On This Day: 21 September

21 September in Indian history

• 1968The Soviet Union's Zond 5 landed in the Indian Ocean, becoming the first spacecraft to safely return to Earth after travelling around the Moon.India
• 1934Chandrashekhar Agashe established the Brihan Maharashtra Sugar Syndicate Ltd., one of the oldest companies in India.India

21 September in world history

• 2019A 5.6 Mw earthquake shakes the Albanian port of Durrës. Forty-nine people are injured in the capital, Tirana.
• 2013Al-Shabaab Islamic militants attack the Westgate shopping mall in Kenya, killing at least 67 people.
• 1999A 7.7 Mw earthquake struck Jiji, Taiwan, killing 2,415 people, injuring more than 11,000 others and causing about NT$300 billion (US$10 billion) in damage across the island.
• 1984Brunei joins the United Nations.
• 1976Orlando Letelier is assassinated in Washington, D.C. by Michael Townley, linked to the National Intelligence Directorate of Chile.
• 1971Bahrain, Bhutan and Qatar join the United Nations.
• 1957Pamir, a four-masted barque, was shipwrecked and sank off the Azores during Hurricane Carrie.
• 1953Lieutenant No Kum-sok, a North Korean pilot, defects to South Korea with his jet fighter.
• 1938The Great New England Hurricane made landfall on Long Island, New York, killing an estimated 682 people and injuring 1,754 others.
• 1934The Muroto typhoon, the strongest in Japanese history at the time, made landfall on the mainland, killing more than 3,000 and leaving around 200,000 homeless.
• 1933Salvador Lutteroth establishes Mexican professional wrestling.
• 1862Taiping Rebellion: The Ever Victorious Army defeats Taiping forces at the Battle of Cixi.
• 1809British Secretary of War Lord Castlereagh and Foreign Secretary George Canning meet in a duel on Putney Heath, with Castlereagh wounding Canning in the thigh.
• 1776American Revolutionary War: The Great Fire of New York (depicted) broke out during the British occupation of New York City, destroying up to 1,000 buildings.
• 1675Led by Antonio de Vea, a Spanish naval expedition departed El Callao, Peru, for the fjords and channels of Patagonia to find whether rival colonial powers were in the region.
• 1170Norman invasion of Ireland: English and Irish forces conquered Dublin, forcing Ascall mac Ragnaill, the last Norse–Gaelic king of Dublin, into exile.

Born on 21 September

• 1980Kareena Kapoor, Indian actressIndia
• 1977Kārlis Lācis, Latvian pianist and composer
• 1939Agnivesh, Indian philosopher, academic, and politician (died 2020)India
• 1936Yury Luzhkov, Russian soldier and politician, 2nd Mayor of Moscow (died 2019)
• 1882Geevarghese Ivanios, Indian metropolitan (died 1953)India
• 1411Richard of York, 3rd Duke of York, English politician, Lord Protector of England (died 1460)

Died on 21 September

• 2022Raju Srivastav, Indian comedian, actor and politician (born 1963)India
• 1992Tarachand Barjatya, Indian film producer, founded Rajshri Productions (born 1914)India
• 1629Jan Pieterszoon Coen, Governor-General of the Dutch East Indies (born 1587)
• 1558Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor (born 1500)

Frequently asked questions

What happened on 21 September in history?

2019: A 5.6 Mw earthquake shakes the Albanian port of Durrës. Forty-nine people are injured in the capital, Tirana. 2013: Al-Shabaab Islamic militants attack the Westgate shopping mall in Kenya, killing at least 67 people. 1999: A 7.7 Mw earthquake struck Jiji, Taiwan, killing 2,415 people, injuring more than 11,000 others and causing about NT$300 billion (US$10 billion) in damage across the island. 1984: Brunei joins the United Nations.

What happened on 21 September in Indian history?

1968: The Soviet Union's Zond 5 landed in the Indian Ocean, becoming the first spacecraft to safely return to Earth after travelling around the Moon. 1934: Chandrashekhar Agashe established the Brihan Maharashtra Sugar Syndicate Ltd., one of the oldest companies in India.

Which famous people were born on 21 September?

Kareena Kapoor, Indian actress (1980); Kārlis Lācis, Latvian pianist and composer (1977); Agnivesh, Indian philosopher, academic, and politician (died 2020) (1939); Yury Luzhkov, Russian soldier and politician, 2nd Mayor of Moscow (died 2019) (1936).

Which day is observed on 21 September?

International Day of Peace; Autumnal equinox observances in the Northern Hemisphere, vernal equinox observances in the Southern Hemisphere (see September 22): Spring Da; Arbor Day (Brazil); Commemoration of the Declaration of Martial Law (Philippines); Customs Service Day (Poland).