On This Day: 21 October

21 October in Indian history

• 1987The Jaffna hospital massacre is carried out by Indian peacekeeping forces in Sri Lanka, killing 70 Tamil patients, doctors and nurses.India
• 1943World War II: The Provisional Government of Free India is formally established in Japanese-occupied Singapore.India

21 October in world history

• 2021A shooting occurs on the set of the film Rust, in which actor Alec Baldwin discharged a prop weapon which had been loaded, killing the director of photography, Halyna Hutchins, and injuring director Joel Souza.
• 2019In Canada, the 2019 Canadian federal election ends, resulting in incumbent Prime Minister Justin Trudeau remaining in office, albeit with the Liberal Party in a minority government.
• 2019Thirty people are killed in a fiery bus crash in western Democratic Republic of the Congo.
• 2011Iraq War: President Barack Obama announces that the withdrawal of United States troops from Iraq will be complete by the end of the year.
• 2007Finnish race drivers Kimi Räikkönen of Scuderia Ferrari won the Brazilian Grand Prix in Formula One. With this result, Räikkönen became world champion, surpassing McLaren drivers Lewis Hamilton and Fernando Alonso by one point in the drivers' standings.
• 1989In Honduras, 131 people are killed when a Boeing 727 crashes on approach to Toncontín International Airport near the nation's capital Tegucigalpa.
• 1984Niki Lauda claims his third and final Formula One Drivers' Championship Title by half a point ahead of McLaren team-mate Alain Prost at the Portuguese Grand Prix.
• 1968At the height of the Japanese university protests, protesters occupied Shinjuku Station in Tokyo and clashed violently with police.
• 1944World War II: The three-week-long Battle of Aachen concluded, making the city the first on German soil to be captured by the Allies.
• 1941World War II: German soldiers massacred nearly 2,800 Serbs in Kragujevac in reprisal for insurgent attacks in the district of Gornji Milanovac.
• 1910HMS Niobe arrived in Halifax Harbour to become the first large ship of the Royal Canadian Navy.
• 1867The first and second of three treaties were signed near Medicine Lodge, Kansas, between the United States federal government and several Native American tribes in the Great Plains, requiring them to relocate to areas in present-day western Oklahoma.
• 1858French composer Jacques Offenbach's operetta Orpheus in the Underworld, featuring the music most associated with the can-can (audio featured), was first performed at the Théâtre des Bouffes-Parisiens in Paris.
• 1805Napoleonic Wars: A British fleet led by Lord Nelson defeats a combined French and Spanish fleet under Admiral Villeneuve in the Battle of Trafalgar.
• 1345Hundred Years' War: The English victory at the Battle of Auberoche marked a change in the military balance of power in Aquitaine, with the subsequent collapse of the French position.
• 1096First Crusade: At the Battle of Civetot, the Seljuk forces of Kilij Arslan destroyed the army of the People's Crusade as it marched toward Nicaea.

Born on 21 October

• 1990Bengali-Fodé Koita, French footballerIndia
• 1976Lavinia Miloșovici, Romanian gymnast
• 1931Shammi Kapoor, Indian actor and director (died 2011)India
• 1887Krishna Singh, Indian lawyer and politician, 1st Chief Minister of Bihar (died 1961)India
• 1757Pierre Augereau, French general (died 1816)
• 1527Louis I, Cardinal of Guise (died 1578)

Died on 21 October

• 2023Bobby Charlton, English footballer and manager (born 1937)
• 2021Bernard Haitink, Dutch conductor and violinist (born 1929)
• 2012Yash Chopra, Indian director, producer, and screenwriter (born 1932)India
• 1990Prabhat Ranjan Sarkar, Indian spiritual guru, philosopher and author (born 1921)India

Frequently asked questions

What happened on 21 October in history?

2021: A shooting occurs on the set of the film Rust, in which actor Alec Baldwin discharged a prop weapon which had been loaded, killing the director of photography, Halyna Hutchins, and injuring director Joel Souza. 2019: In Canada, the 2019 Canadian federal election ends, resulting in incumbent Prime Minister Justin Trudeau remaining in office, albeit with the Liberal Party in a minority government. 2019: Thirty people are killed in a fiery bus crash in western Democratic Republic of the Congo. 2011: Iraq War: President Barack Obama announces that the withdrawal of United States troops from Iraq will be complete by the end of the year.

What happened on 21 October in Indian history?

1987: The Jaffna hospital massacre is carried out by Indian peacekeeping forces in Sri Lanka, killing 70 Tamil patients, doctors and nurses. 1943: World War II: The Provisional Government of Free India is formally established in Japanese-occupied Singapore.

Which famous people were born on 21 October?

Bengali-Fodé Koita, French footballer (1990); Lavinia Miloșovici, Romanian gymnast (1976); Shammi Kapoor, Indian actor and director (died 2011) (1931); Krishna Singh, Indian lawyer and politician, 1st Chief Minister of Bihar (died 1961) (1887).

Which day is observed on 21 October?

Indian Police Commemoration Day (India); Armed Forces Day (Honduras); Egyptian Naval Day (Egypt); National Nurses' Day (Thailand); Ndadaye Day (Burundi).