What Happened on May 21
Important 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 of Spain
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
Hernando de Soto
Archibald Primrose
Jane Addams
Rajiv Gandhi
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, 1956Memories of Elvis
Only one actor has appeared on film with both the Beatles and Elvis Presley: the little-known Norman Rossington.
May 21, 1999President 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, 1920Westminster Bridge Defies a King and the Church
London's present Westminster Bridge was opened on this day, bringing to an end years of conflict which even involved the payment of a big bribe to the King.
May 24, 1862
