On This Day: 21 December

21 December in world history

• 2018Operatives of the British Special Boat Service boarded the container ship Grande Tema in the Thames Estuary to detain four stowaways who had threatened the crew.
• 2004Iraq War: A suicide bomber kills 22 at the forward operating base next to the main U.S. military airfield at Mosul, Iraq, the single deadliest suicide attack on American soldiers in Iraq.
• 1999The Spanish Civil Guard intercepts a van loaded with 950 kg of explosives that ETA intended to use to blow up Torre Picasso in Madrid, Spain.
• 1995In accordance with the Oslo II Accord, Israeli troops withdrew from Bethlehem in preparation for the transfer of control to the Palestinian National Authority.
• 1992A Dutch DC-10, flight Martinair MP 495, crashes at Faro Airport, Portugal, killing 56.
• 1988A bomb explodes on board Pan Am Flight 103 over Lockerbie, Dumfries and Galloway, Scotland, killing 270. This is to date the deadliest air disaster to occur on British soil.
• 1979Lancaster House Agreement: An independence agreement for Rhodesia is signed in London by Lord Carrington, Sir Ian Gilmour, Robert Mugabe, Joshua Nkomo, Bishop Abel Muzorewa and S.C. Mundawarara.
• 1973The Geneva Conference on the Arab–Israeli conflict opens.
• 1968Apollo program: Apollo 8 is launched from the Kennedy Space Center, placing its crew on a lunar trajectory for the first visit to another celestial body by humans.
• 1963An attempt by Greek Cypriot police to search certain Turkish Cypriot women in Nicosia escalated into island-wide violence, leading to 538 deaths and the displacement of nearly 27,000 people.
• 1946An 8.1 Mw earthquake and subsequent tsunami in Nankaidō, Japan, kills over 1,300 people and destroys over 38,000 homes.
• 1937Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, the first full-length cel-animated feature in film history, premiered at the Carthay Circle Theatre in Los Angeles.
• 1923United Kingdom and Nepal formally sign an agreement of friendship, called the Nepal–Britain Treaty of 1923, which superseded the Treaty of Sugauli signed in 1816.
• 1879the fictional character of Nora Helmer is first portrayed by Betty Hennings at a showing of A Doll's House at the Royal Danish Theatre.
• 1861Medal of Honor: Public Resolution 82, containing a provision for a Navy Medal of Valor, is signed into law by President Abraham Lincoln.
• 1844The Rochdale Pioneers opened their store in Rochdale, England, forming the basis for the modern co-operative movement.
• 1620The Pilgrims aboard the Mayflower landed at present-day Plymouth, Massachusetts, to establish the Plymouth Colony.
• 1124Lamberto Scannabecchi was elected pope, taking the name Honorius II.

Born on 21 December

• 1972Y. S. Jaganmohan Reddy, Indian politician, 17th Chief Minister of Andhra PradeshIndia
• 1944Michael Tilson Thomas, American pianist, composer, and conductor (died 2026)
• 1932U. R. Ananthamurthy, Indian author, poet, and critic (died 2014)India
• 1872Lorenzo Perosi, Italian priest and composer (died 1956)
• 1615Benedict Arnold, Rhode Island colonial governor (died 1678)
• 1550Man Singh I, Mughal noble (died 1614)India

Died on 21 December

• 2004Autar Singh Paintal, Indian physiologist and neurologist (born 1925)India
• 1920Mohammed Abdullah Hassan, leader of the Dervish movement (born 1856)
• 1549Marguerite de Navarre, queen of Henry II of Navarre (born 1492)
• 1215Ali ibn Muhammad ibn al-Walid, Dāʿī al-Muṭlaq of Tayyibi Isma'ilism (born c. 1128)

Frequently asked questions

What happened on 21 December in history?

2018: Operatives of the British Special Boat Service boarded the container ship Grande Tema in the Thames Estuary to detain four stowaways who had threatened the crew. 2004: Iraq War: A suicide bomber kills 22 at the forward operating base next to the main U.S. military airfield at Mosul, Iraq, the single deadliest suicide attack on American soldiers in Iraq. 1999: The Spanish Civil Guard intercepts a van loaded with 950 kg of explosives that ETA intended to use to blow up Torre Picasso in Madrid, Spain. 1995: In accordance with the Oslo II Accord, Israeli troops withdrew from Bethlehem in preparation for the transfer of control to the Palestinian National Authority.

Which famous people were born on 21 December?

Y. S. Jaganmohan Reddy, Indian politician, 17th Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh (1972); Michael Tilson Thomas, American pianist, composer, and conductor (died 2026) (1944); U. R. Ananthamurthy, Indian author, poet, and critic (died 2014) (1932); Lorenzo Perosi, Italian priest and composer (died 1956) (1872).

Which day is observed on 21 December?

Armed Forces Day (Philippines); Forefathers' Day (Plymouth, Massachusetts); São Tomé Day (São Tomé and Príncipe).