On This Day: 21 March

21 March in world history

• 2006A man smashed the statue of Phra Phrom at the Erawan Shrine in Bangkok, Thailand, with a hammer, and was subsequently beaten to death by bystanders.
• 1999Bertrand Piccard and Brian Jones become the first to circumnavigate the Earth in a hot air balloon.
• 1985Canadian paraplegic athlete and humanitarian Rick Hansen begins his circumnavigation of the globe in a wheelchair in the name of spinal cord injury medical research.
• 1983The first cases of the 1983 West Bank fainting epidemic begin; Israelis and Palestinians accuse each other of poison gas, but the cause is later determined mostly to be psychosomatic.
• 1980The American soap opera Dallas aired the episode "A House Divided", which led to eight months of international speculation on "Who shot J.R.?"
• 1980Cold War: American President Jimmy Carter announces a United States boycott of the 1980 Summer Olympics in Moscow to protest the Soviet–Afghan War.
• 1968Battle of Karameh in Jordan between the Israel Defense Forces and the combined forces of the Jordanian Armed Forces and PLO.
• 1965Ranger program: NASA launches Ranger 9, the last in a series of uncrewed lunar space probes.
• 1946The Los Angeles Rams sign Kenny Washington, making him the first African American player in professional American football since 1933.
• 1945World War II: Operation Carthage: Royal Air Force planes bomb Gestapo headquarters in Copenhagen, Denmark. They also accidentally hit a school, killing 125 civilians.
• 1937A police squad, acting under orders from Governor of Puerto Rico Blanton Winship, opened fire on demonstrators protesting the arrest of Puerto Rican Nationalist leader Pedro Albizu Campos, killing 21 people and injuring 235 others.
• 1919The Hungarian Soviet Republic is established becoming the first Communist government to be formed in Europe after the October Revolution in Russia.
• 1918First World War: The German Army opened the Spring Offensive with Operation Michael, attempting to break through the Allied lines and to seize ports on the English Channel.
• 1861Alexander H. Stephens, Vice President of the Confederate States of America, gave an extemporaneous speech laying out the Confederacy's rationale for seceding from the United States.
• 1825During his tour of the United States, the Marquis de Lafayette laid the cornerstone for the Nathanael Greene Monument in Savannah, Georgia.
• 1814War of the Sixth Coalition: During their march on Paris, Coalition forces defeated Napoleon's French army on the final day of the Battle of Arcis-sur-Aube.
• 1801The Battle of Alexandria is fought between British and French forces near the ruins of Nicopolis near Alexandria in Egypt.
• 1556Thomas Cranmer, a former archbishop of Canterbury and one of the founders of Anglicanism, was burned at the stake for heresy in Oxford, England.

Born on 21 March

• 1944Mike Jackson, English general (died 2024)
• 1942Patcha Ramachandra Rao, Indian metallurgist, educator and administrator (died 2010)India
• 1923Nirmala Srivastava, Indian religious leader, founded Sahaja Yoga (died 2011)India
• 1916Bismillah Khan, Indian shehnai player (died 2006)India
• 1897Salvador Lutteroth, Mexican wrestling promoter, founded Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre (died 1987)
• 1880Hans Hofmann, German-American painter and academic (died 1966)

Died on 21 March

• 2009Mohit Sharma, Indian army officer (born 1978)India
• 2003Shivani, Indian author (born 1923)India
• 2002Herman Talmadge, American lieutenant, lawyer, and politician, 70th Governor of Georgia (born 1913)
• 1869Juan Almonte, son of José María Morelos, was a Mexican soldier and diplomat who served as a regent in the Second Mexican Empire (1863-1864) (born 1803)

Frequently asked questions

What happened on 21 March in history?

2006: A man smashed the statue of Phra Phrom at the Erawan Shrine in Bangkok, Thailand, with a hammer, and was subsequently beaten to death by bystanders. 1999: Bertrand Piccard and Brian Jones become the first to circumnavigate the Earth in a hot air balloon. 1985: Canadian paraplegic athlete and humanitarian Rick Hansen begins his circumnavigation of the globe in a wheelchair in the name of spinal cord injury medical research. 1983: The first cases of the 1983 West Bank fainting epidemic begin; Israelis and Palestinians accuse each other of poison gas, but the cause is later determined mostly to be psychosomatic.

Which famous people were born on 21 March?

Mike Jackson, English general (died 2024) (1944); Patcha Ramachandra Rao, Indian metallurgist, educator and administrator (died 2010) (1942); Nirmala Srivastava, Indian religious leader, founded Sahaja Yoga (died 2011) (1923); Bismillah Khan, Indian shehnai player (died 2006) (1916).

Which day is observed on 21 March?

International Day of Forests & World Poetry Day; Arbor Day (Lesotho); Arbor Day (Portugal); Early music; Education Freedom Day.