Did you know
Chinua Achebe's first novel and magnum opus, Things Fall Apart (1958), occupies a pivotal place in African literature and remains the most widely studied, translated, and read African novel.
Notable Deaths on March 21
2013 — Chinua Achebe
Nigerian novelist, poet, and critic (born 1930)
March 21 has 124 recorded notable deaths across history, from 867 to 2026. This focused page highlights 20 people with the strongest available profile context.
By thisDay.info Editorial Team · — Wikipedia
Notable Deaths
124 source records
867 – 2026
Today in history
Major events on March 21
See what else happened on this day in history.
- 1952 Alan Freed presents the Moondog Coronation Ball, the first rock and roll concert, in Cleveland, Ohio. Source
- 1965 Martin Luther King Jr. leads 3,200 people on the start of the third and finally successful civil rights march from Selma to Montgomery, Alabama. Source
- 1919 The Hungarian Soviet Republic is established becoming the first Communist government to be formed in Europe after the October Revolution in Russia. Source
- 1983 The first cases of the 1983 West Bank fainting epidemic begin; Israelis and Palestinians accuse each other of poison gas, but the cause is later determined mostly to be psychosomatic. Source
Did you know
Reed was a seven-time NBA All-Star and five-time All-NBA selection, including once on the first team in 1970, when he was named the NBA Most Valuable Player (MVP).
Did you know
In 1909, Taylor summed up his efficiency techniques in his book The Principles of Scientific Management which, in 2001, Fellows of the Academy of Management voted the most influential management book of the twentieth century.
Did you know
politician who served as governor of Georgia in 1947 and from 1948 to 1955 and as a U.
Did you know
Guadalupe Victoria was a deputy in the Mexican Chamber of Deputies for Durango and a member of the Supreme Executive Power following the downfall of the First Mexican Empire, which was followed by the 1824 Constitution and his presidency.
More major people who died on March 21
Notable people are ranked by substantive profile depth and public notability.
2023
Willis Reed
American basketball player (born 1942)
Willis Reed Jr. was an American professional basketball player, coach, and general manager.
1915
Frederick Winslow Taylor
American golfer, tennis player, and engineer (born 1856)
Frederick Winslow Taylor was an American mechanical engineer. He was widely known for his methods to improve industrial efficiency. He was one of the first management consultants.
2002
Herman Talmadge
American lieutenant, lawyer, and politician, 70th Governor of Georgia (born 1913)
Herman Eugene Talmadge was a U.S. politician who served as governor of Georgia in 1947 and from 1948 to 1955 and as a U.S. senator from Georgia from 1957 to 1981.
1843
Guadalupe Victoria
Mexican general and politician, 1st President of Mexico (born 1786)
Guadalupe Victoria, born José Miguel Ramón Adaucto Fernández y Félix, was a Mexican general and politician who fought for independence against the Spanish Empire in the Mexican War of Independence and after the adoption…
2007
Sven O. Høiby
Norwegian hurdler and journalist (born 1936)
Sven Olaf Bjarte Høiby was the father of Crown Princess Mette-Marit of Norway.
1656
James Ussher
Irish archbishop (born 1581)
James Ussher was the Church of Ireland Archbishop of Armagh and Primate of All Ireland between 1625 and 1656.
1869
Juan Almonte
son of José María Morelos, was a Mexican soldier and diplomat who served as a regent in the Second Mexican Empire (1863-1864) (born 1803)
Juan Nepomuceno Almonte Ramírez was a Mexican soldier, commander, minister of war, congressman, diplomat, presidential candidate, and regent.
1201
Absalon
Danish archbishop (born c. 1128)
Absalon was a Danish statesman and prelate of the Catholic Church who served as the bishop of Roskilde from 1158 to 1192 and archbishop of Lund from 1178 until his death.
2017
Mike Hall
British cyclist (born 1981)
Michael Richard Hall was a British cyclist and race organiser who specialised in self-supported ultra-distance cycling races. In 2012, he won the inaugural World Cycle Race.
2003
Umar Wirahadikusumah
Indonesian general and politician, 4th Vice President of Indonesia (born 1924)
Umar Wirahadikusumah was an Indonesian politician and former army general, who served as the fourth vice president of Indonesia, serving from 1983 until 1988.
1063
Richeza of Lotharingia (born 995)
Richeza of Lotharingia was a member of the Ezzonen dynasty who became queen of Poland as the wife of Mieszko II Lambert.
2010
Wolfgang Wagner
German director and manager (born 1919)
Wolfgang Wagner was a German opera director. He is best known as the director (Festspielleiter) of the Bayreuth Festival, a position he initially assumed alongside his brother Wieland in 1951 until the latter's death in…
2013
Harlon Hill
American football player and coach (born 1932)
Harlon Junius Hill was an American professional football end who played for nine seasons in the National Football League (NFL). Hill played for the Chicago Bears, the Pittsburgh Steelers, and the Detroit Lions.
1992
John Ireland
Canadian-American actor and director (born 1914)
John Benjamin Ireland was a Canadian-born American actor and film director.
1936
Alexander Glazunov
Russian composer and conductor (born 1865)
Alexander Konstantinovich Glazunov was a Russian composer, music teacher, and conductor of the late Russian Romantic period.
2013
Pietro Mennea
Italian sprinter and politician (born 1952)
Pietro Paolo Mennea, nicknamed la Freccia del Sud, was an Italian sprinter and politician.
1843
Robert Southey
English poet, historian, and translator (born 1774)
Robert Southey was an English poet of the Romantic school, and Poet Laureate from 1813 until his death.
2015
Chuck Bednarik
American lieutenant and football player (born 1925)
Charles Philip Bednarik, Jr., nicknamed "Concrete Charlie", was an American professional football linebacker and center who played in the National Football League (NFL).
1734
Robert Wodrow
Scottish historian and author (born 1679)
Robert Wodrow was a Scottish minister and historian, known as a chronicler and defender of the Covenanters. Robert Wodrow was born at Glasgow, where his father, James Wodrow, was a professor of divinity.