On This day December 21st

 December 21st is the three-hundred-fifty-sixth day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. There are 11 days remaining until the end of the year.


Events

 AD 69 – Antonius Primus enters Rome to claim the title of Emperor for Nero's former general Vespasian.

1803 – The Louisiana Purchase is completed at a ceremony in New Orleans.

1848—French presidential election: Louis Napoleon Bonaparte, who won the popular vote in a landslide, is inaugurated in the National Assembly chamber as the French Second Republic's first (and only) president.

1860 – South Carolina became the first state to attempt to secede from the United States with the South Carolina Declaration of Secession.

1915 – World War I: The last Australian troops are evacuated from Gallipoli.

1940—Captain America Comics #1, which features the first appearance of the superhero Captain America, is published.

1955 – Cardiff is proclaimed the capital city of Wales, United Kingdom.

1989 – The United States invasion of Panama deposes Manuel Noriega.

2007—Elizabeth II becomes the oldest monarch in the United Kingdom's history, surpassing Queen Victoria, who lived for 81 years and 243 days.


Events 

AD 69 – The Roman Senate declares Vespasian emperor of Rome, the last in the Year of the Four Emperors.

1620 – Plymouth Colony: William Bradford and the Mayflower Pilgrims land near what is now known as Plymouth Rock in Plymouth, Massachusetts.

1826 – American settlers in Nacogdoches, Mexico, Texas, declared independence, starting the Fredonian Rebellion.

1861 – Medal of Honor: Public Resolution 82, containing a provision for a Navy Medal of Valor, is lawfully signed by President Abraham Lincoln.

1883—The Royal Canadian Dragoons and the Royal Canadian Regiment, the first Permanent Force cavalry and infantry regiments of the Canadian Army, are formed.

1913—Arthur Wynne's "Word-Cross," the first crossword puzzle, is published in the New York World.

1937 – Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, the world's first full-length animated feature, premieres at the Carthay Circle Theatre.

1968 – Apollo program: Apollo 8 is launched from the Kennedy Space Center, placing its crew on a lunar trajectory for humans' first visit to another celestial body.

2020—Jupiter and Saturn make an extraordinary conjunction, with the two planets separated by 0.1 degrees in the sky. This is the closest conjunction between them since 1623.


Birthdays

1401 – Masaccio, Italian painter (d. 1428)

1615 – Benedict Arnold, Rhode Island colonial governor (d. 1678)

1804 – Benjamin Disraeli, English lawyer and politician, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom (d. 1881)

1866 – Maud Gonne, Irish nationalist and political activist (d. 1953)

1890 – Hermann Joseph Muller, American geneticist and biologist, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1967)

1911 – Josh Gibson, American baseball player (d. 1947)

1935 – Phil Donahue, American talk show host and producer

1948 – Dave Kingman, American baseball player

1954 – Chris Evert, American tennis player and coach

1978 – Shaun Morgan, South African musician, singer, and guitarist


Holiday Highlight

Yule

Our ancestors relied on the passage of time and seasons, measuring them by observing the Sun and Earth’s orbit. The winter solstice on December 21 symbolizes the Sun’s rebirth and a transition to longer days. Yule celebrations, tied to various pagan traditions, include myths like the goddess birthing the Sun god and the Holly King surrendering to the Oak King. These festivities helped ancestors understand vital seasonal changes that influenced survival. With Christianity’s rise, Yule merged with Christmas traditions, as December 25 also marks a renewal period.

 

Holidays And Observance 

Ann & Samantha Day 

Celebrate Short Fiction Day  

Crossword Puzzle Day 

Don't Make Your Bed Day  

First Day of Winter/Winter Solstice  

Forefather's Day 

Global Orgasm Day  

Humbug Day 

International Dalek Remembrance Day 

Kiwi Fruit Day (California) 

National Coquito Day 

National Flashlight Day 

National French Fried Shrimp Day 

National Hamburger Day 

National Homeless Person's Remembrance Day 

National Look at the Bright Side Day 

National Short Story Day 

Phileas Fogg Win a Wager Day 

Ribbon Candy Day 

Short Girl Appreciation Day  

Super Saturday   

Winter Solstice  

World Peace Day 

World Snowboard Day  

Yalda 

Yule 





 




 


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