist, and critic (died 1982)
• 1934 – Chandu Borde, Indian cricketer and manager
• 1934 – Jonathan Miller, English actor, director, and author (died 2019)
• 1935 – Norbert Blüm, German businessman and politician (died 2020)
• 1935 – Moe Drabowsky, Polish-American baseball player and coach (died 2006)
• 1937 – Eduard Streltsov, Soviet footballer (died 1990)
• 1938 – Les Aspin, American captain and politician, 18th United States Secretary of Defense (died 1995)
• 1938 – Anton Kuerti, Austrian-Canadian pianist, composer, and conductor
• 1938 – Janet Reno, American lawyer and politician, 79th United States Attorney General (died 2016)
• 1939 – Jamey Aebersold, American saxophonist and educator
• 1939 – Kim Fowley, American singer-songwriter, producer, and manager (died 2015)
• 1939 – John Negroponte, English-American diplomat, 23rd United States Ambassador to the United Nations
• 1943 – Fritz Glatz, Austrian race car driver (died 2002)
• 1943 – Edward Herrmann, American actor (died 2014)
• 1943 – Henry McCullough, Northern Irish guitarist, singer and songwriter (died 2016)
• 1943 – Robert Shrum, American author and political advisor^[11]
• 1944 – John Atta Mills, Ghanaian lawyer and politician, 3rd President of Ghana (died 2012)
• 1944 – Buchi Emecheta, Nigerian author and academic (died 2017)
• 1944 – Paul Wellstone, American academic and politician (died 2002)
• 1945 – Wendy Cope, English poet, critic, and educator
• 1945 – Geoff Dymock, Australian cricketer
• 1945 – Barry Richards, South African cricketer
• 1946 – Ken Starr, American lawyer and judge, 39th Solicitor General of the United States
• 1946 – Timothy Harris, American author, screenwriter and producer
• 1947 – Chetan Chauhan, Indian cricketer and politician (died 2020)
• 1948 – Art Hindle, Canadian actor and director
• 1948 – Cat Stevens (Yusuf Islam), English singer-songwriter and guitarist
• 1948 – Garry Trudeau, American cartoonist
• 1949 – Christina Hart, American playwright and actress
• 1949 – Hirini Melbourne, New Zealand singer-songwriter and poet (died 2003)
• 1950 – Ubaldo Fillol, Argentinian footballer and coach
• 1950 – Susan Kramer, Baroness Kramer, English politician, Minister of State for Transport
• 1951 – Richard Gozney, English politician and diplomat, 30th Lieutenant Governor of the Isle of Man, 139th Governor of Bermuda
• 1951 – Robin Williams, American actor and comedian (d. 2014)
• 1952 – John Barrasso, American physician and politician
• 1952 – Ahmad Husni Hanadzlah, Malaysian economist
• 1953 – Eric Bazilian, American singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, arranger, and producer
• 1953 – Jeff Fatt, Australian keyboard player and actor
• 1953 – Bernie Fraser, New Zealand rugby player
• 1953 – Brian Talbot, English footballer and manager
• 1955 – Howie Epstein, American bass player, songwriter, and producer (died 2003)
• 1955 – Dannel Malloy, American lawyer and politician, 88th Governor of Connecticut
• 1955 – Henry Priestman, English singer-songwriter, keyboard player, and producer
• 1955 – Taco, Indonesian-born Dutch singer and entertainer
• 1955 – Béla Tarr, Hungarian director, producer, and screenwriter
• 1956 – Michael Connelly, American author
• 1957 – Stefan Löfven, Swedish trade union leader and politician, 33rd Prime Minister of Sweden
• 1957 – Jon Lovitz, American comedian, actor, and producer
• 1958 – Dave Henderson, American baseball player and sportscaster (died 2015)
• 1959 – Gene Miles, Australian rugby league player and sportscaster
• 1959 – Reha Muhtar, Turkish journalist
• 1959 – Paul Vautin, Australian rugby league player, coach, and sportscaster
• 1960 – Amar Singh Chamkila, Indian singer-songwriter (died 1988)
• 1960 – Veselin Matić, Serbian basketball player and coach
• 1960 – Fritz Walter, German footballer
• 1961 – Morris Iemma, Australian politician, 40th Premier of New South Wales
• 1961 – Jim Martin, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
• 1962 – Victor Adebowale, Baron Adebowale, English businessman
• 1963 – Kevin Poole, English footballer and manager
• 1963 – Giant Silva, Brazilian basketball player, mixed martial artist, and wrestler
• 1964 – Steve Collins, Irish boxer and actor
• 1964 – Ross Kemp, English actor and producer
• 1964 – Jens Weißflog, German ski jumper and journalist
• 1965 – Guðni Bergsson, Icelandic footballer and lawyer
• 1965 – Mike Bordick, American baseball player, coach, and sportscaster
• 1966 – Arija Bareikis, American actress
• 1966 – Sarah Waters, Welsh author^[12]
• 1968 – Brandi Chastain, American soccer player and sportscaster
• 1968 – Aditya Srivastava, Indian actor
• 1968 – Lyle Odelein, Canadian ice hockey player
• 1969 – Godfrey, American comedian and actor
• 1969 – Klaus Graf, German race car driver
• 1969 – Emerson Hart, American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer
• 1969 – Isabell Werth, German equestrian
• 1970 – Michael Fitzpatrick, American singer-songwriter
• 1971 – Emmanuel Bangué, French long jumper
• 1971 – Charlotte Gainsbourg, English-French actress and singer
• 1971 – Nitzan Shirazi, Israeli footballer and manager (died 2014)
• 1972 – Korey Cooper, American singer and guitarist
• 1972 – Catherine Ndereba, Kenyan marathon runner^[13]
• 1974 – Geoff Jenkins, American baseball player and coach
• 1974 – René Reinumägi, Estonian actor, director, and screenwriter
• 1975 – Christopher Barzak, American author and educator
• 1975 – Cara Dillon, Irish singer-songwriter
• 1975 – Ravindra Pushpakumara, Sri Lankan cricketer
• 1975 – Mike Sellers, American football player
• 1976 – Jaime Murray, English actress
• 1977 – Paul Casey, English golfer
• 1978 – Justin Bartha, American actor
• 1978 – Anderson da Silva Gibin, Brazilian footballer
• 1978 – Josh Hartnett, American actor
• 1978 – Julian Huppert, English academic and politician
• 1978 – Damian Marley, Jamaican singer-songwriter and producer
• 1978 – Gary Teale, Scottish footballer
• 1979 – David Carr, American football player
• 1979 – Tamika Catchings, American basketball player
• 1979 – Luis Ernesto Michel, Mexican footballer
• 1979 – Andriy Voronin, Ukrainian footballer
• 1980 – Justin Griffith, American football player
• 1980 – Sandra Laoura, French skier
• 1980 – CC Sabathia, American baseball player
• 1980 – Yvonne Sampson, Australian journalist and sportscaster
• 1981 – Paloma Faith, English singer-songwriter and actress
• 1981 – Anabelle Langlois, Canadian figure skater
• 1981 – Joaquín, Spanish footballer
• 1981 – Romeo Santos, American singer-songwriter
• 1981 – Stefan Schumacher, German cyclist^[14]
• 1982 – Jason Cram, Australian swimmer
• 1982 – Mao Kobayashi, Japanese newscaster and actress (died 2017)
• 1984 – Jurrick Juliana, Dutch footballer
• 1984 – Liam Ridgewell, English footballer
• 1985 – Mati Lember, Estonian footballer
• 1985 – Von Wafer, American basketball player
• 1986 – Anthony Annan, Ghanaian footballer
• 1986 – Rebecca Ferguson, American-English singer-songwriter
• 1986 – Jason Thompson, American basketball player
• 1987 – Bilel Mohsni, French footballer
• 1987 – Jesús Zavala, Mexican footballer
• 1988 – KB, American rapper
• 1988 – DeAndre Jordan, American basketball player^[15]
• 1988 – Chris Mitchell, Scottish footballer (died 2016)
• 1989 – Marco Fabián, Mexican footballer
• 1989 – Juno Temple, English actress
• 1990 – Chris Martin, English footballer
• 1990 – Jason Roy, English cricketer
• 1990 – Erislandy Savón, Cuban amateur heavyweight boxer
• 1990 – Franck Elemba, Congolese athlete
• 1991 – Sara Sampaio, Portuguese model
• 1992 – Rachael Flatt, American figure skater^[16]
• 1996 – Mikael Ingebrigtsen, Norwegian footballer^[17]

Deaths[]

Pre-1600[]

• 658 – K'an II, Mayan ruler (born 588)
• 710 – Li Guo'er, princess of the Tang dynasty
• 710 – Wei, empress of the Tang Dynasty
• 710 – Shangguan Wan'er, Chinese poet (born 664)
• 987 – Geoffrey I, Count of Anjou
• 1259 – Gojong of Goryeo
• 1403 – Henry Percy, English soldier (born 1364)
• 1403 – Sir Walter Blount, English soldier, standard-bearer of Henry IV
• 1403 – Edmund Stafford, 5th Earl of Stafford, English soldier
• 1425 – Manuel II Palaiologos, Byzantine emperor (born 1350)
• 1552 – Antonio de Mendoza, Spanish politician, 1st Viceroy of New Spain (born 1495)

1601–1900[]

• 1688 – James Butler, 1st Duke of Ormonde, English soldier and politician, Lord Lieutenant of Ireland (born 1610)
• 1793 – Antoine Bruni d'Entrecasteaux, French admiral, explorer, and politician (born 1739)
• 1796 – Robert Burns, Scottish poet and songwriter (born 1759)
• 1798 – François Sébastien Charles Joseph de Croix, Count of Clerfayt, Austrian field marshal (born 1733)
• 1798 – Anthony Perry, Irish rebel leader (born ca. 1760)
• 1868 – William Bland, Australian surgeon and politician (born 1789)
• 1878 – Sam Bass, American outlaw (born 1851)
• 1880 – Hiram Walden, American general and politician (born 1800)
• 1889 – Nelson Dewey, American lawyer and politician, 1st Governor of Wisconsin (born 1813)
• 1899 – Robert G. Ingersoll, American soldier, lawyer, and politician (born 1833)

1901–present[]

• 1920 – Fiammetta Wilson, English astronomer and educator (born 1864)^[18]
• 1928 – Ellen Terry, English actress (born 1847)^[19]
• 1932 – Bill Gleason, American baseball player (born 1858)
• 1938 – Owen Wister, American lawyer and author (born 1860)
• 1941 – Bohdan Lepky, Ukrainian poet and scholar (born 1872)
• 1943 – Charley Paddock, American runner and actor (born 1900)
• 1943 – Louis Vauxcelles, French Jewish art critic (born 1870)
• 1944 – Claus von Stauffenberg, German soldier (born 1907)
• 1946 – Gualberto Villarroel, Bolivian soldier and politician, 45th President of Bolivia (born 1908)
• 1948 – Arshile Gorky, Armenian-American painter and illustrator (born 1904)
• 1952 – Pedro Lascuráin, Mexican politician, president for 45 minutes on February 13, 1913. (born 1856)^[20]
• 1966 – Philipp Frank, Austrian-American physicist, mathematician, and philosopher, Vienna Circle member (born 1884)
• 1967 – Jimmie Foxx, American baseball player, coach, and manager (born 1907)
• 1967 – Albert Lutuli, South African academic and politician, Nobel Prize laureate (born 1898)
• 1967 – Basil Rathbone, South African-American actor and singer (born 1892)
• 1968 – Ruth St. Denis, American dancer and choreographer (born 1878)^[21]
• 1970 – Mikhail Mikhaylovich Gerasimov, Russian anthropologist and sculptor (born 1907)
• 1970 – Bob Kalsu, American football player and lieutenant (born 1945)
• 1972 – Ralph Craig, American sprinter and sailor (born 1889)
• 1972 – Jigme Dorji Wangchuck, Bhutanese king (born 1928)
• 1977 – Lee Miller, American model and photographer (born 1907)
• 1982 – Dave Garroway, American journalist and actor (born 1913)
• 1991 – Paul Warwick, English race car driver (born 1969)
• 1994 – Marijac, French author and illustrator (born 1908)
• 1997 – Olaf Kopvillem, Estonian-Canadian conductor and composer (born 1926)
• 1998 – Alan Shepard, American admiral, pilot, and astronaut (born 1923)
• 1998 – Robert Young, American actor and singer (born 1907)
• 2000 – Marc Reisner, American environmentalist and author (born 1948)
• 2002 – Esphyr Slobodkina, Russian-American author and illustrator (born 1908)
• 2003 – John Davies, English-New Zealand runner and coach (born 1938)
• 2004 – Jerry Goldsmith, American composer and conductor (born 1929)
• 2004 – Edward B. Lewis, American geneticist and biologist, Nobel Prize laureate (born 1918)
• 2005 – Long John Baldry, English-Canadian singer and actor (born 1941)
• 2005 – Lord Alfred Hayes, English-American wrestler and manager (born 1928)
• 2006 – Mako Iwamatsu, Japanese-American actor and singer (born 1933)
• 2006 – Ta Mok, Cambodian soldier and monk (born 1926)
• 2007 – Dubravko Škiljan, Croatian linguist and academic (born 1949)
• 2008 – Donald Stokes, English businessman (born 1914)
• 2010 – Luis Corvalán, Chilean educator and politician (born 1916)
• 2010 – Ralph Houk, American baseball player, coach, and manager (born 1919)
• 2010 – John E. Irving, Canadian businessman (born 1932)
• 2012 – Alexander Cockburn, Scottish-American journalist and author (born 1941)
• 2012 – Marie Kruckel, American baseball player (born 1924)
• 2012 – Ali Podrimja, Albanian poet and author (born 1942)
• 2012 – James D. Ramage, American admiral and pilot (born 1916)
• 2012 – Angharad Rees, English-born Welsh actress (born 1944)
• 2012 – Don Wilson, English cricketer and coach (born 1937)
• 2013 – Andrea Antonelli, Italian motorcycle racer (born 1988)
• 2013 – Lourembam Brojeshori Devi, Indian martial artist (born 1981)
• 2013 – Det de Beus, Dutch field hockey player (born 1958)
• 2013 – Luis Fernando Rizo-Salom, Colombian-French composer and educator (born 1971)
• 2013 – Fred Taylor, American football player and coach (born 1920)
• 2014 – Louise Abeita, Isleta Pueblo (Native American) writer, poet, and educator (born 1926)
• 2014 – Dan Borislow, American businessman, invented the magicJack (born 1961)
• 2014 – Lettice Curtis, English engineer and pilot (born 1915)
• 2014 – Hans-Peter Kaul, German lawyer and judge (born 1943)
• 2014 – Rilwanu Lukman, Nigerian engineer and politician (born 1938)^[22]
• 2014 – Kevin Skinner, New Zealand rugby player and boxer (born 1927)^[23]
• 2015 – Robert Broberg, Swedish singer-songwriter (born 1940)
• 2015 – E. L. Doctorow, American novelist, short story writer, and playwright (born 1931)^[24]
• 2015 – Nicholas Gonzalez, American physician (born 1947)
• 2015 – Czesław Marchaj, Polish-English sailor and academic (born 1918)^[25]
• 2015 – Dick Nanninga, Dutch footballer (born 1949)
• 2016 – Dennis Green, American football player and coach (born 1949)^[26]
• 2017 – John Heard, American film and television actor (born 1946)^[27]
• 2018 – Alene Duerk, U.S. Navy first female admiral (born 1920)^[28]
• 2020 – Annie Ross, Scottish-American singer and actress (born 1930)^[29]
• 2020 – Andrew Mlangeni, South African political activist (born 1925) ^[30]

Holidays and observances[]

• Christian feast day:
  • Albert John Luthuli (Episcopal Church)
  • Arbogast
  • Barhadbesciabas
  • Carlos of Brazil (Brazilian Catholic Apostolic Church)
  • Daniel (Catholic Church)
  • Lawrence of Brindisi
  • Praxedes
  • Victor of Marseilles
  • July 21 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
• Liberation Day in 1944 (Guam)
• Belgian National Day (Belgium)^[31]
• Racial Harmony Day (Singapore)
• Summer Kazanskaya (Russia)

References[]

External links[]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to July 21.

• "On This Day". BBC.
• The New York Times: On This Day

• "Historical Events on July 21". OnThisDay.com.
• "Today in Canadian History". Canada Channel.