Did you know
Malcolm X discovered the new religious movement the Nation of Islam while in prison and served as its spokesperson from 1952 until he transitioned to Sunni Islam in 1964.
Notable Deaths on February 21
1965 — Malcolm X
American minister and activist (born 1925)
February 21 has 81 recorded notable deaths across history, from 4 to 2026. This focused page highlights 20 people with the strongest available profile context.
By thisDay.info Editorial Team · — Wikipedia
Notable Deaths
81 source records
4 – 2026
Today in history
Major events on February 21
See what else happened on this day in history.
- 1952 The British government, under Winston Churchill, abolishes identity cards in the UK to "set the people free". Source
- 1925 The New Yorker publishes its first issue. Source
- 1828 Initial issue of the Cherokee Phoenix is the first periodical to use the Cherokee syllabary invented by Sequoyah. Source
- 1919 German socialist Kurt Eisner is assassinated. His death results in the establishment of the Bavarian Soviet Republic and parliament and government fleeing Munich, Germany. Source
Did you know
The youngest of three sons, he was born in Dunfermline Abbey to King Robert III and his wife Annabella Drummond.
Did you know
Nutan was the recipient of seven Filmfare Awards, including a then-record five Filmfare Awards for Best Actress.
Did you know
Duncan Edwards was one of the Busby Babes, the young United team formed under manager Matt Busby in the mid-1950s, playing 177 matches for the club.
Did you know
Despite being referred to as a "bandit" by the United States government, his exploits made him a hero throughout much of Latin America, where he became a symbol of resistance to American imperialism.
More major people who died on February 21
Notable people are ranked by substantive profile depth and public notability.
1437
James I of Scotland (born 1394; assassinated)
James I was King of Scots from 1406 to 1437. The youngest of three sons, he was born in Dunfermline Abbey to King Robert III and his wife Annabella Drummond.
1991
Nutan
Indian actress (born 1936)
Nutan Samarth-Bahl, known mononymously as Nutan was an Indian actress who worked in Hindi films.
1958
Duncan Edwards
English footballer (born 1936)
Duncan Edwards was an English footballer who played as a left-half for Manchester United and the England national team.
1934
Augusto César Sandino
Nicaraguan rebel leader (born 1895)
Augusto César Sandino was a Nicaraguan revolutionary, founder of the militant group EDSN, and leader of a rebellion between 1927 and 1933 against the United States occupation of Nicaragua.
2025
Clint Hill
American Secret Service agent (born 1932)
Clinton Jerome Hill was a United States Secret Service agent who served under five U.S. presidents, from Dwight D. Eisenhower to Gerald Ford.
1994
Johannes Steinhoff
German general and pilot (born 1913)
Johannes "Macky" Steinhoff was a Luftwaffe fighter ace during World War II, German general, and NATO official.
1999
Gertrude B. Elion
American biochemist and pharmacologist, Nobel Prize laureate (born 1918)
Gertrude "Trudy" Belle Elion was an American biochemist and pharmacologist, who shared the 1988 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine with George H.
1715
Charles Calvert
3rd Baron Baltimore, English politician (born 1637)
Charles Calvert, 3rd Baron Baltimore was an English colonial administrator. He inherited the province of Maryland in 1675 upon the death of his father, Cecil Calvert, 2nd Baron Baltimore.
1590
Ambrose Dudley
3rd Earl of Warwick, English nobleman and general (born 1528)
Ambrose Dudley, 3rd Earl of Warwick, KG was an English nobleman and general, and an elder brother of Queen Elizabeth I's favourite, Robert Dudley, Earl of Leicester.
1938
George Ellery Hale
American astronomer and academic (born 1868)
George Ellery Hale was an American astrophysicist best known for his discovery of magnetic fields in sunspots.
1821
Georg Friedrich von Martens
German jurist and diplomat (born 1756)
Georg Friedrich von Martens was a German jurist and diplomat. Educated at the universities of Göttingen, Regensburg and Vienna, he became professor of jurisprudence at Göttingen in 1783 and was ennobled in 1789.
1974
Tim Horton
Canadian ice hockey player and businessman, co-founded Tim Hortons (born 1930)
Miles Gilbert "Tim" Horton was a Canadian professional ice hockey defenceman who played 24 seasons in the National Hockey League (NHL).
2025
Lynne Marie Stewart
American actress (born 1946)
Lynne Marie Stewart was an American actress. She was widely known for her performance as Miss Yvonne, "the Most Beautiful Woman in Puppet Land," originating the role in the 1981 stage show The Pee-wee Herman Show.
1846
Emperor Ninkō of Japan (born 1800)
Emperor Ninkō was the 120th emperor of Japan according to the traditional order of succession.
1824
Eugène de Beauharnais
French general (born 1781)
Eugène Rose de Beauharnais was a French statesman and military officer who served in the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars.
1918
Incas
last known Carolina parakeet (hatched fl. 1885)
Incas was a male Carolina parakeet and the last member of his species known with certainty.
2026
Rondale Moore
American football player (born 2000)
Rondale DaSean Moore was an American professional football player who was a wide receiver in the National Football League (NFL).
1677
Baruch Spinoza
Dutch philosopher and scholar (born 1632)
Baruch (de) Spinoza, also known under his Latinized pen name Benedictus de Spinoza, was a philosopher of Portuguese-Jewish origin who was born and lived in the Dutch Republic.
2013
Hasse Jeppson
Swedish footballer (born 1925)
Hans Olof "Hasse" Jeppson was a Swedish professional footballer who played as a striker.