On This Day: 21 November

21 November in Indian history

• 1971Indian troops, partly aided by Mukti Bahini (Bengali guerrillas), defeat the Pakistan army in the Battle of Garibpur.India
• 1962The Chinese People's Liberation Army declares a unilateral ceasefire in the Sino-Indian War.India

21 November in world history

• 2013Massive protests start in Ukraine after President Viktor Yanukovych suspended signing the Ukraine–European Union Association Agreement.
• 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.
• 2002NATO invites Bulgaria, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Romania, Slovakia and Slovenia to become members.
• 1998Finnish satanist Jarno Elg kills a 23-year-old man and performs a ritual-like cutting and eating of body parts in Hyvinkää, Finland.
• 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.
• 1977"God Defend New Zealand" became New Zealand's second national anthem, on equal standing with "God Save the King", which had been the traditional anthem since 1840.
• 1970Vietnam War: American forces raided the North Vietnamese Sơn Tây prison camp in an attempt to rescue 61 American POWs who were thought to be held there.
• 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.
• 1964The Verrazzano-Narrows Bridge, connecting Staten Island and Brooklyn in New York City, opened to traffic as the longest suspension bridge in the world at the time.
• 1959American disc jockey Alan Freed, who popularized the term rock and roll, was fired from WABC-AM for his role in the payola scandal.
• 1945Manzanar, a camp in California for the internment of Japanese Americans during World War II, was closed.
• 1944World War II: American submarine USS Sealion sinks the Japanese battleship Kongō and Japanese destroyer Urakaze in the Formosa Strait.
• 1920Irish War of Independence: On Bloody Sunday in Dublin, the IRA assassinated a group of British intelligence agents, and British forces killed 14 civilians at a Gaelic football match at Croke Park.
• 1789North Carolina ratifies the United States Constitution and is admitted as the 12th U.S. state.
• 1620The 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.
• 1386Turco-Mongol conqueror Timur captured and sacked the Georgian capital Tbilisi and forced King Bagrat V to convert to Islam.

Born on 21 November

• 1987Eesha Karavade, Indian chess playerIndia
• 1931Lewis Binford, American archaeologist and academic (died 2011)
• 1912Eleanor Powell, American actress and dancer (died 1982)
• 1904Coleman Hawkins, American saxophonist and clarinet player (died 1969)
• 1903Isaac Bashevis Singer, Polish-American novelist and short story writer, Nobel Prize laureate (died 1991)
• 1899Harekrushna Mahatab, Indian journalist and politician, 1st Chief Minister of Odisha (died 1987)India

Died on 21 November

• 1995Noel Jones, Indian-English diplomat, British ambassador to Kazakhstan (born 1940)India
• 1992Kaysone Phomvihane, Laotian soldier and politician, 2nd President of Laos (born 1920)
• 1970C. V. Raman, Indian physicist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (born 1888)India
• 1970Newsy Lalonde, Canadian lacrosse and ice hockey player (born 1887)

Frequently asked questions

What happened on 21 November in history?

2013: Massive protests start in Ukraine after President Viktor Yanukovych suspended signing the Ukraine–European Union Association Agreement. 2004: Dominica 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. 2002: NATO invites Bulgaria, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Romania, Slovakia and Slovenia to become members. 1998: Finnish satanist Jarno Elg kills a 23-year-old man and performs a ritual-like cutting and eating of body parts in Hyvinkää, Finland.

What happened on 21 November in Indian history?

1971: Indian troops, partly aided by Mukti Bahini (Bengali guerrillas), defeat the Pakistan army in the Battle of Garibpur. 1962: The Chinese People's Liberation Army declares a unilateral ceasefire in the Sino-Indian War.

Which famous people were born on 21 November?

Eesha Karavade, Indian chess player (1987); Lewis Binford, American archaeologist and academic (died 2011) (1931); Eleanor Powell, American actress and dancer (died 1982) (1912); Coleman Hawkins, American saxophonist and clarinet player (died 1969) (1904).

Which day is observed on 21 November?

Armed Forces Day (Bangladesh); World Television Day (United Nations observance).