Rust shooting incident
2021
A shooting occurs on the set of the film Rust, in which actor Alec Baldwin discharged a prop weapon which had been loaded, killing the director of photography, Halyna Hutchins, and injuring director Joel Souza..
October-21
Historical Events on October 21
October
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Democratic Republic of the Congo
Thirty people are killed in a fiery bus crash in western Democratic Republic of the Congo.
2019
Canada
In Canada, the 2019 Canadian federal election ends, resulting in incumbent Prime Minister Justin Trudeau remaining in office, albeit with the Liberal Party in a minority government.
2019
2018 Yilan train derailment
A passenger train derails in Yilan County, Taiwan, killing 18 people and injuring 187.
2018
Iraq War
Iraq War: President Barack Obama announces that the withdrawal of United States troops from Iraq will be complete by the end of the year.
2011
Eris (dwarf planet)
2003
Images of the dwarf planet Eris are taken and subsequently used in documenting its discovery..
Agreed Framework
North Korea and the United States sign an Agreed Framework that requires North Korea to stop its nuclear weapons program and agree to inspections.
1994
Seongsu Bridge disaster
In Seoul, South Korea, 32 people are killed when a span of the Seongsu Bridge collapses.
1994
Honduras
In Honduras, 131 people are killed when a Boeing 727 crashes on approach to Toncontín International Airport near the nation's capital Tegucigalpa.
1989
Jaffna hospital massacre
The Jaffna hospital massacre is carried out by Indian peacekeeping forces in Sri Lanka, killing 70 Tamil patients, doctors and nurses.
1987
Lebanon hostage crisis
1986
In Lebanon, pro-Iran kidnappers claim to have abducted American writer Edward Tracy (he is released in August 1991)..
Niki Lauda
Niki Lauda claims his third and final Formula One Drivers' Championship Title by half a point ahead of McLaren team-mate Alain Prost at the Portuguese Grand Prix.
1984
Metre
The metre is defined as the distance light travels in a vacuum in 1/299,792,458 of a second.
1983
Andreas Papandreou
Andreas Papandreou becomes Prime Minister of Greece, ending an almost 50-year-long system of power dominated by conservative forces.
1981
Moshe Dayan
Moshe Dayan resigns from the Israeli government because of strong disagreements with Prime Minister Menachem Begin over policy towards the Arabs.
1979
Disappearance of Frederick Valentich
1978
Australian civilian pilot Frederick Valentich vanishes over the Bass Strait south of Melbourne, after reporting contact with an unidentified aircraft..
Fred Dryer
Fred Dryer of the Los Angeles Rams becomes the first player in NFL history to score two safeties in the same game.
1973
Clarkston explosion
A gas explosion kills 22 people at a shopping centre near Glasgow, Scotland.
1971
1969 Somali coup d'état
The 1969 Somali coup d'état establishes a Marxist–Leninist administration.
1969
National Mobilization Committee to End the War in Vietnam
The National Mobilization Committee to End the War in Vietnam organizes a march of fifty thousand people from the Lincoln Memorial to the Pentagon.
1967
Aberfan disaster
1966
A colliery spoil tip slips onto houses and a school in the village of Aberfan in Wales, killing 144 people, 116 of whom were schoolchildren..
Comet Ikeya–Seki
Comet Ikeya–Seki approaches perihelion, passing 450,000 kilometers (279,617 miles) from the sun.
1965
Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum
In New York City, the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum opens to the public.
1959
Dwight D. Eisenhower
President Dwight D. Eisenhower approves the transfer of all US Army space-related activities to NASA, including most of the Army Ballistic Missile Agency.
1959
Mau Mau rebellion
The Mau Mau Uprising in Kenya is defeated.
1956
Battle of Yongyu
1950
Korean War: Heavy fighting begins between British and Australian forces and North Koreans during the Battle of Yongju..
1945 French legislative election
In the 1945 French legislative election French women vote for the first time.
1945
HMAS Australia (D84)
World War II: The first kamikaze attack damages HMAS Australia as the Battle of Leyte Gulf begins.
1944
Nemmersdorf massacre
World War II: The Nemmersdorf massacre against German civilians takes place.
1944
Battle of Aachen
World War II: The city of Aachen falls to American forces after three weeks of fighting, the first German city to fall to the Allies.
1944
Azad Hind
1943
World War II: The Provisional Government of Free India is formally established in Japanese-occupied Singapore..
World War II
World War II: The Kragujevac massacre against Serbian men and boys takes place.
1941
Ernest Hemingway
The first edition of the Ernest Hemingway novel For Whom the Bell Tolls is published.
1940
Imperial Japanese Army
A secret society in the Imperial Japanese Army launches an abortive coup d'état attempt.
1931
Warren G. Harding
President Warren G. Harding delivers the first speech by a sitting U.S. president against lynching in the Deep South.
1921
First Balkan War
1912
First Balkan War: The Greek navy completes the capture of the island of Lemnos for use as a forward base against the Dardanelles..
HMS Niobe (1897)
HMS Niobe arrives in Halifax Harbour to become the first ship of the Royal Canadian Navy.
1910
1907 Qaratog earthquake
The 1907 Qaratog earthquake hits the borders of Uzbekistan and Tajikistan, killing between 12,000 and 15,000 people.
1907
Capitulation of Tainan
The capitulation of Tainan completes the Japanese conquest of Taiwan.
1895
World's Columbian Exposition
Opening ceremonies for the World's Columbian Exposition are held in Chicago, though because construction was behind schedule, the exposition did not open until May 1, 1893.
1892
Social Democratic Party of Switzerland
1888
The Swiss Social Democratic Party is founded..
Thomas Edison
Thomas Edison applies for a patent for his design for an incandescent light bulb.
1879
Medicine Lodge Treaty
The Medicine Lodge Treaty is signed by southern Great Plains Indian leaders. The treaty requires Native American Plains tribes to relocate to a reservation in the western Indian Territory.
1867
American Civil War
American Civil War: Union forces under Colonel Edward Baker are defeated by Confederate troops in the second major battle of the war.
1861
Florence Nightingale
Florence Nightingale and a staff of 38 nurses are sent to the Crimean War.
1854
Portland cement
1824
Portland cement is patented..
Napoleonic Wars
Napoleonic Wars: A British fleet led by Lord Nelson defeats a combined French and Spanish fleet under Admiral Villeneuve in the Battle of Trafalgar.
1805
Boston Harbor
In Boston Harbor, the 44-gun United States Navy frigate USS Constitution is launched.
1797
Flag of Taunton, Massachusetts
The flag of Taunton, Massachusetts is the first to include the word "Liberty".
1774
Tokugawa Ieyasu
Tokugawa Ieyasu defeats the leaders of rival Japanese clans in the Battle of Sekigahara and becomes shōgun of Japan.
1600
João Álvares Fagundes
1520
João Álvares Fagundes discovers the islands of Saint Pierre and Miquelon, bestowing them their original name of "Islands of the 11,000 Virgins"..
Martin Luther
Martin Luther joins the theological faculty of the University of Wittenberg.
1512
Emperor Go-Kameyama
Japanese Emperor Go-Kameyama abdicates in favor of rival claimant Go-Komatsu.
1392
First Crusade
First Crusade: Crusaders led by Godfrey of Bouillon, Bohemund of Taranto, and Raymond IV, Count of Toulouse, begin the Siege of Antioch.
1097
People's Crusade
A Seljuk Turkish army successfully fights off the People's Crusade at the Battle of Civetot.
1096
Maxentius
310
Sixty-five days after being exiled by the Emperor Maxentius to Sicily, Pope Eusebius dies..