June 21 is the 172nd day of the year in the Gregorian calendar; 193 days remain until the end of the year.
We have some interesting facts & historic events all about June 21st, including areas in religion, crime, health and more.
Keep reading for more interesting facts about June 21st in history!
Table of Contents
Global Celebrations
- International Day of Yoga
- World Humanist Day
- World Giraffe Day
- National Daylight Appreciation Day
- World Music Day
- National Peaches and Cream Day
- Go Skateboarding Day
- National Selfie Day
- World Hydrography Day
Historic Events
What Happened On This Day – June 21
2009: Greenland assumes self-rule
The island had been administered by Denmark (earlier Denmark-Norway) for centuries. The Self-Government Act grants Greenland full responsibility for its inner affairs, while Denmark retains control of foreign policy.
2004: Space Ship One completes the world’s first manned private spaceflight
The privately funded spaceplane reached an altitude of just over 100 kilometers (62 miles). Mike Melvill was the pilot and only occupant.
2001: General Pervez Musharraf took power as military ruler of Pakistan in 2001
1985: The body of Josef Mengele is identified
An international team of scientists confirmed that the skeletal remains found in a cemetery in Embu, Brazil are those of the Nazi war criminal. Mengele was a physician in the Auschwitz concentration camp and conducted horrific experiments on some of the inmates.
1982: Princess Diana gave birth to William, second in line to the throne of England in 1982.
1963: Cardinal Giovanni Battista Montini becomes Pope Paul VI
The Italian pontiff is known for completing the Second Vatican Council, addressing the Roman Catholic Church’s relationship with the modern world.
1895: The Kiel Canal is opened by German Emperor Wilhelm II
The 98 km (61 mi) long canal in Northern Germany is one of the world’s busiest artificial waterways. It connects the North Sea with the Baltic Sea.
1973: Sir Elton John and Rod Stewart training with football club Watford F.C. in 1973
1960: Mao Tse-Tung voting, 1960
1945: United States troops took control of the Japanese island of Okinawa after a long battle in 1945.
1918: Starving citizens, Mount Lebanon, 1915-1918. Half the territory’s population died in the Great Famine.
Famous Birthdays
Births On This Day, June 21
1986: Lana Del Rey, American singer-songwriter, model
1982: Prince William, Duke of Cambridge
1964: David Morrissey, English actor
1953: Benazir Bhutto, Pakistani politician, first female Prime Minister of Pakistan
1905: Jean-Paul Sartre, French philosopher, writer
Lana Del Rey was born
Prince William, Duke of Cambridge was born
Chris Patt was born
Heartbreaking Deaths
Deaths On This Day, June 21
1970: Sukarno, Indonesian politician, 1st President of Indonesia
1940: Smedley Butler, American marine general
1908: Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov, Russian composer
1527: Niccolò Machiavelli, Italian historian, philosopher
1377: Edward III of England
Oda Nobunaga died
Edward III of England died
John Smith died
