December 21 facts for kids

December 21 is the 355th day of the year (356th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar; 10 days remain until the end of the year.

Every day is special, and December 21st is no different! Throughout history, many interesting things have happened on this day, from important discoveries and inventions to the births of famous people and big events that changed the world. Let's explore some of the exciting moments that have taken place on December 21st.

Exciting Events Through History

Ancient Times and Middle Ages

• AD 69 – The Roman Senate, a powerful group in ancient Rome, announced that Vespasian would be the new Roman emperor. This was a big deal because he was the last emperor in a year when four different emperors ruled!
• 1124 – Pope Honorius II became the new leader of the Catholic Church.
• 1140 – After a long battle, the city of Weinsberg and its castle in Germany gave up to Conrad III of Germany's army.
• 1237 – The city of Ryazan was attacked and taken over by the powerful Mongol army led by Batu Khan.
• 1361 – The Battle of Linuesa took place in Spain. The armies of Castile and Jaén fought against the Emirate of Granada and won, which was part of a long effort to take back land in Spain.
• 1598 – In southern Chile, the Mapuche people, led by Pelentaru, won a major battle against Spanish troops.

From the 1600s to the 1900s

• 1620 – The famous Mayflower Pilgrims, led by William Bradford, landed near what is now Plymouth, Massachusetts. This was a key moment in American history.
• 1826 – American settlers in Nacogdoches, Texas, declared they were independent from Mexico, starting the Fredonian Rebellion.
• 1832 – In the Egyptian–Ottoman War, Egyptian forces strongly defeated Ottoman troops at the Battle of Konya.
• 1844 – The Rochdale Society of Equitable Pioneers opened its first business in England. This marked the beginning of the worldwide Cooperative movement, where people work together to own and run businesses.
• 1861 – President Abraham Lincoln signed a law to create the Medal of Honor, a very special award for bravery in the U.S. Navy.
• 1872 – The ship HMS Challenger, commanded by Captain George Nares, set sail from England for the Challenger expedition. This journey was important for exploring the deep parts of the ocean.
• 1879 – The play A Doll's House by Henrik Ibsen was performed for the very first time in Copenhagen, Denmark.
• 1883 – The first cavalry and infantry regiments of the Canadian Army, called The Royal Canadian Dragoons and The Royal Canadian Regiment, were officially formed.
• 1891 – James Naismith, a gym teacher, created the first rules for the game we now know as basketball. His class then played the very first game!

The 1900s and Beyond

• 1907 – In Iquique, Chile, a large number of striking miners were killed by the Chilean Army.
• 1910 – A terrible underground explosion at a coal mine in England killed 344 miners.
• 1913 – The first crossword puzzle, called "word-cross" by Arthur Wynne, was printed in the New York World newspaper.
• 1919 – American activist Emma Goldman was sent away to Russia.
• 1923 – The United Kingdom and Nepal signed an important agreement of friendship, replacing an older treaty from 1816.
• 1934 – Lieutenant Kijé, a famous musical work by Sergei Prokofiev, was performed for the first time.
• 1936 – The Junkers Ju 88, a versatile combat aircraft, made its first flight.
• 1937 – Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, the world's first full-length animated movie, premiered at the Carthay Circle Theatre.
• 1941 – During World War II, Thailand and Japan signed an alliance agreement.
• 1946 – A powerful earthquake and a huge tsunami hit Nankaidō, Japan, causing the deaths of over 1,300 people and destroying many homes.
• 1963 – A period of conflict began in Cyprus, leading to many Turkish Cypriots having to leave their homes and over 100 villages being damaged.
• 1965 – The International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination was adopted, aiming to stop discrimination based on race around the world.
• 1967 – Louis Washkansky, the first person to receive a human-to-human heart transplant, passed away in South Africa, 18 days after his surgery.
• 1968 – Apollo program: Apollo 8 was launched from the Kennedy Space Center. This mission sent its crew towards the Moon, marking the first time humans visited another celestial body.
• 1970 – The F-14 combat aircraft made its first flight.
• 1973 – The Geneva Conference began, focusing on the Arab–Israeli conflict in the Middle East.
• 1979 – The Lancaster House Agreement was signed in London, leading to independence for Rhodesia.
• 1988 – A bomb exploded on board Pan Am Flight 103 over Lockerbie, Scotland, tragically killing 270 people. This was the deadliest air disaster in British history.
• 1988 – The Antonov An-225 Mriya, the largest aircraft in the world, made its first flight.
• 1991 – The Soviet Union was dissolving. Leaders from 11 republics signed the Alma-Ata Protocol, creating the Commonwealth of Independent States in its place.
• 1992 – A Dutch plane, Martinair Flight 495, crashed at Faro Airport, killing 56 people.
• 1995 – The city of Bethlehem changed from Israeli to Palestinian control.
• 1999 – The Spanish Civil Guard stopped a van carrying a large amount of explosives that a group intended to use in Madrid, Spain.
• 2012 – Many celebrations took place in Mesoamerica to mark the end of a long cycle in the Mesoamerican Long Count Calendar. Some people had thought this would bring big changes.
• 2020 – A rare event called a great conjunction happened, where Jupiter and Saturn appeared very close together in the sky. This was the closest they had been since 1623!

People Born on This Day

Historical Figures (Before 1900)

• 1401 – Masaccio, an important Italian painter.
• 1542 – Thomas Allen, an English mathematician and astrologer.
• 1603 – Roger Williams, an English minister and politician who became the 9th President of the Colony of Rhode Island.
• 1795 – Leopold von Ranke, a famous German historian.
• 1804 – Benjamin Disraeli, an English lawyer and politician who became Prime Minister of the United Kingdom.
• 1805 – Thomas Graham, a Scottish chemist known for his work on gases.
• 1891 – John William McCormack, an American lawyer and politician who was the 53rd Speaker of the United States House of Representatives.
• 1892 – Walter Hagen, a legendary American golfer.
• 1896 – Konstantin Rokossovsky, a Marshal of the Soviet Union during World War II.

Modern Personalities (1901-Present)

• 1917 – Heinrich Böll, a German novelist and short story writer who won the Nobel Prize in Literature.
• 1918 – Kurt Waldheim, an Austrian politician who served as the 9th President of Austria.
• 1920 – Alicia Alonso, a famous Cuban ballerina and choreographer who founded the Cuban National Ballet.
• 1922 – Paul Winchell, an American actor, voice artist, and ventriloquist.
• 1935 – Phil Donahue, an American talk show host and producer.
• 1937 – Jane Fonda, a well-known American actress and activist.
• 1940 – Frank Zappa, an American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and composer.
• 1942 – Hu Jintao, a Chinese engineer and politician who was the 5th leader of China.
• 1946 – Carl Wilson, an American singer-songwriter and guitarist, known for being part of The Beach Boys.
• 1947 – Paco de Lucía, a celebrated Spanish guitarist and composer.
• 1948 – Samuel L. Jackson, a very popular American actor and producer.
• 1950 – Jeffrey Katzenberg, an American screenwriter and producer who helped start DreamWorks Animation.
• 1954 – Chris Evert, a famous American tennis player and coach.
• 1957 – Ray Romano, an American actor, producer, and screenwriter, known for his comedy.
• 1959 – Florence Griffith Joyner, an American sprinter and actress, known for her incredible speed.
• 1966 – William Ruto, the 5th President of Kenya.
• 1966 – Kiefer Sutherland, a British-Canadian actor, director, and producer.
• 1977 – Emmanuel Macron, a French politician who is the 25th President of France.
• 1983 – Steven Yeun, an American actor.
• 1996 – Kaitlyn Dever, an American actress.
• 1997 – Madelyn Cline, an American actress and model.

Notable People Who Passed Away

Historical Figures (Before 1900)

• AD 72 – Thomas the Apostle, an important early Christian leader.
• 1375 – Giovanni Boccaccio, a famous Italian author and poet.
• 1549 – Marguerite de Navarre, a queen of Navarre known for her writings.
• 1597 – Peter Canisius, a Dutch priest and saint.
• 1824 – James Parkinson, an English physician and paleontologist, known for describing Parkinson's disease.

Modern Personalities (1901-Present)

• 1933 – Knud Rasmussen, a Greenlandic anthropologist and explorer.
• 1937 – Frank B. Kellogg, an American lawyer and politician who was the 45th United States Secretary of State and won the Nobel Peace Prize.
• 1940 – F. Scott Fitzgerald, a famous American novelist and short story writer.
• 1945 – George S. Patton, a well-known American general during World War II.
• 1963 – Jack Hobbs, a famous English cricketer.
• 1988 – Nikolaas Tinbergen, a Dutch-English scientist who studied animal behavior and won the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine.
• 1992 – Albert King, an American singer-songwriter and guitarist, a blues legend.
• 2006 – Saparmurat Niyazov, the first President of Turkmenistan.
• 2009 – Edwin G. Krebs, an American biochemist who won the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine.
• 2017 – Bruce McCandless II, a US astronaut famous for being the first person to float freely in space without being tied to a spacecraft.

Special Days and Celebrations

• Armed Forces Day (Philippines)
• Christian feast day:
  • O Oriens
  • Peter Canisius
  • Thomas the Apostle (Anglicanism)
  • December 21 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
• Forefathers' Day (Plymouth, Massachusetts)
• São Tomé Day (São Tomé and Príncipe)
• The first day of Pancha Ganapati, celebrated until December 25 (Saiva Siddhanta Church)
• Gravy Day (Australia), celebrated in honour of the song How to Make Gravy by Paul Kelly

Images for kids

• 

  A friendly robot