Did you know
F. Scott Fitzgerald published four novels, four story collections, and 164 short stories.
Notable Deaths on December 21
1940 — F. Scott Fitzgerald
American novelist and short story writer (born 1896)
December 21 has 68 recorded notable deaths across history, from 72 to 2024. This focused page highlights 20 people with the strongest available profile context.
By thisDay.info Editorial Team · — Wikipedia
Notable Deaths
68 source records
72 – 2024
Today in history
Major events on December 21
See what else happened on this day in history.
- 1968 Apollo program: Apollo 8 is launched from the Kennedy Space Center, placing its crew on a lunar trajectory for the first visit to another celestial body by humans. Source
- 1826 American settlers in Nacogdoches, Mexican Texas, declare their independence, starting the Fredonian Rebellion. Source
- 1861 Medal of Honor: Public Resolution 82, containing a provision for a Navy Medal of Valor, is signed into law by President Abraham Lincoln. Source
- 1991 Dissolution of the Soviet Union: The leaders of 11 now effectively autonomous Soviet republics sign the Alma-Ata Protocol establishing the Commonwealth of Independent States in place of the collapsing Soviet Union. Source
Did you know
John Eisenhower's military career spanned from before, during, and after his father's presidency, and he left active duty in 1963 and then retired in 1974.
Did you know
Born in the town of Certaldo, he became so well known as a writer that he was sometimes simply known as "the Certaldese".
Did you know
Albert King was an American guitarist and singer, who is often regarded as one of the greatest and most influential blues guitarists ever.
Did you know
Jack Hobbs is the leading run-scorer and century-maker in first-class cricket, with 61,760 runs and 199 centuries.
More major people who died on December 21
Notable people are ranked by substantive profile depth and public notability.
2013
John Eisenhower
American historian, general, and diplomat, 45th United States Ambassador to Belgium (born 1922)
John Sheldon Doud Eisenhower was a United States Army officer, diplomat, and military historian. He was the second son of President Dwight D. Eisenhower and First Lady Mamie Eisenhower.
1375
Giovanni Boccaccio
Italian author and poet (born 1313)
Giovanni Boccaccio was an Italian writer, poet, correspondent of Petrarch, and an important Renaissance humanist.
1992
Albert King
American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer (born 1924)
Albert King was an American guitarist and singer, who is often regarded as one of the greatest and most influential blues guitarists ever.
1963
Jack Hobbs
English cricketer and journalist (born 1882)
Sir John Berry Hobbs was an English professional cricketer who played for Surrey from 1905 to 1934 and for England in 61 Test matches between 1908 and 1930.
1549
Marguerite de Navarre
queen of Henry II of Navarre (born 1492)
Marguerite de Navarre, also known as Marguerite of Angoulême and Margaret of Navarre, was a princess of France, Duchess of Alençon and Berry, and Queen of Navarre by her second marriage to King Henry II of Navarre.
1964
Carl Van Vechten
American author and photographer (born 1880)
Carl Van Vechten was an American writer and artistic photographer who was a patron of the Harlem Renaissance and the literary executor of Gertrude Stein.
1920
Mohammed Abdullah Hassan
leader of the Dervish movement (born 1856)
Sayyid Moḥammad Abdallah Hassan was a Somali scholar, poet, military leader and religious, cultural and political figure who founded and headed the Taleh-based Dervish movement, which led a holy war against British,…
1998
Ernst-Günther Schenck
German colonel and physician (born 1904)
Ernst-Günther Schenck was a German medical doctor and member of the SS in Nazi Germany. Because of a chance encounter with Adolf Hitler during the closing days of World War II, his memoirs proved historically valuable.
975
Al-Mu'izz
Fatimid caliph (born 932)
Abu Tamim Ma'ad al-Mu'izz li-Din Allah was the fourth Fatimid caliph and the 14th Ismaili imam, reigning from 953 to 975.
1001
Hugh of Tuscany
Italian margrave (born 950)
Hugh, called the Great, was the Margrave of Tuscany from 969 until his death in 1001, and the Duke of Spoleto and Margrave of Camerino from 989 to 996.
2019
Andrew Clennel Palmer
British engineer (born 1938)
Andrew Clennel Palmer was a British engineer who worked on offshore geotechnical problems of submarine pipeline design and the study of the properties of ice.
1597
Peter Canisius
Dutch priest and saint (born 1521)
Peter Canisius was a Dutch Jesuit priest known for his strong support for the Catholic faith during the Protestant Reformation in Germany, Austria, Bohemia, Moravia, Switzerland and the British Isles.
2009
Edwin G. Krebs
American biochemist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (born 1918)
Edwin Gerhard Krebs was an American biochemist. He received the Albert Lasker Award for Basic Medical Research and the Louisa Gross Horwitz Prize of Columbia University in 1989 together with Alfred Gilman and, together…
1646
Sophie Axelsdatter Brahe
Danish noblewoman (born 1578)
Sophie Axelsdatter Brahe was a Danish noblewoman and landowner. She is notable for being the first confirmed owner of Gunhild Cross.
2013
Edgar Bronfman Sr.
Canadian-American businessman and philanthropist (born 1929)
Edgar Miles Bronfman was a Canadian-American businessman. He worked for his family's distilled beverage firm, Seagram, eventually becoming president, treasurer and CEO.
1807
John Newton
English soldier and minister (born 1725)
John Newton was an English evangelical Anglican cleric and slavery abolitionist. He had previously been a captain of slave ships and an investor in the slave trade.
2006
Saparmyrat Nyýazow
Turkmen engineer and politician, 1st President of Turkmenistan (born 1940) (date death announced)
Saparmurat Atayevich Niyazov was a Turkmen politician and dictator who led Turkmenistan from 1985 until his death in 2006.
1988
Nikolaas Tinbergen
Dutch-English ethologist and ornithologist, Nobel Prize laureate (born 1907)
Nikolaas "Niko" Tinbergen was a Dutch biologist and ornithologist who shared the 1973 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine with Karl von Frisch and Konrad Lorenz for their discoveries concerning the organization and…
1937
Ted Healy
American comedian and actor (born 1896)
Ted Healy was an American vaudeville performer, comedian, and actor.