On This Day: 21 February

21 February in Indian history

• 2013At least 17 people are killed and 119 injured following several bombings in the Indian city of Hyderabad.India
• 1952A number of student protesters demanding the establishment of Bengali as an official language were killed by police in Dhaka, East Pakistan.India

21 February in world history

• 2022In the prelude to the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine Russian President Vladimir Putin declares the Luhansk People's Republic and Donetsk People's Republic as independent from Ukraine, and moves troops into the region. The action is condemned by the United Na
• 1975Watergate scandal: Former United States Attorney General John N. Mitchell and former White House aides H. R. Haldeman and John Ehrlichman are sentenced to prison.
• 1973After accidentally straying into the airspace of the Israeli-occupied Sinai Peninsula, Libyan Arab Airlines Flight 114 was shot down by two Israeli fighter aircraft, killing 108 of the 113 people on board.
• 1972The Soviet uncrewed spaceship Luna 20 lands on the Moon.
• 1972United States President Richard Nixon visits China to normalize Sino-American relations.
• 1965American Black nationalist Malcolm X was assassinated while giving a speech in New York City's Audubon Ballroom.
• 1958The CND symbol, aka peace symbol, commissioned by the Direct Action Committee in protest against the Atomic Weapons Research Establishment, is designed and completed by Gerald Holtom.
• 1947In New York City, Edwin Land demonstrates the first "instant camera", the Polaroid Land Camera, to a meeting of the Optical Society of America.
• 1945World War II: During the Battle of Iwo Jima, Japanese kamikaze planes sink the escort carrier USS Bismarck Sea and damage the USS Saratoga.
• 1929Nanjing decade: In the first battle of the Warlord Rebellion in northeastern Shandong against the Nationalist government of China, a 24,000-strong rebel force led by Zhang Zongchang was defeated at Zhifu by 7,000 NRA troops.
• 1919Bavarian socialist Kurt Eisner, who had organized the German Revolution that overthrew the Wittelsbach monarchy and established Bavaria as a republic, was assassinated.
• 1896An Englishman raised in Australia, Bob Fitzsimmons, fights an Irishman, Peter Maher, in an American promoted event which technically takes place in Mexico, winning the 1896 World Heavyweight Championship in boxing.
• 1885The newly completed Washington Monument is dedicated.
• 1862American Civil War: The Confederate Army began an attempt to gain control of the Southwest with a major victory in the Battle of Valverde.
• 1828The inaugural issue of the Cherokee Phoenix, the first newspaper in a Native American language, was published.
• 1437King James I of Scotland was murdered at Perth in a failed coup by his uncle and former ally Walter Stewart, Earl of Atholl.

Born on 21 February

• 1989Jake Muzzin, Canadian ice hockey player
• 1933Bob Rafelson, American film director, producer, and screenwriter (died 2022)
• 1915Claudia Jones, Trinidad-British journalist and activist (died 1964)
• 1896Nirala, Indian poet and author (died 1961)India
• 1894Shanti Swaroop Bhatnagar, Indian chemist and academic (died 1955)India
• 1878Mirra Alfassa, French-Indian spiritual leader (died 1973)India

Died on 21 February

• 1994Johannes Steinhoff, German general and pilot (born 1913)
• 1991Nutan, Indian actress (born 1936)India
• 1829Kittur Chennamma, Indian queen and freedom fighter (born 1778)India
• 1437James I of Scotland (born 1394; assassinated)

Frequently asked questions

What happened on 21 February in history?

2022: In the prelude to the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine Russian President Vladimir Putin declares the Luhansk People's Republic and Donetsk People's Republic as independent from Ukraine, and moves troops into the region. The action is condemned by the United Na. 2013: At least 17 people are killed and 119 injured following several bombings in the Indian city of Hyderabad. 1975: Watergate scandal: Former United States Attorney General John N. Mitchell and former White House aides H. R. Haldeman and John Ehrlichman are sentenced to prison. 1973: After accidentally straying into the airspace of the Israeli-occupied Sinai Peninsula, Libyan Arab Airlines Flight 114 was shot down by two Israeli fighter aircraft, killing 108 of the 113 people on board.

What happened on 21 February in Indian history?

2013: At least 17 people are killed and 119 injured following several bombings in the Indian city of Hyderabad. 1952: A number of student protesters demanding the establishment of Bengali as an official language were killed by police in Dhaka, East Pakistan.

Which famous people were born on 21 February?

Jake Muzzin, Canadian ice hockey player (1989); Bob Rafelson, American film director, producer, and screenwriter (died 2022) (1933); Claudia Jones, Trinidad-British journalist and activist (died 1964) (1915); Nirala, Indian poet and author (died 1961) (1896).

Which day is observed on 21 February?

International Mother Language Day; Armed Forces Day (South Africa); Birthday of King Harald V (Norway); Father Lini Day (Vanuatu); Language Movement Day (Bangladesh).