Anniversaries and commemorations come and go daily. Most of us, even the best historians, miss most occasions. If we think of history as events then we are faced with a continually showering in the grains of sand. Nevertheless, we do pick out certain patterns in the remembrance of historical dates. The blog here reminds us of some dates where the local, state, national, and global perspectives entwine.
On 21, Thursday December 1843, The first total solar eclipse of Saros 139 occurs over southern Asia.
On 21, Monday December 1868, George W. Fuller born, American sanitation engineer (d. 1934)
On 21, Saturday December 1918, Estonian War of Independence: The Red Army captures Tartu, Estonia.
On 21, Saturday December 1918, Fred Gloden born, American football player
On 21, Saturday December 1918, Donald Regan born, American Treasury Secretary, White House Chief of Staff (d. 2003)
On 21, Saturday December 1918, Kurt Waldheim born, President of Austria, Secretary-General of the United Nations (d. 2007)
On 21, Saturday December 1918, Prince Konrad of Hohenlohe-Waldenburg-Schillingsfürst died, Austrian statesman, former Prime Minister (b. 1863)
On 21, Tuesday December 1943, Jack Nance born, American actor (d. 1996)
On 21, Sunday December 1958, General Charles de Gaulle is elected president of France with 78.5% of the votes.
On 21, Sunday December 1958, Kevin Blackwell born, English football manager
On 21, Sunday December 1958, Lion Feuchtwanger died, German novelist and playwright (b. 1884)
On 21, Sunday December 1958, H. B. Warner died, English actor (b. 1875)
On 21, Saturday December 1968, Khrystyne Haje born, American actress
On 21, Saturday December 1968, Vanessa Marquez (actress) American actress (d. 2018)
On 21, Thursday December 1978, Shaun Morgan born, South African musician and singer-songwriter
On 21, Wednesday December 1988, Pan Am Flight 103 is blown up over Lockerbie, Scotland, killing a total of 270 people. Those responsible are believed to be Libyans.
On 21, Wednesday December 1988, Drexel Burnham Lambert agreed to plead guilty to insider trading and other violations and pay penalties of US$650 million.
On 21, Wednesday December 1988, Bob Steele died, American actor (b. 1907)
On 21, Wednesday December 1988, Nikolaas Tinbergen died, Dutch ornithologist, recipient of the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine (b. 1907)
On 21, Tuesday December 1993, The Native Title Act is passed, which extinguishes indigenous claims to land except those on pastoral leases. Federal Opposition Leader John Hewson declares that the legislation is “monstrous”, while Premiers Jeff Kennett and Richard Court state that it would be unworkable.
On 21, Tuesday December 1993, Jinger Vuolo born, American author
On 21, Monday December 1998, Roger Avon died, British actor (b. 1914)
On 21, Monday December 1998, Richard Turnbull died, British colonial governor (b. 1909)
On 21, Saturday December 2013, Peter Geach, British philosopher (b. 1916), died.
Other On This Day days in history
Neville Buch
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