On This Day - What Happened On December 21 | Britannica

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Featured Event

1891 The first basketball game Gym teacher James Naismith organized the first game of basketball, which was played on this day in 1891 in a school in Springfield, Massachusetts. Chaos reigned and a fight broke out, which prompted Naismith to develop the sport's original rules. Read today's edition of Today in History >> agefotostock/Alamy

Featured Biography

Florence Griffith Joyner American sprinter bornDecember 21, 1959Los Angeles, CaliforniadiedSeptember 21, 1998 (aged 38)Mission Viejo, CaliforniaColorsport/REX/Shutterstock.com 1966 Kiefer Sutherland British-born Canadian actor 1957 Ray Romano American comedian and actor 1940 Frank Zappa American musician 1937 Jane Fonda American actress 1926 Joe Paterno American football coach See All Biographies On This Day

More Events On This Day

2017 American astronaut Bruce McCandless II, the first person to conduct an untethered free flight in space, died at age 80. Take our quiz about famous astronauts and cosmonautsNASA 2012 The music video for South Korean singer PSY's pop song Gangnam Style became the first video on YouTube to get one billion views.Jason DeCrow—Invision/AP/Shutterstock.com 1988 Pan Am flight 103 exploded over Lockerbie, Scotland, killing all 259 people on board and 11 more on the ground. Years later, an employee of Libyan Arab Airlines was convicted of the terrorist attack, and the government of Libya agreed to pay damages to the families of the victims.Air Accidents Investigation Branch, United Kingdom/Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0 1968 Apollo 8 was launched from Cape Kennedy (Cape Canaveral) and eventually completed 10 lunar orbits. Explore a timeline of the Apollo missionsNASA 1958 Charles de Gaulle was elected president of the French Fifth Republic. Test your knowledge of French historyBruno Barbey/Magnum Photos 1945 U.S. General George Patton, known as “Old Blood-and-Guts” by his men, died following an automobile accident in Germany. Take our quiz about famous war personalitiesU.S. Army photo 1937 The movie Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs premiered. It was Walt Disney's first feature-length animated film, and its critical and commercial success determined his company's path forward for decades. What was Disney's first cartoon animal?PRNewsFoto/Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment/AP Images 1913 The New York World published the first modern crossword puzzle. Did you know that puzzles can be traced back to ancient Egypt?© Margaret M Stewart/Shutterstock.com 1911 Josh Gibson, who holds the Major League Baseball record for the highest career lifetime batting average, was born in Buena Vista, Georgia. Learn more about the Negro leagues where Josh Gibson played© Mark Rucker—Transcendental Graphics/Getty Images 1898 Future Nobel Prize winners Marie Curie and Pierre Curie discovered the radioactive chemical element radium, a silvery white metal used in early cancer treatment. Read what Marie Curie and her daughter Irène Curie wrote for Encyclopædia Britannica in 1926The Granger Collection, New York 1864 Union General William Tecumseh Sherman captured Savannah, Georgia, ending his March to the Sea during the American Civil War. How much do you know about the American Civil War?Library of Congress, Washington, D.C. 1845 The Battle of Firoz Shah began between British and Sikh forces during the First Sikh War. Take our history of warfare quiz 1804 Benjamin Disraeli, the statesman and novelist who was British prime minister twice (1868, 1874–80), was born in London. Test your knowledge of notable prime ministersPhotos.com/Jupiterimages SIGN UP FOR History's Biggest Headlines Discover the fascinating events that shaped the world, straight from our editors. SIGN UP Thanks for signing up for Today in History. Your first newsletter will arrive soon! SIGN UP By clicking "Sign Up" you are agreeing to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.