July 21: Facts & Historical Events On This Day - The Fact Site

July 21st is known as Lamington Day and Junk Food Day.

We made it to day 202 of the year and there’s 163 days left in 2026.

Today in history was an important one in the world of music, politics, movies and more. Here we’ll look at the happenings of July 21st throughout history.

Did you know that on this day, July 21, 1853, the New York State Legislature voted to set aside hundreds of acres of land in Manhattan? This area was allocated to become Central Park.

Keep reading for more fun & interesting facts about July 21st in history!

Historical Events

What memorable events happened on July 21 in history? Keep reading to find out!

2025

Twenty-eight countries issued a joint statement calling for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza.

The signatories, including the UK, Australia, Canada, France, Italy, Japan, and Switzerland, called for unrestricted humanitarian access, saying civilian suffering had reached unprecedented levels.

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2024

US President Joe Biden withdrew from his re-election campaign and endorsed Kamala Harris as his preferred successor.

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2023

Greta Gerwig’s Barbie and Christopher Nolan’s Oppenheimer opened in cinemas.

Many people flocked to cinemas to watch both films back-to-back, morphing the two films into a five-hour marathon delightfully coined as "Barbenheimer."

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2021

The world’s fastest train, a maglev bullet train with speeds of 373 mph (600 km/h), debuted in China.

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2014

Marvel’s superhero movie “Guardians of the Galaxy” premiered in Hollywood, Los Angeles, US.

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2011

NASA’s space shuttle program finally came to a close when mission STS-135 landed.

The Atlantis orbiter was used for the final mission, and with just four astronauts aboard, it had the smallest crew since 1983. The fourteen-day mission took up several new modules and spare parts to the International Space Station and was Atlantis' 33rd mission. STS-135, the 135th space shuttle mission, was a complete success, with hundreds of people flocking to the Kennedy Space Center to witness the end of an era.

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2007

J.K. Rowling’s final book in the series “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows” book was published worldwide.

A record 12 million copies were sold within just 24 hours of its release.

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1994

Former British prime minister Tony Blair won the leadership election for the British Labour Party.

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1990

Pink Floyd performed their hit “The Wall” at the previous Berlin Wall location.

Eight months before this event, the wall at Potsdamer Platz, Berlin, had been taken down after the collapse of the Soviet Union. Pink Floyd performed their hit "The Wall" at this location at a concert with over 350,000 spectators, with a live broadcast to 52 countries worldwide.

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1983

The Soviet Vostok Station in Antarctica recorded the world’s lowest temperature in an inhabited location.

The research station recorded a temperature of -128.6 °F (-89.2 °Celcius), breaking the previous 1968 record of -126.9 °F (-88.3 °C).

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1972

The Provisional IRA detonated twenty-two bombs in Belfast, Northern Ireland.

Poor communication between the British government and the IRA was partly to blame for the bombings. The bombs were all detonated within an 80-minute window across the city. Nine people died from the blasts, and another 130 were injured, leading the day to be known as Bloody Friday.

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1952

The comedy movie “The Quiet Man” was released in the UK.

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1944

American forces landed on Guam during WWII, which started the Second Battle of Guam.

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1865

The first-ever western shootdown happened in Market Square, Springfield, Missouri, US.

On this day, Wild Bill Hickok shot David Tutt dead with a pistol. The event was depicted in many novels and movies, such as "High Noon."

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1861

The Battle of Bull Run took place at Manassas Junction, Virginia.

The Battle of Bull Run was the first major battle of the Civil War, in which The Confederates were victorious.

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1853

New York City allocated hundreds of acres of land in Manhattan for Central Park.

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365 AD

The estimated magnitude 8.0 earthquake caused the island of Crete to rise 30 feet (9 meters) above sea level.

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356 BC

The Temple of Artemis, one of the Seven Wonders of the World, was set on fire by Herostratus.

Herostratus was sentenced to death for his crime, and nobody was allowed to speak his name after that.

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Famous Births

If today’s your birthday, you share this special day with Robin Williams! Here are other famous people born on this day.

1951

Robin Williams

American Actor

Died On

Aug 11, 2014 (Age 63)

Born IN

Illinois, USA

1986

Diane Guerrero

American Actress

Age

39 years old

Born IN

New Jersey, USA

2008

John Fadare

British Pop Singer

Age

17 years old

Born IN

England, UK

1992

Jessica Barden

English Actress

Age

33 years old

Born IN

England, UK

1978

Josh Hartnett

American Actor

Age

47 years old

Born IN

Minnesota, USA

Birthday & Zodiac

People who were born on July 21 share the Cancer star sign.

Cancers tend to have excellent listening skills and show a genuine interest in people. Because of this, Cancers generally do well as therapists, bodyworkers, and energy healers.

Ruby is the birthstone given to those who were born during July. The name “Ruby” is derived from the Latin word “rubeus,” meaning “red.” The July birthstone symbolizes love, affection, energy, and success. Similarly, the color red is associated with love and passion.

People born on this day were likely conceived on or around October 28th in the previous year.

A baby that is conceived on this day will be born around April 13, 2027.

Special Holidays

If you're looking to try something new today, here are some special holidays that might just give you an idea.

Australia

National Lamington Day

One of Australia’s most iconic cakes is, of course, the Lamington cake. Today is Lamington Day, and you can get involved by giving this bake a go at home yourself! If you’ve never had it before, you’re in for a real treat.

United States

National Junk Food Day

Let’s face it - eating healthy food all the time can be pretty dull. The good news is that today is Junk Food Day, so you can cast aside all your inhibitions and eat as much junk food as you want! The hardest thing about today will be figuring out what to eat first!

Fact Of The Day

“I Will Always Love You” was originally written and recorded by Dolly Parton in 1973 as a farewell to Porter Wagoner, her mentor of seven years.

Check out our daily facts page for fresh, random facts updated every day!

Days Until

Your countdown to 2026's upcoming special days!

• Halloween

  102 days

• Christmas Day

  157 days

• New Year's Day

  164 days