What Happened on Oct 21

Benjamin Franklin Observes Movement of Storms

One of Franklin's first recorded observations of weather patterns occurred in October of 1743, when he planned to observe an eclipse of the moon.... Read more

Battle of Trafalgar

The Battle of Trafalgar was a naval engagement fought by the British Royal Navy against the combined fleets of the French Navy and Spanish Navy,... Read more

Battle of Ball's Bluff - Union Soldiers Captured

The Battle of Ball's Bluff, also known as the Battle of Harrison’s Island or the Battle of Leesburg, was fought on October 21, 1861, in Loudoun... Read more

Battle of Camp Wildcat - Confederates Chased from Cumberland Gap

The Battle of Camp Wildcat (also known as Wildcat Mountain and Camp Wild Cat) was one of the early engagements of the American Civil War. It... Read more

Battle of Fredericktown - Union Forces Consolidate Control of Southeastern Missouri

The Battle of Fredericktown was an engagement of the American Civil War. It took place on October 21, 1861, in Madison County, Missouri. Union... Read more

Battle of Little Blue River

Description: Price’s march along the Missouri River was slow, providing the Yankees a chance to concentrate. Maj. Gen. William S. Rosecrans,... Read more

Second Battle of Independence

Description: Maj. Gen. Sterling Price’s army rode west in the direction of Kansas City. On the night of the 21st, he camped at Independence and... Read more

Dizzy Gillespie is born

John Birks "Dizzy" Gillespie (October 21, 1917 – January 6, 1993) was an American jazz trumpeter, bandleader, singer, and composer. He was born in... Read more

"The Awful Truth" Is Released

The Awful Truth is a 1937 screwball comedy film starring Irene Dunne and Cary Grant. The plot concerns the machinations of a soon-to-be-divorced... Read more

Advisory Committee on Uranium Holds Meeting Determining the Potential for Weaponizing of Uranium Ore

In August 1939, prominent physicists Leó Szilárd and Eugene Wigner drafted the Einstein–Szilárd letter, which warned of the potential development... Read more

'For Whom the Bell Tolls' is Published

This novel is told primarily through the thoughts and experiences of Robert Jordan, a character inspired by Hemingway's own experiences in the... Read more

American Forces Capture German City of Aachen

Aachen was a battle in Aachen, Germany, which occurred between 2–21 October 1944. By September 1944, the Wehrmacht had been pushed into Germany... Read more

Patricia Ann Reagan is Born

Patti Davis (born Patricia Ann Reagan on October 21, 1952 in Los Angeles, California) is the daughter of former President of the United States... Read more

Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum Opens

The Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum of modern and contemporary art opened in New York City on October 21, 1959. Designed by architect Frank Lloyd... Read more

Final Debate Airs Between Vice President Richard M. Nixon And Senator John F. Kennedy

On October 21, 1960, American viewers were riveted to their television sets for the broadcast of the fourth and final debate between Vice President... Read more

John F. Kennedy Decides to "Quarantine" Cuba in Response to Nuclear Threat

On October 21st, ExComm, and President Kennedy decided that a quarantine was the best course of action. The administration called it a quarantine,... Read more

Aberfan Disaster

On 21 October, 1966 Tip No 7 which forms part of the main complex of tips at Aberfan slipped and descended upon part of the village killing 116... Read more

An Estimated 100,000 People Gather at Lincoln Memorial in First National Demonstration Against the Vietnam War

[On] October 21, 1967, a large demonstration took place at the Lincoln Memorial in Washington. As many as 100,000 demonstrators attended the event,... Read more

Jade Jagger is Born to Mick and Bianca Jagger

Jade was born in Belvedere Nursing Home in Paris, France. She spent her early years living with her parents on London’s fashionable Cheyne Walk in... Read more

1975 World Series Game 6 Red Sox 7 - Reds 6

I was 10 years old when this game happened. I remember staying up very late to watch this game and was so excited when Fisk hit his game ending... Read more

The Frederick Valentich Disappearance

During the evening of October 21, 1978, twenty year old Australian Pilot Frederick Valentich disappeared over Bass Strait, while flying from... Read more

"The Right Stuff" Is Released

The Right Stuff is a 1983 American film adaptation of Tom Wolfe's 1979 book The Right Stuff about the test pilots who were involved in high-speed... Read more

Aerosmith releases Done with Mirrors

Done with Mirrors is the eighth studio album by American hard rock band Aerosmith and marked the return of Joe Perry and Brad Whitford to the fold.... Read more

"Weird Al" Yankovic releases Polka Party!

Polka Party! is the fourth studio album by "Weird Al" Yankovic, released in 1986. The album is the third of Yankovic's to be produced by former The... Read more

Apple Releases PowerBook Models, first Laptop Computers

In October 1991 Apple released the first three PowerBooks: the low-end PowerBook 100, the more powerful PowerBook 140, and the high end PowerBook... Read more