On This Day - What Happened On June 21 | Britannica

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1945 Japanese forces defeated on Okinawa Japanese resistance on Okinawa was finally crushed this day in 1945, less than three months after U.S. troops landed there as the last stepping-stone before the planned assault on Japan's main islands in World War II. Sort fact from fiction in our quiz about World War II U.S. Department of Defense

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Benazir Bhutto prime minister of Pakistan bornJune 21, 1953Karachi, PakistandiedDecember 27, 2007 (aged 54)Rawalpindi, Pakistan© Aamir Qureshi—AFP/Getty Images 1983 Edward Snowden American intelligence contractor 1982 William, prince of Wales British prince 1955 Michel Platini French football player and administrator 1953 Benazir Bhutto prime minister of Pakistan 1944 Tony Scott British film director See All Biographies On This Day

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2009 Greenland became self-governing as an expanded home-rule agreement with Denmark took effect. Sort fact from fiction in our quiz about islandsEncyclopædia Britannica, Inc. 1997 The Women's National Basketball Association debuted with the playing of the league's first game, in which the New York Liberty defeated the Los Angeles Sparks. How much do you know about basketball? 1982 Prince William of Wales (later Prince William, duke of Cambridge) was born to Charles, prince of Wales and heir to the British throne, and Diana, princess of Wales. Sort fact from fiction in our English royalty quiz© Kathy Hutchins/Shutterstock.com 1982 John Hinckley, Jr., was ruled to be innocent by reason of insanity in the shooting of U.S. President Ronald Reagan. Test your knowledge of U.S. history and politicsCourtesy Ronald Reagan Library 1963 Paul VI was elected pope of the Roman Catholic Church. Take our pope quizAP 1919 Italian American architect Paolo Soleri, who was one of the best-known utopian city planners of the 20th century, was born in Turin, Italy. Sort fact from fiction in our art and architecture quiz© Santi Visalli—Archive Photos/Getty Images 1905 Jean-Paul Sartre, a French novelist, playwright, and exponent of existentialism who was awarded but declined the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1964, was born. Test your knowledge of Nobel laureates in literatureGisele Freund 1893 The first Ferris wheel (invented by George Washington Gale Ferris, Jr., a Pittsburgh-based engineer) made its debut, at the World's Columbian Exposition in Chicago. Take our pop culture quizLibrary of Congress, Washington, D.C. (digital id: cph 3a50979u) 1870 The Tianjin Massacre—a violent outbreak of Chinese xenophobic sentiment toward Westerners—erupted. Sort fact from fiction in our quiz about China 1834 Cyrus McCormick received a patent for his 1831 invention of a reaper. Test your knowledge of inventors and their inventionsCulver Pictures 1813 The Battle of Vitoria was fought during the Peninsular War, breaking Napoleon's power in Spain. Take our quiz about historic battles© I. Quintanilla/Shutterstock.com 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.