On This Day - What Happened On July 21 | Britannica

Ask the Chatbot Games & Quizzes History & Society Science & Tech Biographies Animals & Nature Geography & Travel Arts & Culture ProCon Money Videos A Britannica Newsletter Discover the fascinating events that shaped the world, straight from our editors. SIGN UP ADD TO YOUR INBOX Thanks for signing up for Today in History. Your first newsletter will arrive soon! By clicking "Add To Your Inbox"tapping "Sign Up" you are agreeing to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. Home On This Day TODAY IN HISTORY July 21 What Happened On Your Bday? Go to Today's Date

Featured Event

1798 Egyptians defeated in the Battle of the Pyramids Napoleon's Army of Egypt used a new military tactic, the massive divisional square, to defeat the Egyptian forces of Murād Bey this day in 1798 at the Battle of the Pyramids during Napoleon's Egyptian campaign. How much do you know about Napoleon? Courtesy National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C. Samuel H. Kress Collection, 1961.9.15

Featured Biography

Ernest Hemingway American writer bornJuly 21, 1899Oak Park, IllinoisdiedJuly 2, 1961 (aged 61)Ketchum, IdahoErnest Hemingway Photograph Collection/John F. Kennedy Presidential Library 1951 Robin Williams American comedian and actor 1938 Janet Reno United States attorney general 1926 Norman Jewison Canadian director and producer 1911 Marshall McLuhan Canadian educator 1899 Ernest Hemingway American writer See All Biographies On This Day

More Events On This Day

2024 Following his poor performance in a nationally televised debate with Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump, Pres. Joe Biden announced that he was ending his reelection bid; he became the first president since Lyndon B. Johnson in 1968 to not seek reelection.© Andrew Harnik/Getty Images 2011 The U.S. space shuttle program ended, after 135 missions, as the orbiter Atlantis landed at NASA's John F. Kennedy Space Center at Cape Canaveral, Florida. Sort fact from fiction in our quiz about space explorationKim Shiflett/NASA 2007 Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, the final book in J.K. Rowling's Harry Potter series, was released. Take our quiz about children's authorsPictureLux/age fotostock 1987 American heavy metal band Guns N' Roses released the landmark album Appetite for Destruction, which sold more than 17 million copies. Test your knowledge of musical forms and styles 1983 The world's lowest recorded temperature, −128.6 °F (−89.2 °C), was measured at Vostok Station, Antarctica. Sort fact from fiction in our quiz about AntarcticaiStockphoto/Thinkstock 1967 Albert John Luthuli, president of the African National Congress (1952–67) and the first African to be awarded a Nobel Prize for Peace (1960), died, reportedly after being struck by a train, although that narrative has been challenged. Take our quiz about the Nobel PrizePhotoworld/FPG 1961 Virgil I. (“Gus”) Grissom became the second American to enter space during Project Mercury. Test your knowledge of famous astronauts and cosmonautsNASA/Johnson Space Center 1960 Politician Sirimavo Bandaranaike became the world's first woman prime minister when she took office in Ceylon (later Sri Lanka). Take our quiz about female leadersKeystone/FPG 1954 The Geneva Accords effectively divided Vietnam at the 17th parallel. Sort fact from fiction in our quiz about Southeast Asia 1925 The trial of high-school teacher John T. Scopes ended with his conviction in Tennessee; he had taught Charles Darwin's theory of evolution in violation of a state law. Read more about this and nine other “trials of the century.”Library of Congress, Washington, D.C. 1861 The First Battle of Bull Run (called First Manassas by the South) was fought during the American Civil War. How much do you know about the American Civil War?Kurz & Allison/Library of Congress, Washington, D.C. (LC-DIG-pga-01843) 1774 The Treaty of Küçük Kaynarca was signed at the conclusion of the Russo-Turkish War of 1768–74. 1613 Michael Romanov was crowned tsar of Russia, founding the Romanov dynasty. Take our quiz about Russian historyNovosti Press Agency 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.