A Day in the Past

On this day: 21 July

139 things happened on 21 July, from AD 230 to 2024. UK stories come first, then the rest of the world.

Printable worksheet Take the quiz

In the UK 5

UK history first: stories from England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.

Around the world 35

1774 252 years ago

Russo-Turkish War (1768–74): Russia and the Ottoman Empire sign the Treaty of Küçük Kaynarca ending the war. It is the first time that an Ottoman ruler surrendered territory largely populated by Muslims and the first time that a separation of secular and spiritual authority in the Ottoman Empire was established.

War & peace Find out more: Russo-Turkish War (1768–1774) (Wikipedia)
1959 67 years ago

Elijah Jerry "Pumpsie" Green becomes the first African-American to play for the Boston Red Sox, the last team to integrate. He came in as a pinch runner for Vic Wertz and stayed in as shortstop in a 2–1 loss to the Chicago White Sox.

Sport Find out more: Pumpsie Green (Wikipedia)
2011 15 years ago

NASA's Space Shuttle program ends with the landing of Space Shuttle Atlantis on mission STS-135 at NASA's Kennedy Space Center.

Space Find out more: NASA (Wikipedia)
2023 3 years ago

The Barbenheimer phenomenon begins as two major motion pictures, Greta Gerwig's fantasy comedy Barbie and Christopher Nolan's epic biographical thriller Oppenheimer, are released in theaters on the same day and audiences, instead of creating a rivalry between the extremely dissimilar films, instead attend and praise both as an informal, surreal double feature.

Art, books & music Find out more: Barbenheimer (Wikipedia)
2024 2 years ago

U.S. President Joe Biden announces he will no longer seek a second term and withdraws from the 2024 election, endorsing Vice President Kamala Harris as she launches her own presidential campaign.

Laws & government Find out more: Joe Biden (Wikipedia)

Quick quiz

Every answer is somewhere on this page. Have a go, then check!

  1. In which year did this happen: “Malcolm Campbell becomes the first man to exceed 150 mph (241 km/h) on land”?

    1. 1925
    2. 1832
    3. 1403
    Show the answer

    A: 1925. 1925 — that’s 101 years ago. Find it on the page

  2. In which year did this happen: “Battle of Shrewsbury: King Henry IV of England defeats rebels to the north of”?

    1. 1403
    2. 1966
    3. 1989
    Show the answer

    A: 1403. 1403 — that’s 623 years ago. Find it on the page

  3. Which of these happened first?

    1. Malcolm Campbell becomes the first man to exceed 150 mph (241 km/h) on land
    2. Battle of Taillebourg: Louis IX of France puts an end to the revolt of his
    3. Battle of Shrewsbury: King Henry IV of England defeats rebels to the north of
    Show the answer

    B: Battle of Taillebourg: Louis IX of France puts an end to the revolt of his. 1925: Malcolm Campbell becomes the first man to exceed 150 mph (241 km/h) on land · 1242: Battle of Taillebourg: Louis IX of France puts an end to the revolt of his · 1403: Battle of Shrewsbury: King Henry IV of England defeats rebels to the north of Find it on the page

  4. “Battle of Taillebourg: Louis IX of France puts an end to the revolt of his” happened in 1242. How many years ago was that?

    1. 784 years
    2. 794 years
    3. 774 years
    Show the answer

    A: 784 years. 2026 − 1242 = 784. Find it on the page

Born on this day 40

Famous people whose birthday is 21 July.

Remembering 17

Well-known people who died on 21 July.

Special days 13

Festivals, holidays and saints’ days celebrated on 21 July somewhere in the world.

For older readers 29 Show stories about war, disasters, crime and other difficult history

Content note: these entries mention things like war, violence, deaths, disasters or crime. They are part of history, but they can be upsetting. Grown-ups and teachers: you may want to read them first. They come straight from Wikipedia and have not been rewritten for children.

Where these facts come from

Stories with a heading have been written for young readers by A Day in the Past, using the linked articles as sources. Other entries show text from Wikipedia’s “July 21” page and its “On this day” feed, written by Wikipedia contributors and shared under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 licence. Each “Read more” link goes to the article an entry is based on. Photos are credited under each picture. Spotted a mistake? Please tell us.