Did you know
In 1969, The 1969 Somali coup d'état establishes a Marxist–Leninist administration. This featured entry focuses on the immediate decision and its direct historical impact.
October 21 in History
1969 — The 1969 Somali coup d'état establishes a Marxist–Leninist administration
October 21 spans 61 recorded events across recorded history, from 310 to 2021. Below is a curated digest of the most significant moments tied to this date.
By thisDay.info Editorial Team · — Wikipedia
Historical Events
61 events
310 – 2021
Today in history
More major events on October 21
The featured story and these ranked highlights form a quick summary. Every recorded event remains available in the chronology below.
- 1945 In the 1945 French legislative election French women vote for the first time. Source
- 1797 In Boston Harbor, the 44-gun United States Navy frigate USS Constitution is launched. Source
- 2019 In Canada, the 2019 Canadian federal election ends, resulting in incumbent Prime Minister Justin Trudeau remaining in office, albeit with the Liberal Party in a minority government. Source
Did you know
The 1969 Somali coup d'état was a bloodless military takeover of the Somali Republic on 21 October 1969, led by Somali National Army officers of the Supreme Revolutionary Council under General Siad Barre. This helps explain why the event mattered beyond the initial announcement.
Did you know
After the assassination of President Abdirashid Shermarke in Las Anod, the Somali National Army under Barre's command stormed Mogadishu, seized key government buildings, and demanded the resignation of the country's leaders. This clarifies the institutional and public response around the event.
Did you know
The coup deposed acting President Sheikh Mukhtar Hussein and Prime Minister Mohammad Egal, ushering in a 21-year military rule under Barre and the establishment of an authoritarian government that lasted until 1991. This shows how the event shaped policy and public communication in the same period.
Did you know
In 1969, The 1969 Somali coup d'état establishes a Marxist–Leninist administration had consequences that extended beyond the first headline. The key context is the institutions involved, the policy shift, and how the public response evolved afterward.
310
Sixty-five days after being exiled by the Emperor Maxentius to Sicily, Pope Eusebius dies.
Roman emperor from 306 to 312
685
Election of Pope Conon following the death of Pope John V.
Head of the Catholic Church from 686 to 687
1094
El Cid and his forces defeat a larger army of the Almoravids in the battle of Cuarte.
Castilian warlord and Prince of Valencia from 1094 to 1099
1096
A Seljuk Turkish army successfully ambushes the People's Crusade at the Battle of Civetot.
Turkish state in central Anatolia from 1077 to 1308
1097
First Crusade: Crusaders led by Godfrey of Bouillon, Bohemund of Taranto, and Raymond IV, Count of Toulouse, begin the Siege of Antioch.
1096–1099 Christian re-conquest of the Holy Land
1139
Zengi, atabeg of Aleppo, takes Baalbek from the Burid dynasty.
Atabeg of Mosul, Aleppo, Hama and Edessa, Mesopotamia
1187
Election of Gregory VIII following the death of Pope Urban III.
Head of the Catholic Church in 1187
1392
Japanese Emperor Go-Kameyama abdicates in favor of rival claimant Go-Komatsu.
Emperor of Japan from 1383 to 1392
1512
Martin Luther joins the theological faculty of the University of Wittenberg.
German priest, theologian and author (1483–1546)
1520
João Álvares Fagundes discovers the islands of Saint Pierre and Miquelon, bestowing them their original name of "Islands of the 11,000 Virgins".
Portuguese explorer and shipowner
1600
Tokugawa Ieyasu defeats the leaders of rival Japanese clans in the Battle of Sekigahara and becomes shōgun of Japan.
Japanese Samurai, Daimyo and Military ruler of Japan from 1603 to 1605
1774
The flag of Taunton, Massachusetts is the first to include the word "Liberty".
1797
In Boston Harbor, the 44-gun United States Navy frigate USS Constitution is launched.
Estuary and harbor of Massachusetts Bay
1805
Napoleonic Wars: A British fleet led by Lord Nelson defeats a combined French and Spanish fleet under Admiral Villeneuve in the Battle of Trafalgar.
1803–1815 series of wars led by Napoleon
1854
Florence Nightingale and a staff of 38 nurses are sent to the Crimean War.
English founder of modern nursing (1820–1910)
1861
American Civil War: Union forces under Colonel Edward Baker are defeated by Confederate troops in the second major battle of the war.
1861–1865 conflict in the United States
1867
The Medicine Lodge Treaty is signed by southern Great Plains Indian leaders.
The treaty requires Native American Plains tribes to relocate to a reservation in the western Indian Territory.
1879
Thomas Edison applies for a patent for his design for an incandescent light bulb.
American inventor and businessman (1847–1931)
1892
Opening ceremonies for the World's Columbian Exposition are held in Chicago, though because construction was behind schedule, the exposition did not open until May 1, 1893.
1893 world's fair in Chicago, Illinois, US
1895
The capitulation of Tainan completes the Japanese conquest of Taiwan.
1895 last act in the Japanese invasion of Taiwan
1907
The 1907 Qaratog earthquake hits the borders of Uzbekistan and Tajikistan, killing between 12,000 and 15,000 people.
Violent earthquake near the Uzbekistan-Tajikistan border
1910
HMS Niobe arrives in Halifax Harbour to become the first ship of the Royal Canadian Navy.
Cruiser of the British (later Canadian) navy
1912
First Balkan War: The Greek navy completes the capture of the island of Lemnos for use as a forward base against the Dardanelles.
1912–1913 war between the Balkan League and the Ottoman Empire
1921
President Warren G.
Harding delivers the first speech by a sitting U.S. president against lynching in the Deep South.
1931
A secret society in the Imperial Japanese Army launches an abortive coup d'état attempt.
Principal ground force of the Empire of Japan
1940
The first edition of the Ernest Hemingway novel For Whom the Bell Tolls is published.
American author and journalist (1899–1961)
1941
World War II: The Kragujevac massacre against Serbian men and boys takes place.
Global conflict (1939–1945)
1943
World War II: The Provisional Government of Free India is formally established in Japanese-occupied Singapore.
Indian provisional government during World War II
1944
World War II: The first kamikaze attack damages HMAS Australia as the Battle of Leyte Gulf begins.
County-class Royal Australian Navy cruiser
1944
World War II: The Nemmersdorf massacre against German civilians takes place.
1944 World War II incident
1944
World War II: The city of Aachen falls to American forces after three weeks of fighting, the first German city to fall to the Allies.
Battle on the Western Front of World War II
1950
Korean War: Heavy fighting begins between British and Australian forces and North Koreans during the Battle of Yongju.
1950 battle of the Korean War
1956
The Mau Mau Uprising in Kenya is defeated.
Anti-colonial Insurgency in Kenya (1952–1960)
1959
President Dwight D.
Eisenhower approves the transfer of all US Army space-related activities to NASA, including most of the Army Ballistic Missile Agency.
1965
Comet Ikeya–Seki approaches perihelion, passing 450,000 kilometers (279,617 miles) from the sun.
Great Comet of 1965
1966
A colliery spoil tip slips onto houses and a school in the village of Aberfan in Wales, killing 144 people, 116 of whom were schoolchildren.
1966 Welsh colliery disaster
1967
The National Mobilization Committee to End the War in Vietnam organizes a march of fifty thousand people from the Lincoln Memorial to the Pentagon.
Coalition of American activist groups (1966–69)
1971
A gas explosion kills 22 people at a shopping centre near Glasgow, Scotland.
Fatal 1971 gas explosion in Scotland
1973
Fred Dryer of the Los Angeles Rams becomes the first player in NFL history to score two safeties in the same game.
American football player and actor (born 1946)
1978
Australian civilian pilot Frederick Valentich vanishes over the Bass Strait south of Melbourne, after reporting contact with an unidentified aircraft.
1978 disappearance of a pilot over Bass Strait, Australia
1979
Moshe Dayan resigns from the Israeli government because of strong disagreements with Prime Minister Menachem Begin over policy towards the Arabs.
Israeli military leader and politician (1915–1981)
1981
Andreas Papandreou becomes Prime Minister of Greece, ending an almost 50-year-long system of power dominated by conservative forces.
Prime Minister of Greece (1981–1989; 1993–1996)
1983
The metre is defined as the distance light travels in a vacuum in 1/299,792,458 of a second.
SI unit of length
1984
Niki Lauda claims his third and final Formula One Drivers' Championship Title by half a point ahead of McLaren team-mate Alain Prost at the Portuguese Grand Prix.
Austrian racing driver (1949–2019)
1986
In Lebanon, pro-Iran kidnappers claim to have abducted American writer Edward Tracy (he is released in August 1991).
Kidnapping in Lebanon of 104 foreign hostages between 1982 and 1992
1987
The Jaffna hospital massacre is carried out by Indian peacekeeping forces in Sri Lanka, killing 70 Tamil patients, doctors and nurses.
Massacre in October 1987 during the Sri Lankan Civil War
1989
In Honduras, 131 people are killed when a Boeing 727 crashes on approach to Toncontín International Airport near the nation's capital Tegucigalpa.
Country in Central America
1994
North Korea and the United States sign an Agreed Framework that requires North Korea to stop its nuclear weapons program and agree to inspections.
1994 nuclear agreement between the United States and North Korea
1994
In Seoul, South Korea, 32 people are killed when a span of the Seongsu Bridge collapses.
1994 bridge collapse in Seoul, South Korea
2003
Images of the dwarf planet Eris are taken and subsequently used in documenting its discovery.
Most massive dwarf planet
2007
Finnish race drivers Kimi Räikkönen of Scuderia Ferrari won the Brazilian Grand Prix in Formula One.
With this result, Räikkönen became world champion, surpassing McLaren drivers Lewis Hamilton and Fernando Alonso by one point in the drivers' standings.
2011
Iraq War: President Barack Obama announces that the withdrawal of United States troops from Iraq will be complete by the end of the year.
2003–2011 conflict in Iraq
2018
A passenger train derails in Yilan County, Taiwan, killing 18 people and injuring 187.
2018 rail accident in Taiwan
2019
Thirty people are killed in a fiery bus crash in western Democratic Republic of the Congo.
Country in Central Africa
2019
In Canada, the 2019 Canadian federal election ends, resulting in incumbent Prime Minister Justin Trudeau remaining in office, albeit with the Liberal Party in a minority government.
Country in North America
2021
A shooting occurs on the set of the film Rust, in which actor Alec Baldwin discharged a prop weapon which had been loaded, killing the director of photography, Halyna Hutchins, and injuring director Joel Souza.
2021 manslaughter on a film set