21 June

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

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

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

Sir Elton John and Rod Stewart training with football club Watford F.C. in 1973
Sir Elton John and Rod Stewart training with football club Watford F.C. in 1973

1960: Mao Tse-Tung voting, 1960

Mao Tse-Tung voting, 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.

Starving citizens, Mount Lebanon, 1915-1918. Half the territory's population died in the Great Famine.
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

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