# What happened on March 21 in history?

**Date:** March 21  
**Events recorded:** 54  
**Years spanned:** 537 – 2022  
**Full page:** https://thisday.info/events/march/21/

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## Featured Event

**2022** — China Eastern Airlines Flight 5735 crashes in Guangxi, China, killing 132 people.

[Read more on Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/China_Eastern_Airlines_Flight_5735)

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## Events on this date

- **537** — Siege of Rome: King Vitiges attempts to assault the northern and eastern city walls, but is repulsed at the Praenestine Gate, known as the Vivarium, by the defenders under the Byzantine generals Bessas and Peranius. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Siege_of_Rome_(537%E2%80%93538)))
- **630** — Emperor Heraclius returns the True Cross, one of the holiest Christian relics, to Jerusalem. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heraclius))
- **717** — Battle of Vincy between Charles Martel and Ragenfrid. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Vincy))
- **867** — An army of the Kingdom of Northumbria attempts to recapture York from the Great Heathen Army but is defeated in the battle of York. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Northumbria))
- **1152** — Annulment of the marriage of King Louis VII of France and Queen Eleanor of Aquitaine. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Louis_VII_of_France))
- **1180** — Emperor Antoku accedes to the throne of Japan. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emperor_Antoku))
- **1349** — Erfurt massacre: Outbreak of an antisemitic pogrom in Erfurt, Germany, during which between 100 and up to 3000 Jews were killed by Christians after being accused of causing the Black Death. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Erfurt_massacre_(1349)))
- **1556** — On the day of his execution in Oxford, former archbishop of Canterbury Thomas Cranmer deviates from the scripted sermon by renouncing the recantations he has made and adds, "And as for the pope, I refuse him, as Christ's enemy, and Antichrist with all his false doctrine." ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oxford))
- **1788** — A fire in New Orleans leaves most of the town in ruins. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_New_Orleans_Fire_(1788)))
- **1800** — With the church leadership driven out of Rome during an armed conflict, Pius VII is crowned Pope in Venice with a temporary papal tiara made of papier-mâché. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Papal_States))
- **1801** — The Battle of Alexandria is fought between British and French forces near the ruins of Nicopolis near Alexandria in Egypt. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Alexandria_(1801)))
- **1804** — Code Napoléon is adopted as French civil law. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Napoleonic_Code))
- **1814** — Napoleonic Wars: Austrian forces repel French troops in the Battle of Arcis-sur-Aube. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Napoleonic_Wars))
- **1821** — Greek War of Independence: Greek revolutionaries seize Kalavryta. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Greek_War_of_Independence))
- **1829** — The Wellington–Winchilsea duel takes place in London involving the Prime Minister the Duke of Wellington. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wellington%E2%80%93Winchilsea_duel))
- **1844** — The Baháʼí calendar begins. This is the first day of the first year of the Baháʼí calendar. It is annually celebrated by members of the Baháʼí Faith as the Baháʼí New Year or Náw-Rúz. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bah%C3%A1%CA%BC%C3%AD_calendar))
- **1861** — Alexander H. Stephens gives the Cornerstone Speech. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alexander_H._Stephens))
- **1871** — Otto von Bismarck is appointed as the first Chancellor of the German Empire. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Otto_von_Bismarck))
- **1871** — Journalist Henry Morton Stanley begins his trek to find the missionary and explorer David Livingstone. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henry_Morton_Stanley))
- **1918** — World War I: The first phase of the German spring offensive, Operation Michael, begins. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_War_I))
- **1919** — The Hungarian Soviet Republic is established becoming the first Communist government to be formed in Europe after the October Revolution in Russia. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hungarian_Soviet_Republic))
- **1921** — The New Economic Policy is implemented by the Bolshevik Party in response to the economic failure as a result of war communism. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Economic_Policy))
- **1925** — The Butler Act prohibits the teaching of human evolution in Tennessee. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Butler_Act))
- **1925** — Syngman Rhee is removed from office after being impeached as the President of the Provisional Government of the Republic of Korea. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Syngman_Rhee))
- **1925** — Ravel's opera L'enfant et les sortilèges, to a libretto by Colette, is premiered at the Opéra de Monte-Carlo. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/L'enfant_et_les_sortil%C3%A8ges))
- **1928** — Charles Lindbergh is presented with the Medal of Honor for the first solo trans-Atlantic flight. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_Lindbergh))
- **1934** — The landmark Australian Eastern Mission led by John Latham departs on its three-month tour of East and South-East Asia. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Australian_Eastern_Mission))
- **1935** — Shah of Iran Reza Shah Pahlavi formally asks the international community to call Persia by its native name, Iran. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_monarchs_of_Iran))
- **1937** — Ponce massacre: Nineteen unarmed civilians in Ponce, Puerto Rico are gunned down by police in a terrorist attack ordered by the US-appointed Governor, Blanton Winship. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ponce_massacre))
- **1943** — Wehrmacht officer Rudolf von Gersdorff plots to assassinate Adolf Hitler by using a suicide bomb, but the plan falls through; von Gersdorff is able to defuse the bomb in time and avoid suspicion. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wehrmacht))
- **1945** — World War II: British troops liberate Mandalay, Burma. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_War_II))
- **1945** — World War II: Operation Carthage: Royal Air Force planes bomb Gestapo headquarters in Copenhagen, Denmark. They also accidentally hit a school, killing 125 civilians. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Carthage))
- **1945** — World War II: Bulgaria and the Soviet Union successfully complete their defense of the north bank of the Drava River as the Battle of the Transdanubian Hills concludes. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kingdom_of_Bulgaria))
- **1946** — The Los Angeles Rams sign Kenny Washington, making him the first African American player in professional American football since 1933. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Los_Angeles_Rams))
- **1952** — Alan Freed presents the Moondog Coronation Ball, the first rock and roll concert, in Cleveland, Ohio. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alan_Freed))
- **1960** — Apartheid: Sharpeville massacre, South Africa: Police open fire on a group of black South African demonstrators, killing 69 and wounding 180. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apartheid))
- **1963** — Alcatraz Federal Penitentiary closes. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alcatraz_Federal_Penitentiary))
- **1965** — Ranger program: NASA launches Ranger 9, the last in a series of uncrewed lunar space probes. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ranger_program))
- **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. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Martin_Luther_King_Jr.))
- **1968** — Battle of Karameh in Jordan between the Israel Defense Forces and the combined forces of the Jordanian Armed Forces and PLO. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Karameh))
- **1970** — The first Earth Day proclamation is issued by Joseph Alioto, Mayor of San Francisco. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Earth_Day))
- **1970** — San Diego Comic-Con, the largest pop and culture festival in the world, hosts its inaugural event. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/San_Diego_Comic-Con))
- **1980** — Cold War: American President Jimmy Carter announces a United States boycott of the 1980 Summer Olympics in Moscow to protest the Soviet–Afghan War. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cold_War))
- **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. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1983_West_Bank_fainting_epidemic))
- **1985** — Canadian paraplegic athlete and humanitarian Rick Hansen begins his circumnavigation of the globe in a wheelchair in the name of spinal cord injury medical research. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paraplegia))
- **1986** — Debi Thomas becomes the first African American to win the World Figure Skating Championships. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Debi_Thomas))
- **1989** — Transbrasil Flight 801 crashes into a slum near São Paulo/Guarulhos International Airport, killing 25 people. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Transbrasil_Flight_801))
- **1990** — Namibia becomes independent after 75 years of South African rule. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Namibia))
- **1994** — The United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change enters into force. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_Nations_Framework_Convention_on_Climate_Change))
- **1999** — Bertrand Piccard and Brian Jones become the first to circumnavigate the Earth in a hot air balloon. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bertrand_Piccard))
- **2000** — Pope John Paul II makes his first ever pontifical visit to Israel. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pope_John_Paul_II))
- **2006** — The social media site Twitter (now officially named X) is founded. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Social_media))
- **2019** — The 2019 Xiangshui chemical plant explosion occurs, killing at least 47 people and injuring 640 others. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2019_Xiangshui_chemical_plant_explosion))
- **2022** — China Eastern Airlines Flight 5735 crashes in Guangxi, China, killing 132 people. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/China_Eastern_Airlines_Flight_5735))

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## Notable births on March 21

- **2007** — **Ethan Nwaneri** — English footballer ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ethan_Nwaneri))
- **2003** — **Abbi Pulling** — English racing driver ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abbi_Pulling))
- **2000** — **Jace Norman** — American actor ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jace_Norman))
- **2000** — **Yoon San-ha** — South Korean singer and actor ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yoon_San-ha))
- **1998** — **Miles Bridges** — American basketball player ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Miles_Bridges))
- **1997** — **Nat Phillips** — English footballer ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nat_Phillips))
- **1997** — **Martina Stoessel** — Argentine singer and actress ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tini_(singer)))
- **1996** — **Aurora Mikalsen** — Norwegian footballer ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aurora_Mikalsen))
- **1995** — **RJ Cyler** — American actor ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/RJ_Cyler))
- **1995** — **Nick Mullens** — American football player ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nick_Mullens))

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## Notable deaths on March 21

- **2026** — **Michael Lyster** — Irish radio and television broadcaster (born 1954) ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_Lyster))
- **2026** — **Rhoda Roberts** — Australian arts executive (born 1959) ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rhoda_Roberts))
- **2025** — **Kitty Dukakis** — American author, First Lady of Massachusetts (born 1936) ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kitty_Dukakis))
- **2025** — **George Foreman** — American boxer, actor, and businessman (born 1949) ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Foreman))
- **2023** — **Willis Reed** — American basketball player (born 1942) ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Willis_Reed))
- **2021** — **Nawal El Saadawi** — Egyptian secularist, feminist (born 1931) ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nawal_El_Saadawi))
- **2019** — **Victor Hochhauser CBE** — British music promoter (born 1923) ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Victor_Hochhauser))
- **2019** — **Gonzalo Portocarrero** — Peruvian sociologist (born 1949) ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gonzalo_Portocarrero))
- **2017** — **Chuck Barris** — American game show host and producer (born 1929) ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chuck_Barris))
- **2017** — **Colin Dexter** — English author (born 1930) ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Colin_Dexter))

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## About this page

This is a machine-readable Markdown summary of [thisday.info/events/march/21/](https://thisday.info/events/march/21/).  
Historical data is sourced from [Wikipedia/Wikimedia](https://www.wikipedia.org) under [CC BY-SA](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/).  
Editorial framing and site content © thisday.info.