2023 Prague shootings
Fourteen people are killed and 25 others injured during a mass shooting at Charles University in Prague, Czech Republic.
What happened on December 21
38 events · 20 births · 20 deaths · 7 observances. From 1124 to 2024.
Standout on December 21
2023
2023 Prague shootings
Fourteen people are killed and 25 others injured during a mass shooting at Charles University in Prague, Czech Republic.
About December 21
December 21 is the 355th day of the year. These facts are computed from the calendar, not copied from anywhere.
- Day of the year
- Day 355 of 365 (356 in leap years)10 days left in the year (10 in leap years)
- Falls on
- Monday in 2026, Tuesday in 2027, Thursday in 2028, Friday in 2029, Saturday in 2030
- Week
- ISO week 52 of 2026 · Q4
- Zodiac sign
- ♐ Sagittarius (November 22 – December 21)Cusp date — the exact boundary shifts by a day in some years.
- Season
- Winter in the north · Summer in the south
- December birthstone
- Turquoise / Tanzanite / Zircongood fortune, wisdom and success
- December birth flower
- Narcissus / Holly / Poinsettiarespect, hope and good wishes
- Next occurrence
- In 55 days
- Roman numerals
- XXI.XIIday.month — see the Roman numeral date tool
Anniversaries in 2026
- 200thMexican Texas1826
- 80thMoment magnitude scale1946
- 30thBen Chilwell1996
- 30thKaitlyn Dever1996
- 20thCooper Flagg2006
- 20thSaparmurat Niyazov2006
December 21 through the years
- 10 years ago2016
- Nothing recorded
- 25 years ago2001
- Nothing recorded
- 50 years ago1976
- Nothing recorded
- 100 years ago1926
- Nothing recorded
- 200 years ago1826
- Mexican Texas
Born on December 21 — ages this year
- 2006Cooper Flaggturns 20
- 2002Clara Tausonturns 24
- 1997Charlie McAvoyturns 29
- 1997Madelyn Clineturns 29
- 1996Kaitlyn Deverturns 30
- 1996Ben Chilwellturns 30
Historical events 38
A dated happening — a battle, treaty, launch, discovery, disaster or decision — recorded on this calendar day.
Vega C
A Vega C rocket carrying two Pléiades Neo satellites fails after liftoff.
Great conjunction
A great conjunction of Jupiter and Saturn occurs, with the two planets separated in the sky by 0.1 degrees. This is the closest conjunction between the two planets since 1623.
Special Boat Service
Operatives of the British Special Boat Service boarded the container ship Grande Tema in the Thames Estuary to detain four stowaways who had threatened the crew.
Maya civilization
Countries that were part of the Maya civilization celebrated the end-date of a 5,126-year-long cycle in the Mesoamerican Long Count calendar.
2012 phenomenon
2012 phenomenon: Festivities are held in parts of Mesoamerica to commemorate the conclusion of b'ak'tun 13, a roughly 5,126-year-long cycle in the Mesoamerican Long Count Calendar whose passing many New Age spiritualists had earlier held to portend a variety of cataclysmic or transformative events.
Iraq War
Iraq War: A suicide bomber kills 22 at the forward operating base next to the main U.S. military airfield at Mosul, Iraq, the single deadliest suicide attack on American soldiers in Iraq.
Cubana de Aviación Flight 1216
Cubana de Aviación Flight 1216 overshoots the runway at La Aurora International Airport, killing 18.
Civil Guard (Spain)
The Spanish Civil Guard intercepts a van loaded with 950 kg of explosives that ETA intended to use to blow up Torre Picasso in Madrid, Spain.
Bethlehem
The city of Bethlehem passes from Israeli to Palestinian control.
Oslo II Accord
In accordance with the Oslo II Accord, Israeli troops withdrew from Bethlehem in preparation for the transfer of control to the Palestinian National Authority.
Popocatépetl
Mexico's Popocatépetl volcano, dormant for 47 years, began erupting, and is now one of the nation's most active volcanoes.
Netherlands
A Dutch DC-10, flight Martinair MP 495, crashes at Faro Airport, Portugal, killing 56.
Dissolution of the Soviet Union
Dissolution of the Soviet Union: The leaders of 11 now effectively autonomous Soviet republics sign the Alma-Ata Protocol establishing the Commonwealth of Independent States in place of the collapsing Soviet Union.
Pan Am Flight 103
A bomb on board Pan Am Flight 103 detonated over Lockerbie, Scotland, killing 270 people.
Antonov An-225 Mriya
The world's heaviest aircraft, the Antonov An-225 Mriya, made its first flight.
Lancaster House Agreement
Lancaster House Agreement: An independence agreement for Rhodesia is signed in London by Lord Carrington, Sir Ian Gilmour, Robert Mugabe, Joshua Nkomo, Bishop Abel Muzorewa and S.C. Mundawarara.
Geneva Conference (1973)
The Geneva Conference on the Arab–Israeli conflict opens.
Apollo program
Apollo program: Apollo 8 is launched from the Kennedy Space Center, placing its crew on a lunar trajectory for the first visit to another celestial body by humans.
Apollo 8
Apollo 8 launched from Kennedy Space Center in Florida on a trajectory to the Moon; its crew (pictured) became the first humans to visit another celestial body.
Louis Washkansky
Louis Washkansky, the first man to undergo a human-to-human heart transplant, dies in Cape Town, South Africa, having lived for 18 days after the transplant.
United Nations
The United Nations adopted the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination, which 88 member states have since signed.
International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination
International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination is adopted.
Bloody Christmas (1963)
"Bloody Christmas" begins in Cyprus, ultimately resulting in the displacement of 25,000–30,000 Turkish Cypriots and destruction of more than 100 villages.
Greek Cypriots
An attempt by Greek Cypriot police to search certain Turkish Cypriot women in Nicosia escalated into island-wide violence, leading to 538 deaths and the displacement of nearly 27,000 people.
Moment magnitude scale
An 8.1 Mw earthquake and subsequent tsunami in Nankaidō, Japan, kills over 1,300 people and destroys over 38,000 homes.
World War II
World War II: A Thai-Japanese Pact of Alliance is signed.
Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937 film)
Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, the first full-length cel-animated feature in film history, premiered at the Carthay Circle Theatre in Los Angeles.
Lieutenant Kijé (Prokofiev)
Lieutenant Kijé, the first film composition by Sergei Prokofiev (pictured), premiered.
Nepal–Britain Treaty of 1923
Nepal and the United Kingdom signed the first treaty that defined the international status of Nepal as an independent and a sovereign nation.
Draft evasion
After serving two years in prison for encouraging people to resist military conscription, anarchist Emma Goldman was deported from the United States to Russia.
Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception (Moscow)
Moscow's Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception was consecrated.
Nora Helmer
the fictional character of Nora Helmer is first portrayed by Betty Hennings (pictured) at a showing of A Doll's House at the Royal Danish Theatre.
HMS Challenger (1858)
HMS Challenger departed Portsmouth on a scientific expedition that laid the foundations of oceanography.
Rochdale Society of Equitable Pioneers
The Rochdale Pioneers opened their store (pictured) in Rochdale, England, forming the basis for the modern co-operative movement.
Mexican Texas
Settlers from the United States in Mexican Texas made the first attempt to secede from Mexico, establishing the short-lived Republic of Fredonia.
Pilgrims (Plymouth Colony)
The Pilgrims aboard the Mayflower landed at present-day Plymouth, Massachusetts, to establish the Plymouth Colony.
1124 papal election
Lamberto Scannabecchi was elected pope, taking the name Honorius II.
Births 20
A notable person born on this day. Each links to a person page with their dates and story.
Deaths 20
A notable person who died on this day.
Bruce McCandless II
Bruce McCandless II, US astronaut who conducted the first untethered spacewalk (born 1937)
Edgar Bronfman Sr.
Edgar Bronfman Sr., Canadian-American businessman and philanthropist (born 1929)
John Eisenhower
John Eisenhower, American historian, general, and diplomat, 45th United States Ambassador to Belgium (born 1922)
Edwin G. Krebs
Edwin G. Krebs, American biochemist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (born 1918)
Saparmurat Niyazov
Saparmyrat Nyýazow, Turkmen engineer and politician, 1st President of Turkmenistan (born 1940) (date death announced)
Autar Singh Paintal
Autar Singh Paintal, Indian physiologist and neurologist (born 1925)
Albert King
Albert King, American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer (born 1924)
Nikolaas Tinbergen
Nikolaas Tinbergen, Dutch-English ethologist and ornithologist, Nobel Prize laureate (born 1907)
Paul de Man
Paul de Man, Belgian-born philosopher, literary critic and theorist (born 1919)
Holidays & observances 7
A holiday, feast day, awareness day or national day observed every year on this date.
Peter Canisius
Christian feast day: Peter Canisius
Public holidays in São Tomé and Príncipe
São Tomé Day (São Tomé and Príncipe)
December 21 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
Christian feast day: December 21 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
Forefathers' Day
Forefathers' Day (Plymouth, Massachusetts)
Armed Forces Day
Armed Forces Day (Philippines)
O Antiphons
Christian feast day: O Oriens
Thomas the Apostle
Christian feast day: Thomas the Apostle
Spread across the centuries
- 12th century1
- 17th century1
- 19th century4
- 20th century49
- 21st century23
Earliest: 1124 papal election (1124). Most recent: Art Evans (actor) (2024).
What the categories mean, and how the standout is chosen
- Historical events
- A dated happening — a battle, treaty, launch, discovery, disaster or decision — recorded on this calendar day.
- Births
- A notable person born on this day. Each links to a person page with their dates and story.
- Deaths
- A notable person who died on this day.
- Milestones
- A first, a founding or a turning point our editors flagged as a landmark moment.
- Holidays & observances
- A holiday, feast day, awareness day or national day observed every year on this date.
- Standout / notable
- Editor-written entries come first, then entries covered by the most Wikipedia language editions. For the standout tile we prefer an entry that has a picture.
Nearby and related
Questions about December 21
What day of the year is December 21?
December 21 is the 355th day of the year, with 10 days left after it.
What star sign is December 21?
December 21 falls under Sagittarius (November 22 – December 21), a fire sign ruled by Jupiter. The birthstone for the month is Turquoise or Tanzanite or Zircon.
How many things happened on December 21?
We record 85 entries for December 21: 38 events · 20 births · 20 deaths · 7 observances. From 1124 to 2024.
Who was born on December 21?
Cooper Flagg (2006) is among the notable births on December 21. The births section lists the rest.
How often is the December 21 page updated?
The day is filled the first time anyone opens it and then re-checked for new entries about every 90 days. Computed facts such as the weekday and the anniversaries update every year.
Get a daily entry like December 21
One short email a day from this calendar. Kept for this site only.
Text adapted from Wikipedia under CC BY-SA 4.0 and from Wikidata (CC0). Images come from Wikimedia Commons; credit and licence are shown with each image. Editorial entries are © What's On This Date. Sources & licensing · How this site works.