Greenfield tornado
The Greenfield tornado, estimated to have produced winds in excess of 309 miles per hour (497 km/h), moved across Iowa.
What happened on May 21
34 events · 20 births · 20 deaths · 7 observances. From 878 to 2026.
Standout on May 21
2024
2024 Taichung MRT attack
A stabbing spree on the Green line of the Taichung MRT injures four people, including the perpetrator.
About May 21
May 21 is the 141st day of the year. These facts are computed from the calendar, not copied from anywhere.
- Day of the year
- Day 141 of 365 (142 in leap years)224 days left in the year (224 in leap years)
- Falls on
- Thursday in 2026, Friday in 2027, Sunday in 2028, Monday in 2029, Tuesday in 2030
- Week
- ISO week 21 of 2026 · Q2
- Zodiac sign
- ♊ Gemini (May 21 – June 20)Cusp date — the exact boundary shifts by a day in some years.
- Season
- Spring in the north · Autumn in the south
- May birthstone
- Emeraldrebirth, love and wisdom
- May birth flower
- Lily of the valley / Hawthornsweetness, humility and hope
- Next occurrence
- In 206 days
- Roman numerals
- XXI.Vday.month — see the Roman numeral date tool
Anniversaries in 2026
- 175thCongress of Colombia1851
- 80thPlutonium1946
- 30thIndy de Vroome1996
- 30thJosh Allen1996
- 30thKaren Khachanov1996
- 30thMV Bukoba1996
- 30thTrappists1996
- 25thChristiane Taubira2001
May 21 through the years
- 10 years ago2016
- Nick Menza
- 25 years ago2001
- Christiane Taubira
- 50 years ago1976
- Nothing recorded
- 100 years ago1926
- Nothing recorded
- 200 years ago1826
- Nothing recorded
Born on May 21 — ages this year
- 2007El Maturns 19
- 2002Elena Huelvaturns 24
- 1997Sisca Folkertsmaturns 29
- 1997Kevin Quinn (actor)turns 29
- 1997Ivan De Santisturns 29
- 1997Viktoria Petrykturns 29
Historical events 34
A dated happening — a battle, treaty, launch, discovery, disaster or decision — recorded on this calendar day.
2024 Taichung MRT attack
A stabbing spree on the Green line of the Taichung MRT injures four people, including the perpetrator.
Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus
Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus perform their final show at Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum.
Islamic State
Islamic State militants entered the ancient city of Palmyra.
2014 Taipei Metro attack
A Taiwanese man carried out a stabbing spree on a Taipei Metro train, killing four people and injuring 24 others.
Qafa e Vishës bus accident
A bus accident near Himara, Albania kills 13 people and injures 21 others.
2012 Unity Day parade rehearsal bombing
A suicide bombing kills more than 120 people in Sanaa, Yemen.
Harold Camping
Radio broadcaster Harold Camping predicted that the world would end on this date.
JAXA
JAXA, the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, launches the solar-sail spacecraft IKAROS aboard an H-IIA rocket. The vessel would make a Venus flyby late in the year.
Republic of Montenegro (1992–2006)
The Republic of Montenegro holds a referendum proposing independence from the State Union of Serbia and Montenegro; 55% of Montenegrins vote for independence.
Roller coaster
The world's tallest roller coaster, Kingda Ka, opened at Six Flags Great Adventure in Jackson, New Jersey, U.S.
2003 Boumerdès earthquake
The 6.8 Mw Boumerdès earthquake shakes northern Algeria with a maximum Mercalli intensity of X (Extreme). More than 2,200 people were killed and a moderate tsunami sank boats at the Balearic Islands.
Christiane Taubira
French Taubira law is enacted, officially recognizing the Atlantic slave trade and slavery as crimes against humanity.
2000 Executive Airlines British Aerospace Jetstream crash
Nineteen people are killed in a plane crash in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania.
Suharto
Indonesian president Suharto resigned after a collapse of support for his presidency amid economic and political crises, ending 32 years in power.
Miami
In Miami, five abortion clinics are attacked by a butyric acid attacker.
MV Bukoba
The ferry MV Bukoba sinks in Tanzanian waters on Lake Victoria, killing nearly 1,000.
Trappists
The seven Trappist monks of Tibhirine who were abducted on March 27 are killed under uncertain circumstances.
Democratic Republic of Yemen
The Democratic Republic of Yemen unsuccessfully attempts to secede from the Republic of Yemen; a war breaks out.
Johnny Carson
After 30 seasons Johnny Carson hosts his penultimate episode and last featuring guests (Robin Williams and Bette Midler) of The Tonight Show.
Rajiv Gandhi
Former Indian prime minister Rajiv Gandhi was assassinated by a suicide bomber in Sriperumbudur, Tamil Nadu.
Prime Minister of India
Former Indian Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi is assassinated by a female suicide bomber near Madras.
Plutonium
While working with a mass of plutonium known as the demon core, Manhattan Project physicist Louis Slotin accidentally exposed himself to a lethal dose of hard radiation, making him the second victim of a criticality accident in history.
Spirit of St. Louis
Aboard the Spirit of St. Louis, American aviator Charles Lindbergh (pictured) completed the first solo non-stop transatlantic flight, flying from Roosevelt Field near New York City to Paris–Le Bourget Airport.
Doktor Faust
The opera Doktor Faust, unfinished when composer Ferruccio Busoni (pictured) died, was premiered in Dresden.
University of Chicago
University of Chicago students Nathan Leopold Jr. and Richard Loeb (both pictured) murdered a 14-year-old boy in a thrill killing out of a desire to commit a "perfect crime".
Commonwealth War Graves Commission
The Imperial War Graves Commission was established by royal charter to mark, record and maintain the graves and places of commemoration of British Empire military forces.
Porfirio Díaz
Mexican president Porfirio Díaz and the revolutionary Francisco I. Madero signed the Treaty of Ciudad Juárez to end hostilities between each other's forces, concluding the initial phase of the Mexican Revolution.
American Civil War
American Civil War: The inconclusive Battle of Spotsylvania Court House in Virginia ended with combined Union and Confederate casualties totaling around 31,000.
Sacking of Lawrence
A crowd of about 800 pro-slavery Americans ransacked the town of Lawrence, Kansas.
Congress of Colombia
The Congress of Colombia passed a law abolishing slavery in the country, to take effect at the beginning of the new year.
Daniel Defoe
English writer Daniel Defoe was imprisoned for seditious libel after publishing a pamphlet that was perceived to satirise the Tory publications about Dissenters.
Crusades
The Crusades: The siege of Shaizar ended, and the Emir of Shaizar became a vassal of the Byzantine Empire.
Arab–Byzantine wars
Arab–Byzantine wars: The city of Syracuse was captured by the Aghlabids (pictured) as part of the Muslim conquest of Sicily.
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.
Gerry Connolly
Gerry Connolly, American politician, U.S. Representative from Virginia's 11th congressional district (born 1950)
Jassem Al-Kharafi
Jassem Al-Kharafi, Kuwaiti businessman and politician, 8th Kuwaiti Speaker of the National Assembly (born 1940)
Jaime Lusinchi
Jaime Lusinchi, Venezuelan physician and politician, President of Venezuela (born 1924)
Count Christian of Rosenborg
Count Christian of Rosenborg, member of the Danish royal family (born 1942)
Leonard Marsh (businessman)
Leonard Marsh, American businessman, co-founded Snapple (born 1933)
Frank Comstock
Frank Comstock, American trombonist, composer, and conductor (born 1922)
Holidays & observances 7
A holiday, feast day, awareness day or national day observed every year on this date.
Afro-Colombian Day
Afro-Colombian Day (Colombia)
Feast of Corpus Christi
Christian feast day: Earliest day on which Corpus Christi can fall, while June 24 is the latest; held on Thursday after Trinity Sunday (often locally moved to Sunday). (Roman Catholic Church)
John Eliot (missionary)
Christian feast day: John Elliot (Episcopal Church)
Helena, mother of Constantine I
Christian feast day: Helena of Constantinople, also known as "Feast of the Holy Great Sovereigns Constantine and Helen, Equal-to-the-Apostles." (Eastern Orthodox Church, Anglican Communion)
Eugène de Mazenod
Christian feast day: Eugène de Mazenod
Franz Jägerstätter
Christian feast day: Blessed Franz Jägerstätter
Beatification
Christian feast day: Blessed Adílio Daronch and Manuel Gómez González
Spread across the centuries
- 9th century1
- 12th century1
- 18th century1
- 19th century3
- 20th century33
- 21st century35
Earliest: Arab–Byzantine wars (878). Most recent: Kyle Busch (2026).
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 May 21
What day of the year is May 21?
May 21 is the 141st day of the year, with 224 days left after it.
What star sign is May 21?
May 21 falls under Gemini (May 21 – June 20), a air sign ruled by Mercury. The birthstone for the month is Emerald.
How many things happened on May 21?
We record 81 entries for May 21: 34 events · 20 births · 20 deaths · 7 observances. From 878 to 2026.
Who was born on May 21?
El Ma (2007) is among the notable births on May 21. The births section lists the rest.
How often is the May 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 May 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.