November 21

Events
Up to 1900
235 - Antenus succeeds Pontian as Pope.
1386 - Timur of Samarkand captures and sacks the Georgian capital city of Tbilisi.
1620 - The Pilgrim Fathers sign the Mayflower Compact near Cape Cod.
1694 - French philosopher Voltaire is born.
1710 - The Fourth Russo-Turkish War begins.
1783 - The Montgolfier brothers make the first hot-air balloon flight.
1789 - North Carolina becomes the 12th State of the US.
1861 - American Civil War: Confederate President Jefferson Davis appoints Judah Benjamin as Secretary of War.
1877 - Thomas Edison announces that he has invented the phonograph.
1894 - First Sino-Japanese War: Port Arthur, Manchuria, falls to the Japanese.
1901 2000
1905 - Albert Einstein's paper Does the Inertia of a Body depend on Its Energy Content ? is published in the journal Annalen der Physik.
1916 - A mine explodes and sinks the British hospital ship HMHS Britannic in the Aegean Sea, killing 30 people.
1916 - Emperor Franz Joseph I of Austria dies aged 86. His nephew, Charles I of Austria, becomes the last Emperor of the Austro-Hungarian Empire.
1918 - The Flag of Estonia is formally adopted.
1920 - Irish War of Independence: In Dublin, 31 people are killed in what becomes known as "Bloody Sunday". They are 14 British informants, 14 Irish civilians and 3 Irish Republican Army prisoners.
1922 - Rebecca Latimer Felton becomes the first female United States Senator, though she has to leave office a day later. She is also the oldest US Senator to take office (at age 87), the shortest-serving US Senator ever, and the last US Senator to have owned slaves.
1942 - The completion of the Alaska Highway is celebrated.
1945 - The United Auto Workers strike at 92 General Motors plants in 50 cities to back up worker demands for a 30% pay rise.
1950 - Two Canadian National Railway trains collide in Northeastern British Columbia, killing 21 people.
1953 - The British History Museum announces that the Piltdown Man skull is a hoax.
1962 - The Chinese People's Liberation Army declares a unilateral ceasfire in the Sino-Indian War.
1963 - John F. Kennedy arrives in Dallas, Texas, a day before his assassination in the city.
1964 - The Verrazano-Narrows Bridge is opened to traffic over the Hudson River.
1969 - President of the United States Richard Nixon and Prime Minister of Japan Eisaku Sato agree to the return of Okinawa to Japan in 1972. The United States keeps its right to have military bases on the island, as long as they are nuclear-free.
1972 - South Korean voters support a new constitution
1974 - In the United Kingdom, the Birmingham Pub Bombings kill 21 people.
1979 - The United States Embassy in Islamabad, Pakistan, is attacked by a mob, and set on fire, killing four people.
1980 - In the TV series Dallas, the episode to find out who shot JR Ewing is first broadcast, setting the record-high for a US TV audience.
1980 - Fire breaks out at the MGM Grand Hotel in Paradise, Nevada, kills 87 people.
1986 - Oliver North starts shredding documents relating to his and Ronald Reagan's roles in the Iran-Contra Affair.
1995 - The Dayton Peace Agreement is signed in Dayton, Ohio, ending years of war in Bosnia and Herzegovina.
1999 - China's first spacecraft, Shenzhou 1, lands safely back on Earth.
From 2001
2002 - NATO invites Bulgaria, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania to become members.
2004 - In Ukraine's Presidential election, Viktor Yanukovych is declared as the winner, leading to the Orange Revolution, after suspicions of vote-rigging. Many people protest in favour of the defeated candidate Viktor Yushchenko, who wins the re-run of the election on December 26.
2004 - The Caribbean islands of Dominica and Guadeloupe are hit by a strong earthquake.
2005 - Prime Minister of Israel Ariel Sharon founds a new political party, the Kadima Party.
2006 - Anti-Syrian Lebanese politician Pierre Amine Gemayel is murdered in downtown Beirut.
2009 - A mine explosion in Heilongjiang province in northern China kills 108 people.
2010 - Eurozone Debt Crisis: It is announced that the Republic of Ireland requires a bail-out from the Eurozone.
2012 - The only surviving perpetrator of the 26 November 2008 Mumbai attacks, Ajmal Kasab, is executed.
2012 - After a week of war between Israel and Gaza, an agreement is reached on a truce.
2013 - The roof of a supermarket collapses in Riga, Latvia, killing 54 people, including three firefighters.
2013 - Euromaidan: Protests begin in Ukraine after President Viktor Yanukovych abandons a deal with the EU over closer relations with Russia.
2017 - A bomb attack on a mosque in Mubi, Adamawa State, North-eastern Nigeria, kills 50 people.
2017 - Robert Mugabe resigns as President of Zimbabwe, after an impeachment process was started against him. He had been in power for 37 years (Prime Minister from 1980 to 1987 and President since 1987).
Births
Up to 1900
1495 - John Bale, English churchman (d. 1563)
1567 - Anne de Xainctonge, French saint (d. 1621)
1582 - Francois Maynard, French poet (d. 1646)
1643 - Rene-Robert Cavelier de La Salle, French explorer (d. 1687)
1692 - Carlo Innocenzio Maria Frugoni, Italian poet (d. 1768)
1694 - Francois-Marie Arouet (later known as Voltaire), French philosopher (d. 1778)
1718 - Friedrich Wilhelm Marpurg, German music critic, music theorist and composer (d. 1795)
1729 - Josiah Bartlett, American politician (d. 1795)
1761 - Dorothy Jordan, British actress and royal mistress (d. 1816)
1768 - Friedrich Daniel Ernst Schleiermacher, German theologian and philosopher (d. 1834)
1787 - Samuel Cunard, shipping magnate (d. 1865)
1811 - Zeng Guofan, Chinese military leader (d. 1872)
1818 - Lewis Henry Morgan, American lawyer, anthropologist and writer (d. 1881)
1835 - Hetty Green, American businesswoman (d. 1916)
1840 - Victoria, Princess Royal (d. 1901)
1845 - Otto Warth, German architect (d. 1918)
1852 - Francisco Tarrega, Spanish guitarist and composer (d. 1909)
1853 - Hussein Kamel, Sultan of Egypt (d. 1917)
1854 - Pope Benedict XV (d. 1922)
1866 - Konishiki Yasokichi I, Japanese sumo wrestler (d. 1914)
1868 - Duke Peter Alexandrovich of Oldenburg (d. 1924)
1870 - Sigfrid Edstrom, Swedish sports official (d. 1964)
1870 - Alexander Berkman, American activist and author (d. 1936)
1870 - Joe Darling, Australian cricketer (d. 1946)
1876 - Olav Duun, Norwegian writer (d. 1939)
1878 - Gustav Radbruch, German law professor (d. 1949)
1878 - Ibra Charles Blackwood, Governor of South Carolina (d. 1936)
1882 - Paul Niehans, physicist (d.1971)
1882 - Harold Lowe, Welsh 5th Officer of the RMS Titanic (d. 1944)
1898 - Rene Magritte, Belgian painter (d. 1967)
1899 - Harekrushna Mahatab, Indian journalist and politician, 1st Chief Minister of Odisha (d. 1987)
1901 1950
1902 - Foster Hewitt, Canadian radio pioneer (d. 1985)
1902 - Isaac Bashevis Singer, Polish-born writer (d. 1991)
1902 - Ferenc Hirzer, Hungarian footballer (d. 1957)
1902 - Mikhail Suslov, Soviet statesman (d. 1982)
1904 - Coleman Hawkins, American jazz musician (d. 1969)
1912 - Eleanor Powell, American actress and dancer (d. 1983)
1913 - Tomie Ohtake, Japanese-Brazilian artist (d. 2015)
1913 - Roy Boulting, English movie director and producer (d. 2001)
1913 - John Boulting, English director (d. 1985)
1913 - Gunnar Kangro, Estonian mathematician (d. 1975)
1914 - Henri Laborit, French physician and philosopher (d. 1995)
1916 - Sid Luckman, American football player (d. 1998)
1920 - Ralph Meeker, actor (d. 1988)
1920 - Stan Musial, American baseball player (d. 2013)
1921 - Vivian Blaine, actress (d. 1995)
1922 - Maria Casares, Spanish-born actress (d. 1996)
1922 - Abe Lemons, American basketball player and coach (d. 2002)
1923 - Margaret Lyons, Canadian radio executive (d. 2019)
1924 - Joseph Campanella, American actor (d. 2018)
1924 - Milka Planinc, Prime Minister of Yugoslavia (d. 2010)
1924 - Christopher Tolkien, British writer
1925 - Xie Jin, Chinese movie director (d. 2008)
1926 - William Wakefield Baum, American cardinal (d. 2015)
1930 - Bryn Meredith, Welsh rugby player
1931 - Revaz Dogonadze, Georgian scientist (d. 1985)
1931 - Malcolm Williamson, composer (d. 2003)
1932 - Beryl Bainbridge, British writer (d. 2010)
1933 - Henry Hartsfield, American colonel, pilot and astronaut (d. 2014)
1935 - Fairuz, Lebanese singer
1936 - Victor Chang, Australian doctor, heart transplant pioneer (d. 1991)
1937 - Ingrid Pitt, British actress (d. 2010)
1937 - Marlo Thomas, American actress
1939 - R. Budd Dwyer, American politician (d. 1987)
1940 - Dr. John, American musician (d. 2019)
1941 - Juliet Mills, American actress
1941 - Julio Anguita, Spanish politician
1942 - Heidemarie Wieczorek-Zeul, German politician
1942 - Afa Anoa'i, Samoan-American wrestler and manager
1943 - Jacques Laffite, French racing driver
1943 - Phil Bredesen, American politician, 48th Governor of Tennessee
1944 - Earl Monroe, American basketball player
1944 - Dick Durbin, American politician, United States Senator for Illinois
1944 - Harold Ramis, American actor, comedian, screenwriter, director and producer (d. 2014)
1945 - Goldie Hawn, American singer and actress
1946 - Emma Cohen, Spanish actress, director, producer and writer (d. 2016)
1948 - Michel Suleiman, 16th President of Lebanon
1948 - Alphonse Mouzon, American musician, composer and producer
1950 - Tommy Craig, Scottish footballer
1950 - Alberto Juantorena, Cuban athlete
1951 1975
1952 - Pedro Lemebel, Chilean writer (d. 2015)
1952 - Lorna Luft, American singer and actress
1952 - Deborah Shelton, actress
1955 - Cedric Maxwell, American basketball player
1956 - John Holt, Scottish footballer
1956 - Cherry Jones, American actress
1959 - Sergei Ratnikov, Estonian footballer and manager
1960 - Brian McNamara, American actor
1962 - Sabine Busch, German athlete
1962 - Stephen Curtis Chapman, American singer-songwriter, guitarist and producer
1963 - Andrew Fairlie, Scottish chef (d. 2019)
1963 - Nicollette Sheridan, British actress
1964 - Troy Aikman, American football player
1964 - Shane Douglas, American professional wrestler
1964 - Charles Dunstone, English businessman, founder of Carphone Warehouse
1964 - Liza Tarbuck, English actress
1965 - Bjork, Icelandic singer, songwriter, musician and actress
1965 - Alexander Siddig, British actor
1965 - Reggie Lewis, American basketball player (d. 1993)
1966 - Troy Aikman, American football player
1966 - Evgeny Bareev, Russian chess player
1967 - Toshihiko Koga, Japanese judoka
1968 - Alex James, British musician (Blur)
1969 - Ken Griffey, Jr., American baseball player
1970 - Justin Langer, Australian cricketer
1970 - Dante Washington, American soccer player
1971 - Michael Strahan, American football player
1972 - Rain Phoenix, American actress and singer
1972 - David Tua, Samoan boxer
1973 - Brook Kerr, American actress
1973 - Marko Lelov, Estonian footballer and manager
From 1976
1977 - Jonas Jennings, American football player
1977 - Bruno Berner, Swiss footballer
1978 - Sara Tanaka, American actress
1978 - Lucia Jimenez, Spanish actress and singer
1979 - Vincenzo Iaquinta, Italian footballer
1979 - Alex Tanguay, Canadian ice hockey player
1979 - Kim Dong-wan, South Korean entertainer
1979 - Stromile Swift, American basketball player
1980 - Hank Blalock, American baseball player
1982 - Georgios Kalogiannidis, Greek archer
1983 - Brie Bella, American professional wrestler
1983 - Nikki Bella, American professional wrestler
1984 - Jena Malone, American actress
1985 - Jesus Navas, Spanish footballer
1985 - Carly Rae Jepsen, Canadian singer
1985 - Nicola Silvestri, Italian footballer
1985 - Michael Hamlin, American football player
1986 - Ben Bishop, American ice hockey player
1986 - Kristof Goddaert, Belgian cyclist (d. 2014)
1988 - Eric Frenzel, German skier
1988 - Larry Sanders, American basketball player
1989 - Fabian Delph, English footballer
1990 - Dani Lang, English cyclist
1990 - Georgie Twigg, English field hockey player
1991 - Woohee, South Korean singer-songwriter, actress and model
1992 - Rino Sashihara, Japanese singer (AKB48)
1992 - Conor Maynard, British singer
1999 - Isaiah Firebrace, Australian singer
Deaths
Up to 1900
496 - Pope Gelasius I
615 - Columbianus, Irish missionary (b. 543)
1011 - Emperor Reizei of Japan (b. 950)
1361 - Philip I, Duke of Burgundy (plague) (b. 1346)
1555 - Georg Agricola, German scientist (b. 1490)
1652 - Jan Brozek, Polish mathematician, physician and astronomer (b. 1585)
1695 - Henry Purcell, English composer (b. 1659)
1782 - Jacques de Vaucanson, French engineer (b. 1709)
1811 - Heinrich von Kleist, German writer (b. 1777)
1844 - Ivan Krylov, Russian mathematician (b. 1769)
1870 - Karel Jaromir Erben, Czech historian and poet (b. 1811)
1874 - Mariano Fortuny, Spanish painter (b. 1838)
1875 - Friedrich Albert Lange, German philosopher (b. 1828)
1899 - Garret Hobart, Vice President of the United States (b. 1844)
1901 2000
1908 - Carl Friedrich Schmidt, Baltic German geologist and botanist (b. 1832)
1909 - Peder Severin Kroyer, Norwegian-Danish painter (b. 1851)
1916 - Emperor Franz Joseph I of Austria (b. 1830)
1924 - Florence Harding, First Lady of the United States (b. 1860)
1928 - Heinrich XXVII, Prince Reuss Younger Line, German aristocrat (b. 1858)
1938 - Leopold Godowsky, Polish-American pianist and composer (b. 1870)
1942 - Leopold Graf Berchtold, Austro-Hungarian foreign minister (b. 1863)
1942 - J. B. M. Hertzog, South African politician (b. 1866)
1945 - Robert Benchley, writer and actor (b. 1889)
1953 - Larry Shields, American jazz musician (b. 1893)
1957 - Francis Burton Harrison, American political figure (b. 1873)
1958 - Mel Ott, American baseball player, manager and sportscaster (b. 1909)
1959 - Max Baer, American boxer (b. 1909)
1963 - Artur Lemba, Estonian composer and educator (b. 1885)
1963 - Robert Stroud, American criminal and ornithologist, known as the "Birdman of Alcatraz" (b. 1890)
1969 - Mutesa II of Buganda, President of Uganda (b. 1924)
1970 - C. V. Raman, Indian physicist (b. 1888)
1970 - Newsy Lalonde, Canadian ice hockey player (b. 1887)
1974 - John B. Gambling, American radio talk-show host (b. 1897)
1974 - Frank Martin, Swiss composer (b. 1890)
1975 - Gunnar Gunnarsson, Icelandic writer (b. 1889)
1986 - Jerry Colonna, American comedian and singer (b. 1904)
1988 - Carl Hubbell, American baseball player (b. 1903)
1992 - Kaysone Phomvihane, President of Laos (b. 1920)
1993 - Bill Bixby, American actor and director (b. 1934)
1995 - Noel Jones, British diplomat (b. 1940)
1996 - Abdus Salam, Pakistani physicist (b. 1926)
1999 - Quentin Crisp, British writer, satirist, actor (b. 1908)
2000 - Emil Zatopek, Czech athlete (b. 1922)
From 2001
2001 - Salahuddin of Malaysia, King of Malaysia (b. 1926)
2002 - Hadda Brooks, American singer, pianist and composer (b. 1916)
2005 - Alfred Anderson, Scottish World War I veteran (b. 1896)
2006 - Hassan Gouled Aptidon, first President of Djibouti (b. 1916)
2006 - Pierre Amine Gemayel, Lebanese politician (b. 1972)
2007 - Fernando Fernan Gomez, Spanish actor, movie director, theatre director, and playwright (b. 1921)
2009 - Konstantin Feoktistov, Soviet cosmonaut (b. 1926)
2010 - David Nolan, American activist (b. 1943)
2011 - Greg Halman, Dutch baseball player (b. 1987)
2011 - Anne McCaffrey, American writer (b. 1926)
2012 - Ajmal Kasab, Pakistani terrorist (b. 1987)
2012 - Deborah Raffin, American actress (b. 1953)
2013 - Maurice Vachon, Canadian professional wrestler (b. 1929)
2013 - Vern Mikkelsen, American basketball player (b. 1928)
2014 - John H. Land, American politician, Mayor of Apopka, Florida (b. 1920)
2015 - Ameen Faheem, Pakistani politician (b. 1939)
2015 - Linda Haglund, Swedish sprinter (b. 1956)
2015 - Bob Foster, American boxer (b. 1938)
2016 - Rene Vignal, French footballer (b. 1926)
2017 - Rodney Bewes, English actor (b. 1937)
2017 - Wayne Cochran, American soul singer-songwriter (b. 1939)
2017 - David Cassidy, American actor and singer (b. 1950)
2017 - Milein Cosman, German-British artist (b. 1921)
2017 - Luis Garisto, Uruguayan footballer (b. 1945)
2017 - Valentin Huot, French cyclist (b. 1929)
2018 - Meena Alexander, Indian-American writer and scholar (b. 1951)
2018 - Michele Carey, American actress (b. 1943)
2018 - Olivia Hooker, American psychologist and military personnel (b. 1915)
2018 - Igor Korobov, Russian intelligence officer (b. 1956)
2018 - M. I. Shanavas, Indian politician (b. 1951)
2018 - Lau Nai-keung, Hong Kong businessman and politician (b. 1947)
2019 - Jean Douchet, French film director, actor and critic (b. 1929)
2019 - Bengt-Erik Grahn, Swedish skier (b. 1941)
2019 - Val Heim, American baseball player (b. 1920)
2019 - Andree Lachapelle, Canadian actress (b. 1931)
2019 - Michael J. Pollard, American actor (b. 1939)
2019 - Gahan Wilson, American cartoonist (b. 1930)
Observances
Armed Forces Day (Bangladesh, Greece)
World Hello Day
World Television Day
Days of the year