What Happened on May 21
Significant Events
- 1792 Mount Unzen on Japan's Shimabara Peninsula, erupts creating a tsunami, killing about 15,000; Japan's deadliest volcanic eruption
- 1832 1st Democratic National Convention (Baltimore)
- 1871 -July 28] French regular troops attack Commune of Paris; 17,000 die
- 1927 Aviator Charles Lindbergh, in the Spirit of St Louis, lands in Paris after the first solo air crossing of Atlantic
- 1932 After flying for 17 hours from Newfoundland, Amelia Earhart lands near Londonderry, Northern Ireland, becoming the 1st transatlantic solo flight by a woman
May 21 in Film & TV
- 1908 1st horror movie (Dr Jekyll & Mr Hyde) premieres in Chicago
May 21 in Music
- 1981 Reggae musician Bob Marley receives a Jamaican state funeral
May 21 in Sport
- 1904 Federation Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) forms in Paris
Did You Know?
All My Children star Susan Lucci finally wins a Daytime Emmy after being nominated 19 times, the longest period of unsuccessful nominations in television history
On May 21, 1999
Aurelia Cotta
Philip II
Alexander Pope
Andrei Sakharov
Tony Sheridan
Jeffrey DahmerWould You Believe?
Stanislav Petrov awarded World Citizen Award for averting a potential nuclear war in 1983 after correctly guessing Russian early warning system at fault
On May 21, 2004
Famous Weddings
- 1553 Lady Jane Grey (15), later English queen for 9 days, marries Lord Guildford Dudley (18)
- 1825 Prince Willem FK marries Louise AWA of Prussia
- 1944 Actor Burgess Meredith (36) weds actress Paulette Goddard (33) at David O Selznick's Beverly Hills home
- 1945 Director Akira Kurosawa (35) weds actress Yoko Yaguchi (23)
- 1949 Film director David Lean (41) weds actress and producer Ann Todd (40) in London
Hernando de Soto
Archibald Primrose
Jane Addams
John GielgudMay in History
My Fair Lady's Special Day
This was a day to remember for Eliza Doolittle, the 'My Fair Lady' of the stage and film musical that won and broke hearts.
May 20, 1956
Memories of Elvis
Only one actor has appeared on film with both the Beatles and Elvis Presley: the little-known Norman Rossington.
May 21, 1999
President Falls From Grace
Paul Deschanel had the makings of a fine President of France – until a series of bizarre incidents culminated in him falling out the window of a moving train.
May 23, 1920
Ship that Changed the Face of Britain
Britain was on its knees after the Second World War, its economy and infrastructure in tatters. For help the Mother Country turned to the Commonwealth.
May 27, 1948