Historical eventApril 211967

Tornado outbreak of April 21, 1967

A tornado outbreak in Illinois, United States, kills over 50 and injures over 1,000. Belvidere sustains over 500 casualties as a violent tornado strikes the high school. Another tornado near Chicago causes another 500 casualties, devastating Oak Lawn.

Everything on April 21Original source

In context

When
Friday, April 21 196759 years ago
Category
Historical eventA dated happening — a battle, treaty, launch, discovery, disaster or decision — recorded on this calendar day.
Era
20th century · 1960s
Recorded from
Wikipedia “On this day” feed

At a glance

Dates: From 1967.

Place: United States.

Type: tornado outbreak.

What happened

Legacy The tornado has its own section in the Oak Lawn Public Library. [ 1 ] ^ The 1967 Oak Lawn Tornado at the Oak Lawn Public Library.

A destructive tornado outbreak affected much of the Midwestern United States on April 21, 1967, in particular the towns of Belvidere and Oak Lawn, Illinois, United States. It was the largest tornado outbreak of 1967 and has been described by NWS Chicago as "Northern Illinois' worst tornado disaster". The outbreak produced numerous and significant (F2+) tornadoes, with ten of them in Illinois alone.

April 21 through the years

Other entries on the same calendar day, in order.

  1. 1967Tornado outbreak of April 21, 1967
  2. 1987Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam
  3. 19891989 Tiananmen Square protests and massacre
  4. 1993La Paz
  5. 1996Jokela rail accident
  6. 20042004 Basra police station bombings
  7. 2010Kharkiv Pact
  8. 2012Amsterdam Westerpark train collision
  9. 2014Flint, Michigan
  10. 20192019 Sri Lanka Easter bombings
  11. 2021Indonesian Navy

Also in 1967

  • March 14John F. KennedyThe body of U.S. President John F. Kennedy is moved to a permanent burial place at Arlington National Cemetery.
  • October 20Patterson–Gimlin filmRoger Patterson and Robert Gimlin filmed an unidentified subject, which they claimed was Bigfoot, at Six Rivers National Forest in Califo…
  • May 25Kapsan faction incidentHaving purged a group of rivals, Supreme Leader of North Korea Kim Il Sung delivered the "May 25 teaching", entrenching his son Kim Jong…
  • June 14Mariner programMariner program: Mariner 5 is launched towards Venus.
  • August 14Marine, &c., Broadcasting (Offences) Act 1967UK Marine Broadcasting Offences Act 1967 declares participation in offshore pirate radio illegal.
  • September 3Dagen HDagen H in Sweden: Traffic changes from driving on the left to driving on the right overnight.
  • June 17Nuclear weapons testingNuclear weapons testing: China announces a successful test of its first thermonuclear weapon.
  • November 16Aeroflot Flight 2230Aeroflot Flight 2230 crashed after takeoff from Koltsovo Airport, Russia, killing all 107 people aboard.

Everything we record for 1967 →

Sources

Cite this page

“Tornado outbreak of April 21, 1967”, What's On This Date, https://whatsonthisdate.com/app/event/tornado-outbreak-of-april-21-1967-1967-april-21, accessed October 29, 2026.

Cite the underlying source as well — the source links above go to the record this entry is adapted from.

Questions about this entry

When did Tornado outbreak of April 21, 1967 happen?

April 21 1967 — 59 years ago, on a Friday.

Where does this text come from?

Wikipedia “On this day” feed. Summaries are short adaptations that link back to the source, not reprints.

How do I cite this page?

Use the ready-made citation near the sources at the bottom of the page, and follow the source link to cite the underlying record as well.

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