1400s / 15th century history on the 21st of May
1471 : Albrecht Dürer the German painter was born in Nuremberg, Free Imperial City of Nuremberg, Holy Roman Empire (died in 1528 aged 56).
1800s / 19th century history on the 21st of May
1871 : The 1st rack railway in Europe was opened by Rigi Railways aka Rigi Bahnen (German) on Mount Rigi, in Switzerland. Official website : Rigi.ch
1881 : The American Red Cross was established in Washington, D.C. Humanitarians Clara Barton and Adolphus Solomons founded the American National Red Cross on the 21st May 1881, an organization established to provide humanitarian aid to victims of wars and natural disasters in congruence with the International Red Cross.
1900s / 20th century history on the 21st of May
1904 : Fats Waller the American jazz pianist was born Thomas Wright Waller (died in 1943 aged 39).
1917 : The Great Atlanta fire caused $5.5 million in damages, when it destroyed up to 300 acres, which included 2,000 homes, businesses and churches and made about 10,000 people homeless. Only one person died, due to a heart attack.
1927 : Charles Lindbergh completed the world’s first solo nonstop flight across the Atlantic Ocean, when he touched down at Le Bourget Field in Paris, France.
1930 : Malcolm Fraser the 22nd Prime Minister of Australia was born in Toorak, Victoria, Australia (died in 2015 aged 84).
1932 : Amelia Earhart became the 1st woman to fly solo across the Atlantic Ocean, when she landed in a pasture in Derry, Northern Ireland.
1934 : Oskaloosa, Iowa, became the 1st municipality in the United States to fingerprint all of its citizens.
1937 : The Soviet’s North Pole-1 became the 1st scientific research settlement to operate on a drift ice on the Arctic Ocean.
1948 : Joe Camilleri the Maltese-Australian musician was born Joseph Vincent Camilleri in Malta. Official website : JoeCamilleri.com.au
1952 : Mr. T the American actor was born Lawrence Tureaud in Chicago, Illinois, USA.
1972 : Michelangelo’s Pietà in St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome was damaged by a vandal, a mentally disturbed geologist named Laszlo Toth, from Hungary.
1972 : The Notorious B.I.G., the American rapper was born Christopher George Latore Wallace in New York City, USA (died when shot in 1997 aged 24).
1973 : Noel Fielding the English comedian was born in Westminster, London, England. Official website : NoelFielding.co.uk
1980 : Gotye the Belgian-Australian singer-songwriter was born Wouter De Backer in Bruges, Belgium. Official website : Gotye.com
1992 : Johnny Carson hosted his penultimate episode and last featuring guests (Robin Williams and Bette Midler) of The Tonight Show.
1996 : The MV Bukoba ferry sank in Tanzanian waters on Lake Victoria, and killed up to 1,000 people.
2000s / 21st century history on the 21st of May
2003 : Boumerdès earthquake hit northern Algeria with a maximum extreme intensity, which killed over 2,200 people, which subsequently caused a tsunami which sank boats in the region of the Balearic Islands.
2005 : The tallest roller coaster in the world aka Kingda Ka was opened at Six Flags Great Adventure in Jackson Township, New Jersey, USA.
2011 : Radio broadcaster Harold Camping predicted that the world would end on the 21st May 2011.
see more interesting events on all the other days of MAY (History On This Day @ Azoosh)
This page was last updated on the 22nd May 2021
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