July 21 is the 202nd day of the year in the Gregorian calendar; 163 days remain until the end of the year.
We have some interesting facts & historic events all about July 21st, including areas in religion, crime, health and more.
Keep reading for more interesting facts about July 21st in history!
Table of Contents
Global Celebrations
- National Lamington Day
- National Junk Food Day
Historic Events
What Happened On This Day – July 21
2011: STS-135 lands
This space shuttle was the 135th and the last space shuttle flight of American Space Shuttle program.
1983: Lowest temperature ever measured on Earth
Vostok Station, a Russian station on Antarctica experienced the lowest temperatures ever measured in recorded human history. The temperatures fell to −128.6 °F (−89.2 °C)
1980: Mary Eugenia Charles is elected as PM of Dominica
Her election to office made her the first female and the longest PM of the Commonwealth of Dominica. She is also the first elected female head of state in the Americas.
1977: Libyan–Egyptian War begins
This short war between Libya and Egypt started with Libya striking Egyptian cities. The war lasted for 2 days with a ceasefire on July 24.
1969: First person walks on the Moon
Neil Armstrong became the first person to walk on the Moon. He stepped on the Moon’s surface almost 7 hours after Apollo 11, the space craft that carried them, landed on the Sea of Traquility on the Moon. After stepping on the Moon, Armstrong uttered his famous words, “one small step for [a] man, one giant leap for mankind.”
Famous Birthdays
Births On This Day, July 2
1948: Cat Stevens, English singer-songwriter, musician
1946: Ken Starr, American lawyer, judge
1911: Marshall McLuhan, Canadian author, theorist
1899: Ernest Hemingway, American writer, Nobel Prize laureate
1693 Thomas Pelham-Holles, 1st Duke of Newcastle, English politician, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom
Heartbreaking Deaths
Deaths On This Day, July 21
2004: Jerry Goldsmith, American composer, conductor
2001: Sivaji Ganesan, Indian actor
1982: Dave Garroway, American journalist
1944: Claus von Stauffenberg, German army officer, member of the 20 July plot
1796: Robert Burns, Scottish poet
