Vintage News · Odd history for November 21

What Happened On November 21

Q: What happened on November 21?

1783: In Paris, Jean-François Pilâtre de Rozier and François Laurent d'Arlandes make the first untethered hot air balloon flight. 1959: American disc jockey Alan Freed (pictured), who popularized the term rock and roll, was fired from WABC-AM for his role in the payola scandal. 1894: First Sino-Japanese War: After capturing the Chinese city of Port Arthur, the Japanese army began a massacre of the city's soldiers and civilians. 1877: Thomas Edison announced his invention of the phonograph, a device able to record and play sound. 1953: The Natural History Museum, London announces that the "Piltdown Man" skull, initially believed to be one of the most important fossilized hominid skulls ever found, is a hoax. 1620: The Mayflower Compact, the first governing document of the Plymouth Colony, was signed by 41 of the Mayflower's passengers while the ship was anchored in what is now Provincetown Harbor. 1894: Port Arthur, China, falls to the Japanese, a decisive victory of the First Sino-Japanese War; Japanese troops are accused of massacring the remaining inhabitants. 1877: Thomas Edison announces his invention of the phonograph, a machine that can record and play sound. 1851: Mutineers take control of the Chilean penal colony of Punta Arenas in the Strait of Magellan. 1676: The Danish astronomer Ole Rømer presents the first quantitative measurements of the speed of light.

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10 odd things that happened on November 21

1783 First ever
In Paris, Jean-François Pilâtre de Rozier and François Laurent d'Arlandes make the first untethered hot air balloon flight.
Read more →
Source: Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0
1959 Oddly true
American disc jockey Alan Freed (pictured), who popularized the term rock and roll, was fired from WABC-AM for his role in the payola scandal.
Read more →
Source: Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0
1894 First ever
First Sino-Japanese War: After capturing the Chinese city of Port Arthur, the Japanese army began a massacre of the city's soldiers and civilians.
Read more →
Source: Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0
1877 Oddly true
Thomas Edison announced his invention of the phonograph, a device able to record and play sound.
Read more →
Source: Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0
1953 Weird
The Natural History Museum, London announces that the "Piltdown Man" skull, initially believed to be one of the most important fossilized hominid skulls ever found, is a hoax.
Read more →
Source: Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0
1620 First ever
The Mayflower Compact, the first governing document of the Plymouth Colony, was signed by 41 of the Mayflower's passengers while the ship was anchored in what is now Provincetown Harbor.
Read more →
Source: Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0
1894 First ever
Port Arthur, China, falls to the Japanese, a decisive victory of the First Sino-Japanese War; Japanese troops are accused of massacring the remaining inhabitants.
Read more →
Source: Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0
1877 Oddly true
Thomas Edison announces his invention of the phonograph, a machine that can record and play sound.
Read more →
Source: Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0
1851 Oddly true
Mutineers take control of the Chilean penal colony of Punta Arenas in the Strait of Magellan.
Read more →
Source: Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0
1676 First ever
The Danish astronomer Ole Rømer presents the first quantitative measurements of the speed of light.
Read more →
Source: Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0

Observed today

2022A magnitude 5.6 earthquake on the Indonesian island of Java kills between 335 and 602 people. Wikipedia →
2021An SUV plows through a Christmas parade in Waukesha, Wisconsin, killing six and injuring 62. Wikipedia →
2019Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is indicted on charges of bribery, fraud, and breach of trust. Wikipedia →
2019Tesla launches the SUV Cybertruck. A gaffe occurs during the launch event when its "unbreakable" windows shatter during demonstration. Wikipedia →
2017Robert Mugabe formally resigns as President of Zimbabwe, after thirty-seven years in office. Wikipedia →
2015The government of Belgium imposes a security lockdown on Brussels, including the closure of shops, schools, and public transportation, due to potential terrorist attacks. Wikipedia →
2014A stampede in Kwekwe, Zimbabwe caused by the police firing tear gas kills at least eleven people and injures 40 others. Wikipedia →
2013Fifty-four people are killed when the roof of a shopping center collapses in Riga, Latvia. Wikipedia →
2013Massive protests start in Ukraine after President Viktor Yanukovych suspended signing the Ukraine–European Union Association Agreement. Wikipedia →
2012At least 28 are wounded after a bomb is thrown onto a bus in Tel Aviv. Wikipedia →
2009A mine explosion in Heilongjiang, China kills 108. Wikipedia →
2006Anti-Syrian Lebanese politician and government minister Pierre Gemayel is assassinated in suburban Beirut. Wikipedia →
2004The second round of the Ukrainian presidential election is held, giving rise to massive protests and controversy over the election's integrity. Wikipedia →
2004Dominica is hit by the most destructive earthquake in its history. The northern half of the island sustains the most damage, especially the town of Portsmouth. In neighboring Guadeloupe, one person is killed. Wikipedia →
2004The Paris Club agrees to write off 80% (up to $100 billion) of Iraq's external debt. Wikipedia →
2004China Eastern Airlines Flight 5210 crashes after takeoff from Baotou Donghe Airport, killing 55. Wikipedia →
2002NATO invites Bulgaria, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Romania, Slovakia and Slovenia to become members. Wikipedia →
2002Arturo Guzmán Decena, founder of Los Zetas and high-member of the Gulf Cartel, is killed in a shoot-out with the Mexican Army and the police. Wikipedia →
1998Finnish satanist Jarno Elg kills a 23-year-old man and performs a ritual-like cutting and eating of body parts in Hyvinkää, Finland. Wikipedia →
1996Humberto Vidal explosion: Thirty-three people die when a Humberto Vidal shoe shop in Río Piedras, Puerto Rico explodes. Wikipedia →
1995The Dayton 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. Wikipedia →
1992A major tornado strikes the Houston, Texas area during the afternoon. Over the next two days the largest tornado outbreak ever to occur in the US during November spawns over 100 tornadoes. Wikipedia →
1990Bangkok Airways Flight 125 crashes on approach to Samui Airport, killing 38. Wikipedia →
1989Aeroflot Flight 37577 crashes on approach to Sovetsky Airport, killing 32. Wikipedia →
1986National Security Council member Oliver North and his secretary start to shred documents allegedly implicating them in the Iran–Contra affair. Wikipedia →
1985United 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. Wikipedia →
1980A deadly fire breaks out at the MGM Grand Hotel in Paradise, Nevada (now Bally's Las Vegas). Eighty-five people are killed and more than 650 are injured in the worst disaster in Nevada history. Wikipedia →
1979The United States Embassy in Islamabad, Pakistan, is attacked by a mob and set on fire, killing four. Wikipedia →
1977Minister of Internal Affairs Allan Highet announces that the national anthems of New Zealand shall be the traditional anthem "God Save the Queen" and "God Defend New Zealand". Wikipedia →
1974The Birmingham pub bombings kill 21 people. The Birmingham Six are sentenced to life in prison for the crime but are later exonerated. Wikipedia →
1972Voters in South Korea overwhelmingly approve a new constitution, giving legitimacy to Park Chung Hee and the Fourth Republic. Wikipedia →
1971Indian troops, partly aided by Mukti Bahini (Bengali guerrillas), defeat the Pakistan army in the Battle of Garibpur. Wikipedia →
1970Vietnam War: Operation Ivory Coast: A joint United States Air Force and Army team raids the Sơn Tây prisoner-of-war camp in an attempt to free American prisoners of war thought to be held there. Wikipedia →
1969U.S. President Richard Nixon and Japanese Premier Eisaku Satō agree on the return of Okinawa to Japanese control in 1972. The U.S. retains rights to bases on the island, but these are to be nuclear-free. Wikipedia →
1969The first permanent ARPANET link is established between UCLA and SRI. Wikipedia →
1967Vietnam 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." Wikipedia →
1964The Verrazzano–Narrows Bridge opens to traffic. At the time it is the world's longest bridge span. Wikipedia →
1964Second Vatican Council: The third session of the Roman Catholic Church's ecumenical council closes. Wikipedia →
1962The Chinese People's Liberation Army declares a unilateral ceasefire in the Sino-Indian War. Wikipedia →
1961"La Ronde" opens in Honolulu, the first revolving restaurant in the United States. Wikipedia →
1959American disc jockey Alan Freed, who had popularized the term "rock and roll" and music of that style, is fired from WABC radio over allegations he had participated in the payola scandal. Wikipedia →
1954People's Action Party, an eventual dominative political party in Singapore, was established. Wikipedia →
1953The Natural History Museum, London announces that the "Piltdown Man" skull, initially believed to be one of the most important fossilized hominid skulls ever found, is a hoax. Wikipedia →
1950Two 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. Wikipedia →
1945The United Auto Workers strike 92 General Motors plants in 50 cities to back up worker demands for a 30-percent raise. Wikipedia →
1944World War II: American submarine USS Sealion sinks the Japanese battleship Kongō and Japanese destroyer Urakaze in the Formosa Strait. Wikipedia →
1942The completion of the Alaska Highway (also known as the Alcan Highway) is celebrated (however, the highway is not usable by standard road vehicles until 1943). Wikipedia →
1927Columbine Mine massacre: Striking coal miners are allegedly attacked with machine guns by a detachment of Colorado state police dressed in civilian clothes. Wikipedia →
1922Rebecca Latimer Felton of Georgia takes the oath of office, becoming the first female United States Senator. Wikipedia →
1920Irish War of Independence: On "Bloody Sunday" in Dublin, the Irish Republican Army (IRA) assassinated a group of British Intelligence agents, and British forces killed 14 civilians at a Gaelic football match at Croke Park. Wikipedia →
1918The Flag of Estonia, previously used by pro-independence activists, is formally adopted as the national flag of the Republic of Estonia. Wikipedia →
1918The Parliament (Qualification of Women) Act 1918 is passed, allowing women to stand for Parliament in the UK. Wikipedia →
1918A pogrom takes place in Lwów (now Lviv); over three days, at least 50 Jews and 270 Ukrainian Christians are killed by Poles. Wikipedia →
1916World War I: Mines from SM U-73 sink HMHS Britannic, the largest ship lost in the war. Wikipedia →
1910Sailors on board Brazil's warships including the Minas Gerais, São Paulo, and Bahia, violently rebel in what is now known as the Revolta da Chibata (Revolt of the Lash). Wikipedia →
1905Albert Einstein's paper that leads to the mass–energy equivalence formula, E = mc², is published in the journal Annalen der Physik. Wikipedia →
1902The Philadelphia Football Athletics defeat the Kanaweola Athletic Club of Elmira, New York, 39–0, in the first-ever professional American football night game. Wikipedia →
1900Claude Monet's paintings shown at Gallery Durand-Ruel in Paris. Wikipedia →
1894Port Arthur, China, falls to the Japanese, a decisive victory of the First Sino-Japanese War; Japanese troops are accused of massacring the remaining inhabitants. Wikipedia →
1877Thomas Edison announces his invention of the phonograph, a machine that can record and play sound. Wikipedia →
1861American Civil War: Confederate President Jefferson Davis appoints Judah Benjamin Secretary of War. Wikipedia →
1851Mutineers take control of the Chilean penal colony of Punta Arenas in the Strait of Magellan. Wikipedia →
1789North Carolina ratifies the United States Constitution and is admitted as the 12th U.S. state. Wikipedia →
1783In Paris, Jean-François Pilâtre de Rozier and François Laurent d'Arlandes make the first untethered hot air balloon flight. Wikipedia →
1676The Danish astronomer Ole Rømer presents the first quantitative measurements of the speed of light. Wikipedia →
1620Plymouth Colony settlers sign the Mayflower Compact (November 11, O.S.) Wikipedia →
1386Timur of Samarkand captures and sacks the Georgian capital of Tbilisi, taking King Bagrat V of Georgia captive. Wikipedia →
235Pope Anterus succeeds Pontian as the nineteenth pope. Wikipedia →
164 BCJudas Maccabeus, son of Mattathias of the Hasmonean family, rededicates the Temple in Jerusalem, an event that is commemorated each year by the festival of Hanukkah. (25 Kislev 3597 in the Hebrew calendar.) Wikipedia →

Facts from Wikipedia On This Day API (CC BY-SA 4.0) via Wikimedia. Thumbnails CC BY-SA. Headlines via The Guardian Open Platform. Historic pages via Library of Congress Chronicling America. Curated by OddlyTrue.