What Happened on February 21

Historical Events

1795 – Freedom of worship established in France under constitution
1902 – Dr. Harvey Cushing, 1st US brain surgeon, performs his 1st brain operation
1909 – John Galsworthy’s “Strife” premieres in London
1965 – Civil rights activist and Muslim minister Malcolm X is shot dead by Nation of Islam followers at Audubon Ballroom in New York City
1969 – 1st launching of heavy N-1 rocket at Baikonur Kazakhstan (explodes)
2017 – Plane crashes into shopping centre in Essendon, Melbourne, Australia killing the five people on board

More Historical Events »

Famous Birthdays

1909 – Hans Erni, Swiss painter and sculptor, born in Lucerne, Switzerland (d. 2015)
1917 – Tadd Dameron, American jazz pianist, composer (“If You Could See Me Now”; “Lady Bird”), arranger (Count Basie, Jimmie Lunceford, Dizzy Gillespie, Billy Eckstine) and band leader, born in Cleveland, Ohio (d. 1965)
1940 – Peter McEnery, English actor (Game is Over, Moonspinners), born in Walsall, England
1955 – Kelsey Grammer, American actor, comedian, director and activist (“Frasier Crane” in Cheers and Fraiser), born in Saint Thomas, Virgin Islands
1966 – Bronwen Booth, English actress (Andy-One Life to Live, Eternal Evil), born in London, England
1978 – Kumail Nanjiani, Pakistani American comedian, actor and writer (The Big Sick, Silicon Valley), born in Karachi, Pakistan

More Famous Birthdays »

Famous Deaths

1513 – Julius II, Italian Pope (1503-13) and patron of Michelangelo, Bramante and Raphael, dies at 69
1918 – Neltje Blanchan, American nature writer, dies at 52
1919 – Habibullah Khan, Emir of Afghanistan (1901-19), murdered at 46
1996 – Morton Gould, American pianist, conductor, and theatrical, screen, and concert composer (Pulitzer Prize, 1956 – Stringmusic), dies at 82
2012 – Eiko Ishioka, Japanese Costume designer, dies from pancreatic cancer at 74
2016 – Pascal Bentoiu, Romanian composer, dies at 88

More Famous Deaths »

#todayinhistory