Summary of the Day ✨ 21 June (21/06)
Tragedy struck on multiple fronts as a hot air balloon crash in Brazil killed 8, a migrant boat sinking left 17 dead and 70 missing, and an Indonesian plane crash claimed 11 lives, while Greenland took a significant step toward self-rule and Pluto’s newly discovered moons were officially named Nix and Hydra.
Historical Events 📜
- 2025: A hot air balloon catches fire mid-flight and crashes in Praia Grande, Santa Catarina, Brazil, killing 8 of the 21 on board.
- 2012: A boat carrying more than 200 migrants capsizes in the Indian Ocean between the Indonesian island of Java and Christmas Island, killing 17 people and leaving 70 others missing.
- 2012: An Indonesian Air Force Fokker F27 Friendship crashes near Halim Perdanakusuma International Airport, killing 11.
- 2009: Greenland assumes self-rule.
- 2006: Pluto’s newly discovered moons are officially named Nix and Hydra.
- 2006: A Yeti Airlines de Havilland Canada DHC-6 Twin Otter crashes at Jumla Airport in Nepal, killing nine people.
- 2005: Edgar Ray Killen, who had previously been unsuccessfully tried for the murders of James Chaney, Andrew Goodman, and Mickey Schwerner, is convicted of manslaughter 41 years afterwards (the case had been reopened in 2004).
- 2004: SpaceShipOne becomes the first privately funded spaceplane to achieve spaceflight.
- 2001: A federal grand jury in Alexandria, Virginia, indicts 13 Saudis and a Lebanese in the 1996 bombing of the Khobar Towers in Saudi Arabia that killed 19 American servicemen.
- 2000: Section 28 (of the Local Government Act 1988), outlawing the ‘promotion’ of homosexuality in the United Kingdom, is repealed in Scotland with a 99 to 17 vote.
- 1993: Space Shuttle Endeavour is launched on STS-57 to retrieve the European Retrievable Carrier (EURECA) satellite. It is also the first shuttle mission to carry the Spacehab module.
- 1989: The U.S. Supreme Court rules in Texas v. Johnson, 491 U.S. 397, that American flag-burning is a form of political protest protected by the First Amendment.
- 1985: Braathens SAFE Flight 139 is hijacked on approach to Oslo Airport, Fornebu. Special forces arrest the hijacker and there are no fatalities.
- 1982: John Hinckley is found not guilty by reason of insanity for the attempted assassination of U.S. President Ronald Reagan.
- 1978: The original production of Tim Rice and Andrew Lloyd Webber’s musical, Evita, based on the life of Eva Perón, opens at the Prince Edward Theatre, London.
Famous Births 👶
- 2011: Lil Bub, American celebrity cat (died 2019)
- 2001: Alexandra Obolentseva, Russian chess player
- 2000: Dylan Brown, New Zealand rugby league player
- 1999: Ky Rodwell, Australian rugby league player
- 1998: Isabel Atkin, British-American freestyle skier
- 1997: Rebecca Black, American singer-songwriter
- 1997: Derrius Guice, American football player
- 1996: Tyrone May, Australian rugby league player
- 1996: Scottie Scheffler, American golfer
- 1994: Başak Eraydın, Turkish tennis player
- 1993: Hungrybox, Argentine-American esports player
- 1992: MAX, American singer, songwriter, actor, dancer and model
- 1992: Hussein El Shahat, Egyptian professional footballer
- 1991: Gaël Kakuta, French footballer
- 1991: Lee Min-young, South Korean singer-songwriter, actress, and entertainer
Notable Deaths 🕊️
- 2024: Frederick Crews, American essayist and literary critic (born 1933)
- 2023: Winnie Ewing, Scottish politician (born 1929)
- 2018: Charles Krauthammer, American columnist and conservative political commentator (born 1950)
- 2016: Pierre Lalonde, Canadian television host and singer (born 1941)
- 2015: Darryl Hamilton, American baseball player and sportscaster (born 1964)
- 2015: Veijo Meri, Finnish author and poet (born 1928)
- 2015: Remo Remotti, Italian actor, playwright, and poet (born 1924)
- 2015: Alexander Schalck-Golodkowski, German soldier and politician (born 1932)
- 2015: Gunther Schuller, American horn player, composer, and conductor (born 1925)
- 2014: Yozo Ishikawa, Japanese politician, Japanese Minister of Defense (born 1925)
- 2014: Walter Kieber, Austrian-Liechtenstein politician, 7th Prime Minister of Liechtenstein (born 1931)
- 2014: Wong Ho Leng, Malaysian lawyer and politician (born 1959)
- 2013: James P. Gordon, American physicist and academic (born 1928)
- 2013: Elliott Reid, American actor and screenwriter (born 1920)
- 2012: Richard Adler, American composer and producer (born 1921)
Holidays & Observances 🎉
- Christian feast day:
Alban of Mainz - Christian feast day:
Aloysius Gonzaga - Christian feast day:
Engelmund of Velsen - Christian feast day:
Martin of Tongres - Christian feast day:
Onesimos Nesib (Lutheran) - Christian feast day:
June 21 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics) - Day of the Martyrs (Togo)
- Father’s Day (Egypt, Lebanon, Jordan, Syria, Uganda, Pakistan, United Arab Emirates)
- Go Skateboarding Day
- International Yoga Day (international)
- National Indigenous Peoples Day (Canada)
- Solstice-related observances (see also June 20):
Day of Private Reflection (Northern Ireland) - Solstice-related observances (see also June 20):
International Surfing Day - Solstice-related observances (see also June 20):
National Day (Greenland) - Solstice-related observances (see also June 20):
We Tripantu, a winter solstice festival in the southern hemisphere. (Mapuche, southern Chile)