21 December

December 21 is the 355th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar; 10 days remain until the end of the year.

We have some interesting facts & historic events all about December 21st, including areas in religion, crime, health and more.

Keep reading for more interesting facts about December 21st in history!

Table of Contents

1. Global Celebrations
2. Historic Events
3. Famous Birthdays
4. Heartbreaking Deaths

Global Celebrations

• Humbug Day
• Crossword Puzzle Day
• International Dalek Remembrance Day
• National Short Girl Appreciation Day
• Ribbon Candy Day
• Look on the Bright Side Day
• National Flashlight Day
• Short Story Day

Historic Events

What Happened On This Day – December 21

1995: Palestinians take control of Bethlehem

Isreali troops withdrew from the city under the Interim Agreement on the West Bank and the Gaza Strip signed in September 1995. The city was under a British mandate from 1920 to 1948, and then it was captured by Jordan during the Arab-Israeli War in 1948. Most recently, it was taken over by Israel during the Six-Day War in 1967.

1988: Lockerbie Bombing

A bomb exploded on Pan Am Flight number 103 on its way from Frankfurt, Germany, to Detroit, United States, over the Scottish city of Lockerbie. The terrorist attack killed all the passengers and crew on board and 11 people on the ground.

1965: International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination adopted

The human rights convention was adopted by the United Nations’ member states and was put into force on January 4, 1969. It attempts to eliminate racial discrimination in the world.

1937: Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs released

The movie made by Walt Disney Productions was the world’s first full-length animated feature film and it was based on a German fairy tale of the same name by the Brothers Grimm.

1872: Phileas Fogg wins his wager

The fictional character created by French writer Jules Verne for his book, Around the World in Eighty Days, finished circumnavigating the world and reached London to win the wager he had set with his friends. The date also coincides with the publication of the last of the series that ended up becoming the now popular science fiction novel.

Famous Birthdays

Births On This Day, December 21

1982: Philip Humber, American baseball player

1966: Kiefer Sutherland, English/Canadian actor, director, producer

1940: Frank Zappa, American singer-songwriter, guitarist, producer

1804: Benjamin Disraeli, English politician, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom

1118: Thomas Becket, English archbishop

Heartbreaking Deaths

Deaths On This Day, December 21

1963: Jack Hobbs, English cricketer

1945: George S. Patton, American general

1940: F. Scott Fitzgerald, American author

1935: Kurt Tucholsky, German journalist

72: Thomas the Apostle