What are the important events that happened on October 21? Here are historical events, facts, and some myths about this day.

October 21: Facts & Myths About This Day

October 21 is the 294^th day of the year 2025 in the Gregorian calendar. There are 71 days remaining until the end of this year. The day of the week is Tuesday.

Under the Julian calendar, this day is October 8, 2025 – a Tuesday. Both day of the week are the same but did you notice the difference with the Gregorian calendar?

When this day started, 29,350,080 minutes has elapsed since midnight of January 1, 1970 – the Unix epoch.

Strange as it may, if we name this day after a polygon then it will be called ‘dihectaenneacontatetragon’ day.

Libra is the zodiac sign of a person born on this day. Opal is the modern birthstone for this month. Jasper is the mystical birthstone from Tibetan origin that dates back over a thousand years.

According to the lunisolar Chinese calendar, there are 119 days remaining before the start of the next Chinese New Year.

The ancient Maya civilization believes that the end of the world will happen on December 21, 2012. There are now 4,687 days since this fabled cataclysmic event.

October 21 Historical Events

• 1520 –
  João Álvares Fagundes discovers the islands of Saint-Pierre and Miquelon, bestowing them their original name of “Islands of the 11,000 Virgins”.
• 1805 –
  Napoleonic Wars: Battle of Trafalgar: A British fleet led by Vice Admiral Lord Nelson defeats a combined French and Spanish fleet off the coast of Spain under Admiral Villeneuve. It signals almost the end of French maritime power and leaves Britain’s navy unchallenged until the 20th century.
• 1816 –
  The Penang Free School is founded in George Town, Penang, Malaysia, by the Rev Hutchings. It is the oldest English-language school in Southeast Asia.
• 1854 –
  Florence Nightingale and a staff of 38 nurses are sent to the Crimean War.
• 1912 –
  During the First Balkan War, Kardzhali is liberated by Bulgarian forces
• 1921 –
  George Melford’s silent film, The Sheik, starring Rudolph Valentino, premiers.
• 1944 –
  World War II: The first kamikaze attack: A Japanese plane carrying a 200 kg bomb attacks HMAS Australia off Leyte Island, as the Battle of Leyte Gulf began.
• 1979 –
  Moshe Dayan resigns from the Israeli government because of strong disagreements with Prime Minister Menachem Begin over policy towards the Arabs.
• 1986 –
  In Lebanon, pro-Iranian kidnappers claim to have abducted American writer Edward Tracy (he is released in August 1991).
• 1987 –
  Jaffna hospital massacre is carried out by Indian Peace Keeping Force in Sri Lanka killing 70 ethnic Tamil patients, doctors and nurses.

Who were born on October 21?

• 1911 –
  Mary Blair, American artist and illustrator, best remembered for her Disney work (d. 1978)
• 1942 –
  Allan Grice, Australian racing driver
• 1953 –
  Peter Mandelson, British politician
• 1968 –
  Kerstin Andreae, German politician
• 1969 –
  Mo Lewis, American football player
• 1971 –
  Jade Jagger, socialite and jewellery Designer
• 1972 –
  Matthew Friedberger, American musician (The Fiery Furnaces)
• 1980 –
  Brian Pittman, American musician (Relient K)
• 1982 –
  Tim Wildsmith, American musician
• 1986 –
  Natalee Holloway, American missing person (missing since 2005)

Who died on October 21?

• 1623 –
  William Wade, English statesman and diplomat (b. 1546)
• 1687 –
  Sir Edmund Waller, English poet (b. 1606)
• 1765 –
  Giovanni Paolo Pannini, Italian painter and architect (b. 1691)
• 1805 –
  Horatio Nelson, Royal Navy admiral (b. 1758)
• 1944 –
  Alois Kayser, German missionary to Nauru (b. 1877)
• 1969 –
  Waclaw Sierpinski, Polish mathematician (b. 1882)
• 1973 –
  Nasif Estéfano, Argentine racing driver (b. 1932)
• 1980 –
  Hans Asperger, Austrian psychologist (b. 1906)
• 1995 –
  Jesús Blasco, Spanish comic book author (b. 1919)
• 1998 –
  Francis W. Sargent, 64th Governor of Massachusetts (b. 1915)