Did you know
Throughout his career, Busch raced under several car numbers, though he was most prominently identified with the No.
Notable Deaths on May 21
2026 — Kyle Busch
American race car driver and owner (born 1985)
May 21 has 116 recorded notable deaths across history, from 252 to 2026. This focused page highlights 20 people with the strongest available profile context.
By thisDay.info Editorial Team · — Wikipedia
Notable Deaths
116 source records
252 – 2026
Today in history
Major events on May 21
See what else happened on this day in history.
- 1851 Slavery in Colombia is abolished. Source
- 1911 President of Mexico Porfirio Díaz and the revolutionary Francisco Madero sign the Treaty of Ciudad Juárez to put an end to the fighting between the forces of both men, concluding the initial phase of the Mexican Revolution. Source
- 1809 The first day of the Battle of Aspern-Essling between the Austrian army led by Archduke Charles and the French army led by Napoleon I of France sees the French attack across the Danube held. Source
- 2001 French Taubira law is enacted, officially recognizing the Atlantic slave trade and slavery as crimes against humanity. Source
Did you know
A member of the Terry family theatrical dynasty, his career spanned eight decades, and gained his first paid acting work as a junior member of his cousin Phyllis Neilson-Terry's company in 1922.
Did you know
Chevalier d'Eon appeared publicly as a man and pursued masculine occupations for the first half of her life, except for when she successfully infiltrated the court of Empress Elizabeth of Russia by presenting as a woman.
Did you know
In 1889, Addams co-founded Hull House, one of America's most famous settlement houses, in Chicago, Illinois, providing extensive social services to poor, largely immigrant families.
Did you know
Thomas Howard was the eldest son of John Howard, 1st Duke of Norfolk, by his first wife, Catharina de Moleyns.
More major people who died on May 21
Notable people are ranked by substantive profile depth and public notability.
2000
John Gielgud
English actor (born 1904)
Sir Arthur John Gielgud was an English actor and theatre director.
1810
Chevalier d'Eon
French diplomat and spy (born 1728)
Charlotte d'Éon de Beaumont, usually known as the Chevalière d'Éon or the Chevalier d'Éon, was a French diplomat, spy, and soldier. D'Éon fought in the Seven Years' War, and spied for France while in Russia and England.
1935
Jane Addams
American activist and author, co-founded Hull House, Nobel Prize laureate (born 1860)
Laura Jane Addams was an American settlement activist, reformer, social worker, sociologist, public administrator, philosopher, and author. She was a leader in the history of social work and women's suffrage.
1524
Thomas Howard
2nd Duke of Norfolk, English soldier and politician, Lord High Treasurer (born 1443)
Thomas Howard, 2nd Duke of Norfolk, styled Earl of Surrey from 1483 to 1485 and again from 1489 to 1514, was an English nobleman, soldier and statesman who served four monarchs.
1920
Venustiano Carranza
Mexican politician, 54th President of Mexico (born 1859)
José Venustiano Carranza de la Garza, known as Venustiano Carranza, was a Mexican land owner, revolutionary, and politician who served as the 44th President of Mexico from 1917 until his assassination in 1920, during…
252
Sun Quan
Chinese emperor of Eastern Wu (born 182)
Sun Quan, courtesy name Zhongmou (仲謀), posthumously known as Emperor Da of Wu, was the founder of Eastern Wu, one of the Three Kingdoms of China.
2025
Gerry Connolly
American politician, U.S. Representative from Virginia's 11th congressional district (born 1950)
Gerald Edward Connolly was an American politician who served as the U.S. representative for Virginia's 11th congressional district from 2009 until his death in 2025.
1724
Robert Harley
1st Earl of Oxford and Earl Mortimer, English politician, Chancellor of the Exchequer (born 1661)
Robert Harley, 1st Earl of Oxford and Earl Mortimer, KG, PC, FRS was a British statesman of the late Stuart and early Georgian periods. He began his career as a Whig, before defecting to a new Tory ministry.
1895
Franz von Suppé
Austrian composer and conductor (born 1819)
Franz von Suppé, born Francesco Ezechiele Ermenegildo Cavaliere Suppé Demelli was an Austrian composer of light operas and other theatre music. He came from the Kingdom of Dalmatia, Austro-Hungarian Empire.
1858
José de la Riva Agüero
Peruvian soldier and politician, 1st President of Peru and 2nd President of North Peru (born 1783)
José Mariano de la Cruz de la Riva Agüero y Sánchez Boquete was a Peruvian soldier and politician who was the first president of Peru and the second president of North Peru, a constituent country of the Peru–Bolivian…
1237
Olaf the Black
Manx son of Godred II Olafsson
Óláfr Guðrøðarson, also known as Olaf the Black, was a thirteenth-century King of the Isles, and a member of the Crovan dynasty. He was a son of Guðrøðr Óláfsson, King of the Isles and Fionnghuala Nic Lochlainn.
1983
Kenneth Clark
English historian and author (born 1903)
Kenneth Mackenzie Clark, Baron Clark was a British art historian, museum director and broadcaster.
2015
Jassem Al-Kharafi
Kuwaiti businessman and politician, 8th Kuwaiti Speaker of the National Assembly (born 1940)
Jassem Al-Kharafi, was a Kuwaiti oligarch who was the speaker of the Kuwaiti National Assembly from 1999 to 2011.
1254
Conrad IV
king of Germany (born 1228)
Conrad, a member of the Hohenstaufen dynasty, was the only son of Emperor Frederick II from his second marriage with Queen Isabella II of Jerusalem.
1991
Rajiv Gandhi
Indian politician, 6th Prime Minister of India (born 1944)
Rajiv Ratna Gandhi was an Indian aircraft pilot and statesman who served as the prime minister of India from 1984 to 1989 for two terms.
2012
Bill Stewart
American football player and coach (born 1952)
William L. Stewart, nicknamed "Stew", was an American football coach. He was named interim head coach of the West Virginia Mountaineers after Rich Rodriguez left for Michigan in December 2007.
2013
Count Christian of Rosenborg
member of the Danish royal family (born 1942)
Count Christian of Rosenborg was a member of the Danish royal family.
1416
Anna of Celje
queen consort of Poland (born 1386)
Anna of Cilli or Anne of Celje was Queen of Poland and Grand Duchess consort of Lithuania from 1402 to 1416. She was the second wife of Jogaila, King of Poland and Supreme Duke of Lithuania.
1911
Williamina Fleming
Scottish-American astronomer and academic (born 1857)
Williamina Paton Stevens Fleming was a Scottish astronomer. At the Harvard College Observatory, she contributed to the photographic classification of stellar spectra, helping to develop a common designation system for…