November 21

November 21 in recent years

2024 (Thursday)

2023 (Tuesday)

2022 (Monday)

2021 (Sunday)

2020 (Saturday)

2019 (Thursday)

2018 (Wednesday)

2017 (Tuesday)

2016 (Monday)

2015 (Saturday)

November 21 is the 325th day of the year (326th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar; 40 days remain until the end of the year.

Events

• 164 BC – Judas Maccabaeus, son of Mattathias of the Hasmonean family, restores the Temple in Jerusalem. This event is commemorated each year by the festival of Hanukkah.
• 235 – Pope Anterus succeeds Pontian as the nineteenth pope. During the persecutions of emperor Maximinus Thrax he is martyred.
• 1386 – Timur of Samarkand captures and sacks the Georgian capital of Tbilisi, taking King Bagrat V of Georgia captive.
• 1620 – Plymouth Colony settlers sign the Mayflower Compact (November 11, O.S.).
• 1783 – In Paris, Jean-François Pilâtre de Rozier and François Laurent, Marquis d'Arlandes, make the first untethered hot air balloon flight.
• 1789 – North Carolina ratifies the United States Constitution and is admitted as the 12th U.S. state.
• 1861 – American Civil War: Confederate President Jefferson Davis appoints Judah Benjamin secretary of war.
• 1877 – Thomas Edison announces his invention of the phonograph, a machine that can record and play sound.
• 1894 – Port Arthur, Manchuria falls to the Japanese, a decisive victory of the First Sino-Japanese War, after which Japanese troops massacre the remaining inhabitants of the city.
• 1902 – The Philadelphia Football Athletics defeated the Kanaweola Athletic Club of Elmira, New York, 39-0, in the first ever professional American football night game.
• 1905 – Albert Einstein's paper, Does the Inertia of a Body Depend Upon Its Energy Content?, is published in the journal "Annalen der Physik". This paper reveals the relationship between energy and mass. This leads to the mass–energy equivalence formula E = mc².
• 1910 – Sailors onboard Brazil's most powerful military units, including the brand-new warships Minas Geraes, São Paulo, and Bahia, violently rebel in what is now known as the Revolta da Chibata (Revolt of the Lash).
• 1916 – World War I: A mine explodes and sinks HMHS Britannic in the Aegean Sea, killing 30 people.
• 1918 – Flag of Estonia, previously used by pro-independence activists, is formally adopted as national flag of the Republic of Estonia.
• 1918 – A pogrom takes place in Lwów (now Lviv); over three days, at least 50 Jews and 270 Ukrainian Christians are killed by Poles.
• 1920 – Irish War of Independence: In Dublin, 31 people are killed in what became known as "Bloody Sunday". This included fourteen British informants, fourteen Irish civilians and three Irish Republican Army prisoners.
• 1922 – Rebecca Latimer Felton of Georgia takes the oath of office, becoming the first female United States Senator.
• 1927 – Columbine Mine Massacre: Striking coal miners are allegedly attacked with machine guns by a detachment of state police dressed in civilian clothes.
• 1942 – The completion of the Alaska Highway (also known as the Alcan Highway) is celebrated (however, the highway is not usable by general vehicles until 1943).
• 1950 – Two Canadian National Railway trains collide in northeastern British Columbia in the Canoe River train crash; the death toll is 21, with 17 of them Canadian troops bound for Korea.
• 1953 – The British Natural History Museum announces that the "Piltdown Man" skull, initially believed to be one of the most important fossilized hominid skulls ever found, is a hoax.
• 1959 – American disc jockey Alan Freed, who had popularized the term "rock and roll" and music of that style, is fired from WABC-AM radio for refusing to deny allegations that he had participated in the payola scandal.
• 1962 – The Chinese People's Liberation Army declares a unilateral cease-fire in the Sino-Indian War.
• 1964 – The Verrazano-Narrows Bridge opens to traffic (at the time it is the world's longest suspension bridge).
• 1964 – Second Vatican Council: The third session of the Roman Catholic Church's ecumenical council closes.
• 1967 – Vietnam War: American General William Westmoreland tells news reporters: "I am absolutely certain that whereas in 1965 the enemy was winning, today he is certainly losing."
• 1969 – U.S. President Richard Nixon and Japanese Premier Eisaku Sato agree in Washington, D.C. on the return of Okinawa to Japanese control in 1972. Under the terms of the agreement, the U.S. is to retain its rights to bases on the island, but these are to be nuclear-free.
• 1969 – The first permanent ARPANET link is established between UCLA and SRI.
• 1970 – Vietnam War: Operation Ivory Coast – A joint Air Force and Army team raids the Son Tay prison camp in an attempt to free American prisoners of war thought to be held there.
• 1971 – Indian troops, partly aided by Mukti Bahini (Bengali guerrillas), defeat the Pakistan army in the Battle of Garibpur.
• 1972 – Voters in South Korea overwhelmingly approve a new constitution, giving legitimacy to Park Chung-hee and the Fourth Republic.
• 1974 – The Birmingham Pub Bombings kill 21 people. The Birmingham Six are sentenced to life in prison for the crime but subsequently acquitted.
• 1977 – Minister of Internal Affairs Allan Highet announces that 'the national anthems of New Zealand shall be the traditional anthem "God Save the Queen" and the poem "God Defend New Zealand", written by Thomas Bracken, as set to music by John Joseph Woods, both being of equal status as national anthems appropriate to the occasion.
• 1979 – The United States Embassy in Islamabad, Pakistan is attacked by a mob and set on fire, killing four.
• 1980 – A deadly fire breaks out at the MGM Grand Hotel in Paradise, Nevada (now Bally's Las Vegas). 87 people are killed and more than 650 are injured in the worst disaster in Nevada history.
• 1985 – United States Navy intelligence analyst Jonathan Pollard is arrested for spying after being caught giving Israel classified information on Arab nations. He is subsequently sentenced to life in prison.
• 1986 – Iran-Contra Affair: National Security Council member Oliver North and his secretary start to shred documents allegedly implicating them in the sale of weapons to Iran and channeling the proceeds to help fund the Contra rebels in Nicaragua.
• 1995 – The Dayton Peace Agreement is initialed at the Wright Patterson Air Force Base, near Dayton, Ohio, ending three and a half years of war in Bosnia and Herzegovina. The agreement is formally ratified in Paris, on December 14 that same year.
• 1996 – Humberto Vidal Explosion. 33 people die when a Humberto Vidal shoe shop explodes.
• 2002 – NATO invites Bulgaria, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Romania, Slovakia and Slovenia to become members.
• 2004 – The second round of the Ukrainian presidential election is held, giving rise to massive protests and controversy over the election's integrity.
• 2004 – The island of Dominica is hit by the most destructive earthquake in its history. The northern half of the island receives the most damage, especially the town of Portsmouth. It is also felt in neighboring Guadeloupe, where one person is killed.
• 2004 – The Paris Club agrees to write off 80% (up to $100 billion) of Iraq's external debt.
• 2006 – Anti-Syrian Lebanese Minister and MP Pierre Gemayel is assassinated in suburban Beirut.
• 2009 – A mine explosion in Heilongjiang province, northeastern China, kills 108.

Births

• 1495 – John Bale, English bishop (d. 1563)
• 1567 – Anne de Xainctonge, French saint, founded the Society of the Sisters of Saint Ursula of the Blessed Virgin (d. 1621)
• 1643 – René-Robert Cavelier, Sieur de La Salle French explorer (d. 1687)
• 1692 – Carlo Innocenzio Maria Frugoni, Italian poet (d. 1768)
• 1694 – Voltaire, French philosopher (d. 1778)
• 1718 – Friedrich Wilhelm Marpurg, German composer, critic, and theorist (d. 1795)
• 1729 – Josiah Bartlett, American physician and politician, 6th Governor of New Hampshire, signer of the United States Declaration of Independence (d. 1795)
• 1760 – Joseph Plumb Martin, American soldier (d. 1850)
• 1761 – Dorothea Jordan, Irish actress (d. 1816)
• 1768 – Friedrich Schleiermacher, German theologian (d. 1834)
• 1787 – Samuel Cunard, Canadian businessman, founded the Cunard Line (d. 1865)
• 1811 – Zeng Guofan, Chinese general (d. 1872)
• 1818 – Lewis H. Morgan, American anthropologist (d. 1881)
• 1835 – Hetty Green, American businesswoman (d. 1916)
• 1840 – Victoria, Princess Royal of England (d. 1901)
• 1851 – Désiré-Joseph Mercier, Belgian archbishop (d. 1926)
• 1852 – Francisco Tárrega, Spanish guitarist and composer (d. 1909)
• 1853 – Hussein Kamel of Egypt (d. 1917)
• 1854 – Pope Benedict XV (d. 1922)
• 1861 – Tom Horn, American police officer and murderer (d. 1903)
• 1866 – Sigbjørn Obstfelder, Norwegian poet (d. 1900)
• 1866 – Konishiki Yasokichi I, Japanese sumo wrestler, 17th Yokozuna (d. 1914)
• 1870 – Alexander Berkman, American activist and author (d. 1936)
• 1870 – Joe Darling, Australian cricketer (d. 1946)
• 1870 – Sigfrid Edström, Swedish businessman (d. 1964)
• 1876 – Olav Duun, Norwegian author (d. 1939)
• 1877 – Sigfrid Karg-Elert, German composer (d. 1933)
• 1878 – Gustav Radbruch, German politician (d. 1949)
• 1882 – Harold Lowe, Welsh officer on the RMS Titanic (d. 1944)
• 1886 – Harold Nicolson, English diplomat and author (d. 1968)
• 1897 – Mollie Steimer Russian-American activist (d. 1980)
• 1898 – René Magritte, Belgian painter (d. 1967)
• 1899 – Jobyna Ralston, American actress (d. 1967)
• 1902 – Foster Hewitt, Canadian sportscaster (d. 1985)
• 1902 – Isaac Bashevis Singer, Polish-American author, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1991)
• 1902 – Mikhail Suslov, Soviet politician (d. 1982)
• 1904 – Coleman Hawkins, American saxophonist (d. 1969)
• 1908 – Elizabeth George Speare, American author (d. 1994)
• 1912 – Eleanor Powell, American actress and dancer (d. 1982)
• 1913 – John Boulting, English director (d. 1985)
• 1913 – Roy Boulting, English director (d. 2001)
• 1914 – Henri Laborit, French physician and philosopher (d. 1995)
• 1916 – Sid Luckman, American football player (d. 1998)
• 1919 – Steve Brodie, American actor (d. 1992)
• 1919 – Joe Kieyoomia, Navajo soldier (d. 1997)
• 1920 – Ralph Meeker, American actor (d. 1988)
• 1920 – Stan Musial, American baseball player (d. 2013)
• 1921 – Joonas Kokkonen, Finnish composer (d. 1996)
• 1922 – María Casares, Spanish-French actress (d. 1996)
• 1922 – Abe Lemons, American basketball player and coach (d. 2002)
• 1923 – Veljko Kadijević, Yugoslav general
• 1924 – Joseph Campanella, American actor
• 1924 – Milka Planinc, Croatian-Yugoslav politician, 28th Prime Minister of Yugoslavia (d. 2010)
• 1924 – Christopher Tolkien, English author
• 1925 – Xie Jin, Chinese director (d. 2008)
• 1926 – Odd Børretzen, Norwegian singer and author (d. 2012)
• 1926 – William Wakefield Baum, American archbishop
• 1927 – Georgia Frontiere, American businesswoman (d. 2008)
• 1929 – Marilyn French, American author (d. 2009)
• 1929 – Laurier LaPierre, Canadian journalist and politician (d. 2012)
• 1930 – Marjan Rožanc, Slovenian author (d. 1990)
• 1931 – Lewis Binford, American archaeologist (d. 2011)
• 1931 – Revaz Dogonadze, Georgian scientist (d. 1985)
• 1931 – Malcolm Williamson, Australian composer (d. 2003)
• 1932 – Beryl Bainbridge, English author (d. 2010)
• 1933 – Henry Hartsfield, American astronaut
• 1933 – T. Rasalingam, Sri Lankan Tamil politician
• 1934 – Laurence Luckinbill, American actor
• 1935 – Fairuz, Lebanese singer
• 1936 – Victor Chang, Chinese-Australian surgeon (d. 1991)
• 1937 – Ingrid Pitt, Polish-English actress (d. 2010)
• 1937 – Marlo Thomas, American actress and producer
• 1939 – R. Budd Dwyer, American politician (d. 1987)
• 1940 – Freddy Beras-Goico, Dominican comedian and television host (d. 2010)
• 1940 – Dr. John, American singer-songwriter
• 1940 – Richard Marcinko, American author
• 1941 – İdil Biret, Turkish pianist
• 1941 – Juliet Mills, English actress
• 1942 – Afa Anoaʻi, Samoan-American wrestler and manager
• 1942 – Heidemarie Wieczorek-Zeul, German politician
• 1943 – Phil Bredesen, American politician, 48th Governor of Tennessee
• 1943 – Jacques Laffite, French race car driver
• 1943 – Larry Mahan, American rodeo performer
• 1943 – Viktor Sidjak, Russian fencer
• 1944 – Dick Durbin, American politician
• 1944 – Earl Monroe, American basketball player
• 1944 – Harold Ramis, American actor and director
• 1945 – Goldie Hawn, American actress
• 1946 – Jacky Lafon, Belgian actress
• 1947 – Nickolas Grace, English actor
• 1948 – Lonnie Jordan, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (War)
• 1948 – Alphonse Mouzon, American drummer (Weather Report and The Eleventh House)
• 1948 – Michel Suleiman, Lebanese politician, 16th President of Lebanon
• 1948 – George Zimmer, American businessman, founded Men's Wearhouse
• 1950 – Stephen Geyer, American composer
• 1952 – Janne Kristiansen, Norwegian jurist
• 1952 – Lorna Luft, American actress and singer
• 1954 – Thomas Rothman, American film executive
• 1955 – Cedric Maxwell, American basketball player
• 1956 – Cherry Jones, American actress
• 1958 – David Reivers, American actor
• 1959 – Sergei Ratnikov, Estonian football player and manager
• 1960 – Brian McNamara, American actor
• 1960 – Brian Ritchie, American bass player and songwriter (Violent Femmes)
• 1962 – Steven Curtis Chapman, American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer
• 1963 – Nicollette Sheridan, English actress
• 1964 – Shane Douglas, American wrestler
• 1964 – Olden Polynice, Haitian basketball player
• 1964 – Liza Tarbuck, English actress
• 1965 – Björk, Icelandic singer-songwriter, producer, and actress
• 1965 – Reggie Lewis, American basketball player (d. 1993)
• 1965 – Alexander Siddig, Sudanese-English actor
• 1966 – Troy Aikman, American football player
• 1966 – Evgeny Bareev, Russian chess player
• 1966 – Thanasis Kolitsidakis, Greek footballer
• 1967 – Ken Block, American race car driver
• 1967 – Tripp Cromer, American baseball player
• 1967 – Toshihiko Koga, Japanese martial artist
• 1968 – Inka Bause, German actress and singer
• 1968 – Alex James, English singer-songwriter, bass player (Blur, Fat Les, Me Me Me, and WigWam)
• 1968 – Christopher Noxon, American journalist
• 1968 – Sean Schemmel, American voice actor, director, and scriptwriter
• 1968 – Antonio Tarver, American boxer
• 1969 – Ken Griffey, Jr., American baseball player
• 1970 – Karen Davila, Filipino journalist
• 1970 – Justin Langer, Australian cricketer
• 1971 – Michael Strahan, American football player
• 1972 – Rain Phoenix, American actress and singer (The Causey Way)
• 1972 – David Tua, Samoan boxer
• 1973 – Brook Kerr, American actress
• 1973 – Marko Lelov, Estonian footballer
• 1973 – Inés Sastre, Spanish model and actress
• 1974 – Karen Rolton, Australian cricketer
• 1975 – Cherie Johnson, American actress
• 1975 – Chris Moneymaker, American poker player
• 1975 – Aaron Solowoniuk, Canadian drummer (Billy Talent)
• 1976 – Dasha, Czech porn actress
• 1976 – Martin Meichelbeck, German footballer
• 1976 – Veronika Valk, Estonian architect
• 1976 – Daniel Whiston, English ice skater
• 1976 – Michael Wilson, Australian footballer
• 1977 – Bruno Berner, Swiss footballer
• 1977 – Yolande James, Canadian politician
• 1977 – Jonas Jennings, American football player
• 1977 – Tobias Sammet, German singer-songwriter (Edguy and Avantasia)
• 1978 – Daniel Bradshaw, Australian footballer
• 1978 – Lucía Jiménez, Spanish actress
• 1978 – Sara Tanaka, American actress
• 1979 – Chris Rockway, American porn actor
• 1979 – Kim Dong-wan, South Korean singer and actor (Shinhwa)
• 1979 – Vincenzo Iaquinta, Italian footballer
• 1979 – Stromile Swift, American basketball player
• 1979 – Alex Tanguay, Canadian ice hockey player
• 1980 – Hank Blalock, American baseball player
• 1980 – Alec Brownstein, American author and director
• 1980 – Leonardo González, Costa Rican footballer
• 1980 – Elaine Yiu, Hong Kong actress
• 1981 – Wesley Britt, American football player
• 1981 – Jonny Magallón, Mexican footballer
• 1981 – Piet Rinke, Zimbabwean cricketer
• 1982 – Georgios Kalogiannidis, Greek archer
• 1982 – Ryan Starr, American singer-songwriter and actress
• 1983 – Brie Bella, American wrestler
• 1983 – Nikki Bella, American wrestler
• 1983 – Jamie Langley, English rugby player
• 1984 – Álvaro Bautista, Spanish motorcycle racer
• 1984 – Hope Dworaczyk, American model and television host
• 1984 – Callum Ferguson, Australian cricketer
• 1984 – Jena Malone, American actress and singer
• 1984 – Willy Mason, American singer-songwriter
• 1985 – Carly Rae Jepsen, Canadian singer-songwriter
• 1985 – Jesús Navas, Spanish footballer
• 1985 – Nicola Silvestri, Italian footballer
• 1986 – Ben Bishop, American ice hockey player
• 1986 – Jordan Lloyd, American television personality, winner of Big Brother
• 1987 – Brian Douwes, Dutch kick-boxer
• 1987 – Stefan Glarner, Swiss footballer
• 1987 – Eesha Karavade, Indian chess player
• 1988 – Len Väljas, Canadian skier
• 1988 – Preston Zimmerman, American soccer player
• 1989 – Will Buckley, English footballer
• 1989 – Dárvin Chávez, Mexican footballer
• 1989 – Fabian Delph, English footballer
• 1991 – Lewis Dunk, English footballer
• 1991 – Katie Soroczyn, Glamour Model
• 1992 – Megan and Liz Mace, American singers
• 1992 – Conor Maynard, English singer-songwriter
• 1992 – Rino Sashihara, Japanese singer (AKB48 and HKT48)
• 1993 – Elena Myers, American motorcycle racer
• 2001 – Samantha Bailey, American actress

Deaths

• 496 – Pope Gelasius I
• 615 – Columbanus, Irish missionary (b. 543)
• 1011 – Emperor Reizei of Japan (b. 950)
• 1150 – García Ramírez of Navarre
• 1361 – Philip I, Duke of Burgundy (b. 1346)
• 1555 – Georgius Agricola, German scientist and scholar (b. 1490)
• 1566 – Annibale Caro, Italian poet (b. 1507)
• 1579 – Thomas Gresham, English merchant and financier (b. 1519)
• 1652 – Jan Brożek, Polish mathematician, physician, and astronomer (b. 1585)
• 1695 – Henry Purcell, English composer (b. 1659)
• 1730 – François de Troy, French painter (b. 1645)
• 1775 – John Hill, English botanist and author (b. 1719)
• 1782 – Jacques de Vaucanson, French engineer (b. 1709)
• 1811 – Heinrich von Kleist, German poet and author (b. 1777)
• 1844 – Ivan Krylov, Russian author (b. 1769)
• 1859 – Yoshida Shōin, Japanese academic (b. 1830)
• 1861 – Jean-Baptiste Henri Lacordaire, French priest and activist (b. 1802)
• 1870 – Karel Jaromír Erben, Czech historian and poet (b. 1811)
• 1874 – Mariano Fortuny, Spanish painter (b. 1838)
• 1881 – Ami Boué, Austrian geologist (b. 1794)
• 1899 – Garret Hobart, American politician, 24th Vice President of the United States (b. 1844)
• 1907 – Paula Modersohn-Becker, German painter (b. 1876)
• 1909 – Peder Severin Krøyer, Norwegian-Danish painter (b. 1851
• 1916 – Franz Joseph I of Austria (b. 1830)
• 1922 – Ricardo Flores Magón, Mexican journalist and activist (b. 1874)
• 1924 – Florence Harding, American publisher, 31st First Lady of the United States (b. 1860)
• 1926 – Edward Cummins, American golfer (b. 1886)
• 1938 – Leopold Godowsky, Polish-American pianist and composer (b. 1870)
• 1941 – Henrietta Vinton Davis American actress and playwright (b. 1860)
• 1942 – Count Leopold Berchtold, Austrian-Hungarian politician (b. 1863)
• 1942 – J. B. M. Hertzog, South African general and politician, 3rd Prime Minister of South Africa (b. 1866)
• 1945 – Robert Benchley, American actor and critic (b. 1889)
• 1945 – Al Davis, American boxer (b. 1920)
• 1945 – Alexander Patch, American general (b. 1889)
• 1953 – Larry Shields, American clarinet player (b. 1893)
• 1955 – Edward Dierkes, American soccer player (b. 1886)
• 1957 – Francis Burton Harrison, American politician, 6th Governor-General of the Philippines (b. 1873)
• 1958 – Mel Ott, American baseball player (b. 1909)
• 1959 – Max Baer, American boxer (b. 1909)
• 1963 – Artur Lemba, Estonian composer (b. 1885)
• 1963 – Robert Stroud, American criminal and ornithologist (b. 1890)
• 1967 – C. M. Eddy, Jr., American author (b. 1896)
• 1969 – Mutesa II of Buganda (b. 1924)
• 1970 – Newsy Lalonde, Canadian ice hockey player (b. 1887)
• 1970 – C. V. Raman, Indian physicist, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1888)
• 1973 – Thomas Pelly, American politician (b. 1902)
• 1974 – John B. Gambling, American radio host (b. 1897)
• 1974 – Frank Martin, Swiss composer (b. 1890)
• 1975 – Gunnar Gunnarsson, Icelandic author (b. 1889)
• 1980 – Sara García, Mexican actress (b. 1895)
• 1981 – Harry von Zell, American actor (b. 1906)
• 1982 – John Hargrave, English activist (b. 1894)
• 1984 – Ben Wilson, American basketball player (b. 1967)
• 1986 – Jerry Colonna, American comedian and singer (b. 1904)
• 1986 – Dar Robinson, American actor and stuntman (b. 1947)
• 1986 – Marcelino Sánchez, Puerto Rican-American actor (b. 1957)
• 1988 – Carl Hubbell, American baseball player (b. 1903)
• 1988 – Pál Kalmár, Hungarian singer (b. 1900)
• 1989 – Harvey Hart, Canadian television director (b. 1928)
• 1990 – Dean Hart, Canadian wrestler (b. 1954)
• 1991 – Sonny Werblin, American businessman (b. 1907)
• 1992 – Kaysone Phomvihane, Laotian politician, 2nd President of Laos (b. 1920)
• 1992 – Ricky Williams, American musician (b. 1956)
• 1993 – Bill Bixby, American actor and director (b. 1934)
• 1994 – Willem Jacob Luyten, Dutch-American astronomer (b. 1899)
• 1995 – Peter Grant, English actor and manager (b. 1935)
• 1995 – Noel Jones, Indian-English diplomat (b. 1940)
• 1996 – Abdus Salam, Pakistani physicist, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1926)
• 1999 – Quentin Crisp, English actor (b. 1908)
• 2000 – Ernest Lluch, Spanish economist and politician (b. 1937)
• 2001 – Salahuddin of Selangor (b. 1926)
• 2002 – Hadda Brooks, American singer, pianist, and composer (b. 1916)
• 2005 – Alfred Anderson, Scottish soldier (b. 1896)
• 2005 – Hugh Sidey, American journalist (b. 1927)
• 2006 – Hassan Gouled Aptidon, Somalian-Djiboutian politician, 1st President of Djibouti (b. 1916)
• 2006 – Pierre Amine Gemayel, Lebanese politician (b. 1972)
• 2006 – Kathryn Johnston, American shooting victim (b. 1914)
• 2006 – Robert Lockwood, Jr., American guitarist (b. 1915)
• 2007 – Fernando Fernán Gómez, Spanish actor, director, and screenwriter (b. 1921)
• 2007 – Tom Johnson, Canadian ice hockey player (b. 1928)
• 2007 – Noel McGregor, New Zealand cricketer (b. 1931)
• 2009 – Konstantin Feoktistov, Soviet astronaut(b. 1926)
• 2010 – Norris Church Mailer, American author (b. 1949)
• 2010 – David Nolan, American politician and activist (b. 1943)
• 2010 – Margaret Taylor-Burroughs, American painter and author, co-founded the DuSable Museum of African American History (b. 1917)
• 2011 – Anne McCaffrey, American-born Irish writer (b. 1926)
• 2012 – Dann Cahn, American film editor (b. 1923)
• 2012 – Nick Discepola, Italian-Canadian politician (b. 1949)
• 2012 – Mr. Food, American chef and author (b. 1931)
• 2012 – Wang Houjun, Chinese footballer (b. 1943)
• 2012 – Șerban Ionescu, Romanian actor (b. 1950)
• 2012 – Ajmal Kasab, Pakistani terrorist (b. 1987)
• 2012 – Edwarda O'Bara, American coma patient (b. 1953)
• 2012 – Austin Peralta, American pianist and composer (b. 1990)
• 2012 – Deborah Raffin, American actress (b. 1953)
• 2012 – Algirdas Šocikas, Lithuanian boxer (b. 1928)
• 2012 – Emily Squires, American director, scriptwriter and producer (b. 1941)

Holidays and observances

• Armed Forces Day (Bangladesh)
• Armed Forces Day (Greece)
• Christian Feast Day:
  • Pope Gelasius I
  • Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary
  • November 21 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
• Day of the General Framework Agreement for Peace in Bosnia and Herzegovina (Republika Srpska)
• National Adoption Day (United States)
• No Music Day (Unofficial)
• World Hello Day (Unofficial)
• World Television Day (International)

External links

• BBC: On This Day
• The New York Times: On This Day
• On This Day in Canada

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