October 21 facts for kids

October 21 is a special day in history! Many important things have happened on this date, from big battles and new inventions to the birthdays of famous people. Let's explore some of the exciting events, births, and deaths that have shaped our world on October 21.

Events

Early History (Before 1600)

• 1096 – A Turkish army fought off the People's Crusade at the Battle of Civetot.
• 1097 – During the First Crusade, Christian armies began the Siege of Antioch.
• 1392 – In Japan, Emperor Go-Kameyama stepped down, and Emperor Go-Komatsu became the new emperor.
• 1512 – Martin Luther, a key figure in religious history, joined the university in Wittenberg to teach about religion.
• 1520 – Explorer João Álvares Fagundes discovered the islands of Saint Pierre and Miquelon. He first called them "Islands of the 11,000 Virgins."
• 1600 – Tokugawa Ieyasu won the Battle of Sekigahara, becoming the powerful leader (shōgun) of Japan.

Later History (1601–1900)

• 1774 – The flag of Taunton, Massachusetts, became the first flag to include the word "Liberty."
• 1797 – The famous United States Navy ship, USS Constitution, was launched in Boston Harbor.
• 1805 – In the Napoleonic Wars, the British fleet led by Lord Nelson defeated French and Spanish ships at the Battle of Trafalgar.
• 1824 – Portland cement, a very important material for building, was officially patented.
• 1854 – Florence Nightingale, a pioneer in nursing, and 38 other nurses were sent to help soldiers in the Crimean War.
• 1861 – During the American Civil War, Union forces were defeated by Confederate troops at the Battle of Ball's Bluff.
• 1867 – The Medicine Lodge Treaty was signed. This treaty required Native American Plains tribes to move to a reservation.
• 1879 – Thomas Edison applied for a patent for his design of the incandescent light bulb, which changed the world.
• 1892 – The World's Columbian Exposition in Chicago held its opening ceremonies, even though construction was still ongoing.

Modern History (1901–present)

• 1907 – A strong earthquake hit the borders of Uzbekistan and Tajikistan, causing many deaths.
• 1910 – HMS Niobe arrived in Halifax Harbour, becoming the first ship of the Royal Canadian Navy.
• 1943 – During World War II, the Provisional Government of Free India was officially created in Japanese-controlled Singapore.
• 1944 – World War II: The first kamikaze attack happened, damaging HMAS Australia as the Battle of Leyte Gulf began.
• 1944 – World War II: The city of Aachen fell to American forces after three weeks of fighting. It was the first German city to be captured by the Allies.
• 1945 – French women voted for the very first time in a national election.
• 1959 – The unique Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum opened to the public in New York City.
• 1959 – President Dwight D. Eisenhower approved moving all space activities from the US Army to NASA.
• 1965 – Comet Ikeya–Seki came very close to the sun.
• 1966 – A terrible disaster occurred in Aberfan, Wales, when a pile of coal waste slid onto houses and a school, killing many people, including schoolchildren.
• 1978 – Australian pilot Frederick Valentich vanished over the Bass Strait after reporting seeing an unidentified aircraft.
• 1983 – The definition of the metre (a unit of length) was updated to be based on how far light travels in a vacuum in a tiny fraction of a second.
• 1984 – Niki Lauda won his third and final Formula One racing championship title by a very small margin.
• 1989 – A Boeing 727 plane crashed in Honduras, killing 131 people.
• 1994 – North Korea and the United States signed an agreement to stop North Korea's nuclear weapons program.
• 1994 – In Seoul, South Korea, 32 people died when a part of the Seongsu Bridge collapsed.
• 2011 – President Barack Obama announced that all United States troops would leave Iraq by the end of the year.
• 2019 – In Canada, the federal election ended with Justin Trudeau remaining Prime Minister, but his party formed a minority government.

Births

Famous People Born Before 1900

• 1328 – Hongwu Emperor, who founded the Ming Dynasty in China.
• 1772 – Samuel Taylor Coleridge, a famous English poet and philosopher.
• 1833 – Alfred Nobel, a Swedish chemist who invented dynamite and created the Nobel Prize.
• 1877 – Oswald Avery, a Canadian-American doctor and scientist who made important discoveries about DNA.
• 1894 – Edogawa Ranpo, a well-known Japanese author of mystery stories.

Famous People Born After 1900

• 1917 – Dizzy Gillespie, a legendary American trumpet player and composer who helped create modern jazz music.
• 1925 – Celia Cruz, a Cuban-American singer known as the "Queen of Salsa Music."
• 1929 – Ursula K. Le Guin, an American author famous for her science fiction and fantasy novels.
• 1940 – Manfred Mann, a South African-English keyboard player and music producer.
• 1941 – Steve Cropper, an American guitarist, songwriter, and producer.
• 1942 – Judy Sheindlin, an American judge and television host, known as "Judge Judy."
• 1949 – Benjamin Netanyahu, a long-serving Prime Minister of Israel.
• 1950 – Ronald McNair, an American physicist and astronaut.
• 1956 – Carrie Fisher, a beloved American actress and screenwriter, famous for playing Princess Leia in Star Wars.
• 1957 – Wolfgang Ketterle, a German physicist who won the Nobel Prize in Physics.
• 1958 – Andre Geim, a Russian-English physicist who also won the Nobel Prize in Physics.
• 1959 – Ken Watanabe, a famous Japanese actor and producer.
• 1980 – Kim Kardashian, an American reality television personality, businesswoman, and socialite.
• 1982 – Lee Chong Wei, a top Malaysian badminton player.
• 1995 – Doja Cat, an American rapper, singer, and songwriter.

Deaths

Notable People Who Died Before 1900

• 1096 – Walter Sans Avoir, a leader of the First Crusade.
• 1422 – Charles VI of France, a French king.
• 1556 – Pietro Aretino, an Italian author.
• 1805 – Horatio Nelson, 1st Viscount Nelson, the famous English admiral who won the Battle of Trafalgar.
• 1861 – Edward Dickinson Baker, an American politician and colonel who died in the Civil War.
• 1896 – James Henry Greathead, a South African-English engineer known for his work on underground tunnels.

Notable People Who Died After 1900

• 1931 – Arthur Schnitzler, an Austrian author and playwright.
• 1969 – Jack Kerouac, a famous American novelist and poet.
• 1980 – Hans Asperger, an Austrian doctor and psychologist known for his work on autism.
• 1984 – François Truffaut, a celebrated French actor, director, and screenwriter.
• 1986 – Lionel Murphy, an Australian judge and politician.
• 2012 – Yash Chopra, a well-known Indian director and producer.
• 2014 – Ben Bradlee, an American journalist who led The Washington Post during important times.
• 2014 – Gough Whitlam, a former Prime Minister of Australia.
• 2016 – Carrie Fisher, the American actress and screenwriter, who was born on this day in 1956.
• 2023 – Bobby Charlton, a legendary English footballer and manager.
• 2023 – Bill Hayden, a former Governor-General of Australia.

Holidays and observances

• Armed Forces Day (Honduras)
• Christian feast day:
  • Hilarion
  • Ursula
• Egyptian Naval Day (Egypt)
• Indian Police Commemoration Day (India)
• National Nurses' Day (Thailand)
• Ndadaye Day (Burundi)
• Overseas Chinese Day (Republic of China)
• Trafalgar Day (celebrated in the British Empire in the past)
• Birth of the Báb (2017) (Baháʼí Faith)

Images for kids

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  A friendly robot, representing the fun of learning!