What happened in 2021
383 entries recorded for 2021, listed by date. That was 5 years ago.
2021 at a glance
- Years ago
- 5 (as of 2026)
- Century
- 21st century
- Decade
- 2020s
- Generation born
- Generation Alpha
- Entries here
- 383
- Breakdown
- 274 deaths · 108 historical events · 1 births
January
- January 1
Mark Eden
Mark Eden, English actor (born 1928)
- January 1
Floyd Little
Floyd Little, American football player (born 1942)
- January 1
Carlos do Carmo
Carlos do Carmo, Portuguese fado singer (born 1939)
- January 1
Elmira Minita Gordon
Elmira Minita Gordon, Belizean educator and psychologist (born 1930)
- January 3
Eric Jerome Dickey
Eric Jerome Dickey, American author (born 1961)
- January 4
Tanya Roberts
Tanya Roberts, American actress (born 1949)
- January 5
John Georgiadis
John Georgiadis, English violinist and composer (born 1939)
- January 5
Colin Bell (footballer, born 1946)
Colin Bell, English footballer (born 1946)
- January 6
Donald Trump
Supporters of then-outgoing U.S. president Donald Trump attack the United States Capitol to disrupt certification of the 2020 presidential election, resulting in five deaths and evacuation of the U.S. Congress.
- January 6
Gord Renwick
Gordon Renwick, Canadian ice hockey administrator and businessman (born 1935)
- January 6
Killing of Ashli Babbitt
Ashli Babbitt, American participant in the January 6 United States Capitol attack
- January 6
James Cross
James Cross, British diplomat kidnapped during the 1970 October crisis in Québec (born 1921)
- January 7
Michael Apted
Michael Apted, English filmmaker (born 1941)
- January 7
Tommy Lasorda
Tommy Lasorda, American baseball player, coach, and manager (born 1927)
- January 7
Henri Schwery
Henri Schwery, Swiss cardinal (born 1932)
- January 8
La Vega raid
Twenty-three people are killed in what is described as a police ″massacre″ in La Vega, Caracas, Venezuela.
- January 8
Iancu Țucărman
Iancu Țucărman, Romanian Holocaust survivor (born 1922)
- January 9
Sriwijaya Air Flight 182
Sriwijaya Air Flight 182 crashes north of Jakarta, Indonesia, killing all 62 people on board.
- January 9
John Reilly (actor, born 1934)
John Reilly, American actor (born 1934)
- January 13
President of the United States
Outgoing U.S. President Donald Trump is impeached for a second time on a charge of incitement of insurrection following the January 6 United States Capitol attack one week prior.
- January 14
Joël Robert
Joel Robert, Belgian motorcycle racer (born 1943)
- January 15
2021 West Sulawesi earthquake
A 6.2-magnitude earthquake strikes Indonesia's Sulawesi island killing at least 105 and injuring 3,369 people.
- January 16
Phil Spector
Phil Spector, American record producer, songwriter (born 1939)
- January 16
Pedro Trebbau
Pedro Trebbau, German-born Venezuelan zoologist (born 1929)
- January 16
Chris Cramer
Chris Cramer, British journalist (born 1948)
- January 17
Rasheed Naz
Rasheed Naz, Pakistani film and television actor (born 1948)
- January 20
Sibusiso Moyo (politician)
Sibusiso Moyo, Zimbabwean politician, army general (born 1960)
- January 20
Mira Furlan
Mira Furlan, Croatian actress and singer (born 1955)
- January 22
Hank Aaron
Hank Aaron, American baseball player (born 1934)
- January 23
Larry King
Larry King, American journalist and talk show host (born 1933)
- January 23
Song Yoo-jung
Song Yoo-jung, South Korean actress and model (born 1994)
- January 23
Hal Holbrook
Hal Holbrook, American actor and director (born 1925)
- January 26
2021 Indian farmers' Republic Day protest
Protesters and farmers storm the Red Fort near Delhi, clashing with police. One protester is killed and more than 80 police officers are injured.
- January 27
Cloris Leachman
Cloris Leachman, American actress and comedian (born 1926)
- January 27
Nunuk Nuraini
Nunuk Nuraini, Indonesian food scientist (born 1961)
- January 28
2021 Georgia poultry plant accident
A nitrogen leak at a poultry food processing facility in Gainesville, Georgia kills six and injures at least ten.
- January 28
Cicely Tyson
Cicely Tyson, American actress (born 1924)
- January 29
Walker Boone
Walker Boone, Canadian actor (born 1944)
- January 30
Sophie (musician)
Sophie, Scottish musician (born 1986)
February
- February 1
Tatmadaw
The Burmese military staged a coup d'état that deposed the democratically elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi, sparking nationwide protests and a civil war.
- February 1
2021 Myanmar coup d'état
A coup d'état in Myanmar removes Aung San Suu Kyi from power and restores military rule.
- February 1
Dustin Diamond
Dustin Diamond, American actor, director, stand-up comedian, and musician (born 1977)
- February 1
Temur Tsiklauri
Temur Tsiklauri, Georgian pop singer and actor (born 1946)
- February 2
Tatmadaw
The Burmese military establishes the State Administration Council, the military junta, after deposing the democratically elected government in the 2021 Myanmar coup d'état.
- February 2
Captain Tom Moore
Captain Sir Tom Moore, British Army officer and charity campaigner (born 1920)
- February 4
Millie Hughes-Fulford
Millie Hughes-Fulford, American astronaut, molecular biologist and NASA payload specialist (born 1945)
- February 5
Christopher Plummer
Christopher Plummer, Canadian actor (born 1929)
- February 5
AWS (band)
Örs Siklósi, Hungarian singer (born 1991)
- February 6
Antony Blinken
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken suspends agreements with Guatemala, El Salvador and Honduras to send asylum seekers back to their home countries.
- February 6
George Shultz
George Shultz, American politician, Secretary of State, Secretary of the Treasury, Secretary of Labor (born 1920)
- February 7
2021 Uttarakhand flood
The 2021 Uttarakhand flood begins.
- February 8
Marty Schottenheimer
Marty Schottenheimer, American football player and coach (born 1943)
- February 8
Mary Wilson (singer)
Mary Wilson, American singer (born 1944)
- February 9
Second impeachment trial of Donald Trump
Second impeachment trial of Donald Trump begins.
- February 9
Chick Corea
Chick Corea, American jazz composer (born 1941)
- February 10
2021 Texas power crisis
Texas' worst energy infrastructure failure, the 2021 Texas power crisis, starts.
- February 10
Rio Carnival
The traditional Carnival in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil is canceled for the first time because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
- February 10
Larry Flynt
Larry Flynt, American publisher (born 1942)
- February 13
February 13–17, 2021 North American winter storm
A major winter storm causes blackouts and kills at least 82 people in Texas and northern Mexico.
- February 13
Donald Trump
Former U.S. President Donald Trump is acquitted in his second impeachment trial.
- February 13
Kadir Topbaş
Kadir Topbaş, Turkish politician (born 1945)
- February 14
Carlos Menem
Carlos Menem, Argentine former president, lawyer, and statesman (born 1930)
- February 14
William Meninger
William Meninger, American Trappist monk and a principal developer of Centering Prayer (born 1932)
- February 15
2021 Congo River disaster
Sixty people drown and hundreds are missing after a boat sinks on the Congo River near the village of Longola Ekoti, Mai-Ndombe Province, Democratic Republic of the Congo.
- February 16
Kherrata
Five thousand people gathered in the town of Kherrata, Bejaia Province to mark the second anniversary of the Hirak protest movement. Demonstrations had been suspended because of the COVID-19 pandemic in Algeria.
- February 16
Gustavo Noboa
Gustavo Noboa, Ecuadorian politician, 42nd President of Ecuador (born 1937)
- February 17
Seif Sharif Hamad
Seif Sharif Hamad, Tanzanian politician (born 1943)
- February 17
Rush Limbaugh
Rush Limbaugh, American talk show host and author (born 1951)
- February 18
Perseverance (rover)
Perseverance, a Mars rover designed to explore Jezero crater on Mars, as part of NASA's Mars 2020 mission, lands successfully.
- February 19
Killing of Mya Thwe Thwe Khine
Mya Thwe Thwe Khine, a 19-year-old protester, becomes the first known casualty of anti-coup protests that formed in response to the 2021 Myanmar coup d'état.
- February 20
Nurul Haque Miah
Nurul Haque Miah, Bangladeshi professor and writer (born 1944)
- February 20
Mauro Bellugi
Mauro Bellugi, Italian footballer (born 1950)
- February 21
Kevin Dann
Kevin Dann, Australian rugby league player (born 1958)
- February 21
Mireya Arboleda
Mireya Arboleda, Colombian classical pianist (born 1928)
- February 22
Lawrence Ferlinghetti
Lawrence Ferlinghetti, American poet, painter (born 1919)
- February 23
February 2021 Ecuadorian prison riots
Riots in four Ecuadorian prisons, caused by gang rivalries, resulted in the deaths of 79 inmates.
- February 23
Ahmed Zaki Yamani
Ahmed Zaki Yamani, Saudi Arabian politician (born 1930)
- February 24
Ronald Pickup
Ronald Pickup, English actor (born 1940)
- February 26
2021 Zamfara school kidnapping
A total of 279 female students aged between 10 and 17 are kidnapped by bandits in the Zamfara kidnapping in Zamfara State, Nigeria.
- February 27
Ng Man-tat
Ng Man-tat, Hong Kong actor (born 1952)
- February 28
Greater Manchester
Bus drivers in Greater Manchester began an eleven-week strike, one of the longest in British transportation history.
March
- March 5
Pope Francis
Pope Francis begins a historic visit to Iraq amidst the COVID-19 pandemic.
- March 5
March 2021 Mogadishu bombing
Twenty people are killed and 30 injured in a suicide car bombing in Mogadishu, Somalia.
- March 6
Graham Pink
Graham Pink, British nurse (born 1929)
- March 6
Lou Ottens
Lou Ottens, Dutch engineer and inventor (born 1926)
- March 7
2021 Bata explosions
A series of four explosions at a military barracks in Bata, Equatorial Guinea caused at least 107 deaths.
- March 8
International Women's Day
International Women's Day marches in Mexico become violent with 62 police officers and 19 civilians injured in Mexico City alone.
- March 8
National Unity Consultative Council
Twenty-eight political institutions in Myanmar establish the National Unity Consultative Council, a historic alliance of ethnic armed organizations and democratically elected leaders, in response to the 2021 Myanmar coup d'état.
- March 9
James Levine
James Levine, American conductor and pianist (born 1943)
- March 9
Roger Mudd
Roger Mudd, American journalist (born 1928)
- March 11
President of the United States
US President Joe Biden signs the $1.9 trillion American Rescue Plan into law.
- March 11
Takis Mousafiris
Takis Mousafiris, Greek composer and songwriter (born 1936)
- March 11
Ray Campi
Ray Campi, American singer and musician (born 1934)
- March 12
Amityville murders
Ronald DeFeo Jr., American criminal (born 1951)
- March 13
Murray Walker
Murray Walker, English motorsport commentator and journalist (born 1923)
- March 13
Marvelous Marvin Hagler
Marvelous Marvin Hagler, American professional boxer (born 1954)
- March 14
Tatmadaw
The Burmese military and police forces killed at least 65 civilians during the Hlaingthaya massacre in Yangon, including those protesting a recent coup d'état.
- March 14
Hlaingthaya massacre
Burmese security forces kill at least 65 civilians in the Hlaingthaya massacre.
- March 16
2021 Atlanta spa shootings
Atlanta spa shootings: Eight people are killed and one is injured in a trio of shootings at spas in and near Atlanta, Georgia, U.S. A suspect is arrested the same day.
- March 17
John Magufuli
John Magufuli, the fifth President of Tanzania (born 1959)
- March 19
Glynn Lunney
Glynn Lunney, American engineer (born 1936)
- March 20
La Plume noire
La Plume noire, an anarchist bookstore in Lyon, is targeted by an attack of the far-right, provoking a shock in Lyon's far-left circles.
- March 21
Nawal El Saadawi
Nawal El Saadawi, Egyptian secularist, feminist (born 1931)
- March 22
2021 Boulder shooting
Ten people are killed in a mass shooting in Boulder, Colorado.
- March 23
2021 Suez Canal obstruction
A container ship ran aground and obstructed the Suez Canal for six days.
- March 23
George Segal
George Segal, American actor (born 1934)
- March 23
Julie Pomagalski
Julie Pomagalski, French snowboarder (born 1980)
- March 24
Jessica Walter
Jessica Walter, American actress and voice artist (born 1941)
- March 25
Beverly Cleary
Beverly Cleary, American author (born 1916)
- March 28
Didier Ratsiraka
Didier Ratsiraka, Malagasy politician and naval officer (born 1936)
- March 28
Joseph Edward Duncan
Joseph Edward Duncan, American serial killer (born 1963)
- March 29
Ever Given
The ship Ever Given is dislodged from the Suez Canal.
- March 29
Bashkim Fino
Bashkim Fino, Albanian politician, 29th Prime Minister of Albania (born 1962)
- March 29
Sarah Onyango Obama
Sarah Onyango Obama, Kenyan educator and philanthropist (born 1921)
- March 30
Myra Frances
Myra Frances, British actress (born 1942)
- March 30
G. Gordon Liddy
G. Gordon Liddy, chief operative in the Watergate scandal (born 1930)
- March 31
Muhammad Wakkas
Muhammad Wakkas, Bangladeshi teacher and parliamentarian (born 1952)
- March 31
Ken Reitz
Ken Reitz, American baseball player (born 1951)
April
- April 2
United States Capitol Police
A Capitol Police officer is killed and another injured when an attacker rams his car into a barricade outside the United States Capitol.
- April 2
2021 Hualien train derailment
At least 49 people are killed in a train derailment in Taiwan after a truck accidentally rolls onto the track.
- April 2
Simon Bainbridge
Simon Bainbridge, British composer (born 1952)
- April 3
Stan Stephens
Stan Stephens, Canadian-American politician, 20th Governor of Montana (born 1929)
- April 5
Paul Ritter
Paul Ritter, English actor (born 1966)
- April 6
Alcee Hastings
Alcee Hastings, American politician (born 1936)
- April 6
Hans Küng
Hans Küng, Swiss Catholic priest, theologian, and author (born 1928)
- April 7
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
COVID-19 pandemic: The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announces that the SARS-CoV-2 Alpha variant has become the dominant strain of COVID-19 in the United States.
- April 7
Tommy Raudonikis
Tommy Raudonikis, Australian rugby league player and coach (born 1950)
- April 9
Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh
Prince Philip, the consort of Queen Elizabeth II, died at Windsor Castle aged 99.
- April 9
Tatmadaw
Burmese military and security forces commit the Bago massacre, during which at least 82 civilians are killed.
- April 9
Soyuz MS-18
Soyuz MS-18 is launched from the Baikonur Cosmodrome, carrying three members of the Expedition 64 crew to the International Space Station.
- April 9
Myanmar civil war (2021–present)
Myanmar civil war: Burmese military and police forces killed at least 82 civilians in the Bago massacre, including people protesting a recent coup d'état.
- April 9
Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh
Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, Prince of the United Kingdom, Prince of Greece and Denmark, Consort of Queen Elizabeth II (born 1921)
- April 9
Ian Gibson (politician)
Ian Gibson, British scientist and Labour Party politician (born 1938)
- April 9
Ramsey Clark
Ramsey Clark, American lawyer (born 1927)
- April 9
Nikki Grahame
Nikki Grahame, British reality-TV icon (born 1982)
- April 9
DMX
DMX, American rapper and actor (born 1970)
- April 11
Killing of Daunte Wright
Twenty-year-old Daunte Wright is shot and killed in Brooklyn Center, Minnesota, by officer Kimberly Potter, sparking protests in the city, when the officer mistakes her pistol for her taser.
- April 11
Mauro Viale
Mauro Viale, Argentine journalist (born 1947)
- April 12
Joseph Siravo
Joseph Siravo, American actor and producer (born 1955)
- April 14
Bernie Madoff
Bernie Madoff, American mastermind of the world's largest Ponzi scheme (born 1938)
- April 15
2021 Indianapolis FedEx shooting
A mass shooting at a FedEx Ground facility in Indianapolis, Indiana, killed nine and injured seven.
- April 16
Liam Scarlett
Liam Scarlett, British choreographer (born 1986)
- April 16
John Dawes
John Dawes, Welsh rugby union player (born 1940)
- April 16
Andrew Peacock
Andrew Peacock, Australian politician (born 1939)
- April 16
Helen McCrory
Helen McCrory, British actress (born 1968)
- April 17
Death and funeral of Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh
The funeral of Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, takes place at St George's Chapel, Windsor Castle.
- April 19
Ingenuity (helicopter)
The Ingenuity helicopter becomes the first aircraft to achieve flight on another planet.
- April 19
Walter Mondale
Walter Mondale, American politician, 42nd Vice President of the United States (born 1928)
- April 19
Jim Steinman
Jim Steinman, American composer, lyricist (born 1947)
- April 20
Trial of Derek Chauvin
State of Minnesota v. Derek Michael Chauvin: Derek Chauvin is found guilty of all charges in the murder of George Floyd by the Fourth Judicial District Court of Minnesota.
- April 20
Derek Chauvin
Derek Chauvin was found guilty of all charges in the murder of George Floyd by a Minnesota court.
- April 20
Idriss Déby
Idriss Déby, Chadian politician and military officer (born 1952)
- April 20
Monte Hellman
Monte Hellman, American film director (born 1929)
- April 20
Les McKeown
Les McKeown, Scottish pop singer (born 1955)
- April 21
Indonesian Navy
The Indonesian Navy submarine Nanggala imploded and sank in the Bali Sea, resulting in the deaths of all 53 people on board.
- April 22
Adrian Garrett
Adrian Garrett, American professional baseball player (born 1943)
- April 23
Dan Kaminsky
Dan Kaminsky, American internet security researcher (born 1979)
- April 27
Manoj Das
Manoj Das, Indian writer (born 1934)
- April 28
El Risitas
El Risitas, Spanish comedian (born 1956)
- April 28
Michael Collins (astronaut)
Michael Collins, American astronaut (born 1930)
- April 29
Cate Haste
Cate Haste, English author (born 1945)
- April 30
2021 Meron crowd crush
A crowd crush killed 45 people during the annual pilgrimage to the tomb of Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai in Israel.
- April 30
Anthony Payne
Anthony Payne, English composer (born 1936)
May
- May 1
Olympia Dukakis
Olympia Dukakis, American actress (born 1931)
- May 2
Marcel Stellman
Marcel Stellman, Belgian record producer and lyricist (born 1925)
- May 3
Mexico City Metro
An elevated section of the Mexico City Metro collapsed, killing 26 people and injuring 98 others.
- May 3
Lloyd Price
Lloyd Price, American R&B vocalist (born 1933)
- May 4
Nick Kamen
Nick Kamen, English model, songwriter (born 1962)
- May 6
Kentaro Miura
Kentaro Miura, Japanese manga artist (born 1966)
- May 8
2021 Kabul school bombing
A car bomb explodes in front of a school in Kabul, capital city of Afghanistan killing at least 55 people and wounding over 150.
- May 8
Helmut Jahn
Helmut Jahn, German-American architect (born 1940)
- May 10
Pauline Tinsley
Pauline Tinsley, British soprano (born 1928)
- May 11
Norman Lloyd
Norman Lloyd, American actor, producer and director (born 1914)
- May 14
Zhurong (rover)
China successfully lands Zhurong, the country's first Mars rover.
- May 15
Oliver Gillie
Oliver Gillie, British journalist and scientist (born 1937)
- May 16
Bruno Covas
Bruno Covas, Brazilian lawyer, politician (born 1980)
- May 18
Yolanda Tortolero
Yolanda Tortolero, Venezuelan politician
- May 18
Charles Grodin
Charles Grodin, American actor and talk show host (born 1935)
- May 19
Paul Mooney (comedian)
Paul Mooney, American comedian (born 1941)
- May 20
Gary Wilson (writer)
Gary Wilson, American anti-pornography activist (born 1956)
- May 22
Gansu ultramarathon disaster
Hypothermia kills 21 runners in the 100 km (60-mile) Gansu ultramarathon disaster in China.
- May 23
Stresa–Mottarone cable car crash
A cable car crashed, killing 14 people near Lake Maggiore in northern Italy.
- May 23
Ryanair Flight 4978
Ryanair Flight 4978 was forced to land by Belarusian authorities, who detained dissident journalist Roman Protasevich.
- May 23
Ron Hill
Ron Hill, English long-distance runner (born 1938)
- May 23
Eric Carle
Eric Carle, American children's book designer, illustrator, and writer best known for The Very Hungry Caterpillar (born 1929)
- May 25
Lois Ehlert
Lois Ehlert, American author and illustrator (born 1934)
- May 25
John Warner
John Warner, American attorney and politician (born 1927)
- May 26
2021 San Jose shooting
Ten people are killed in a shooting at a VTA rail yard in San Jose, California, United States.
- May 27
Poul Schlüter
Poul Schlüter, former Prime Minister of Denmark (born 1929)
- May 28
Mark Eaton
Mark Eaton, American basketball player (born 1957)
- May 29
Cessna Citation I
A Cessna Citation I/SP crashes into Percy Priest Lake in Tennessee, killing all six people on board, including actor Joe Lara and his wife Gwen Shamblin Lara.
- May 29
Gavin MacLeod
Gavin MacLeod, American actor, Christian activist, and author (born 1931)
- May 29
Mark Eaton
Mark Eaton, American basketball player and sportscaster (born 1957)
- May 29
Cornelius Sim
Cornelius Sim, Bruneian cardinal (born 1951)
- May 29
B. J. Thomas
B. J. Thomas, American singer (born 1942)
- May 30
Jason Dupasquier
Jason Dupasquier, Swiss motorcycle road racer (born 2001)
June
- June 3
F. Lee Bailey
F. Lee Bailey, American attorney (born 1933)
- June 4
Princess Lilibet of Sussex
Princess Lilibet of Sussex
- June 4
Clarence Williams III
Clarence Williams III, American actor (born 1939)
- June 5
TB Joshua
T. B. Joshua, Nigerian televangelist (born 1963)
- June 6
2021 London, Ontario truck attack
A man rammed a pickup truck into Muslim Pakistani Canadian pedestrians in Ontario, Canada, killing four members of the same family.
- June 13
2021 Shiyan pipeline explosion
A gas explosion in Zhangwan district of Shiyan city, in Hubei province of China, kills at least 12 people and wounds over 138 others.
- June 13
Ned Beatty
Ned Beatty, American actor (born 1937)
- June 16
Frank Bonner
Frank Bonner, American actor and television director (born 1942)
- June 17
Juneteenth
Juneteenth National Independence Day is signed into law by President Joe Biden, to become the first federal holiday established since Martin Luther King Jr. Day in 1983.
- June 17
Kenneth Kaunda
Kenneth Kaunda, Zambian educator and politician, first president of Zambia (born 1924)
- June 23
John McAfee
John McAfee, British-American computer programmer and businessman, founded McAfee (born 1945)
- June 24
Surfside condominium collapse
A portion of a 12-story condominium building collapsed (aftermath pictured) in Surfside, Florida, United States, killing 98 people and injuring 11 others.
- June 24
Surfside, Florida
The Champlain Towers South condominium in Surfside, Florida suffers a sudden partial collapse, killing 98 people inside.
- June 24
Trần Thiện Khiêm
Trần Thiện Khiêm, 7th Prime Minister of South Vietnam and army officer (born 1925)
- June 24
Benigno Aquino III
Benigno Aquino III, 15th President of the Philippines (born 1960)
- June 26
Mike Gravel
Mike Gravel, American politician (born 1930)
- June 29
Donald Rumsfeld
Donald Rumsfeld, American captain and politician, 13th United States Secretary of Defense (born 1932)
- June 30
Tiger Fire
The Tiger Fire ignites near Black Canyon City, Arizona, and goes on to burn 16,278 acres (6,587 ha) of land before being fully contained on July 30.
- June 30
Raj Kaushal
Raj Kaushal, Indian Film Director and Producer (born 1971)
July
- July 1
Louis Andriessen
Louis Andriessen, Dutch composer (born 1939)
- July 4
Harmoko
Harmoko, Indonesian politician, former parliament speaker and government minister (born 1939)
- July 4
Matīss Kivlenieks
Matīss Kivlenieks, Latvian ice hockey goaltender (born 1996)
- July 5
Raffaella Carrà
Raffaella Carrà, Italian singer, dancer, television presenter and actress (born 1943)
- July 5
Richard Donner
Richard Donner, American film director (born 1930)
- July 6
Antonov An-26
An Antonov An-26 operating as Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky Air Flight 251 crashes on approach to Palana Airport, killing all 28 aboard.
- July 7
Haitian crisis (2018–present)
Haitian crisis: Haitian President Jovenel Moïse is assassinated in his residence in the capital of Port-au-Prince.
- July 7
Dilip Kumar
Dilip Kumar, Indian film actor (born 1922)
- July 7
Jovenel Moïse
Jovenel Moïse, Haitian entrepreneur and politician, President of Haiti (born 1968)
- July 7
Robert Downey Sr.
Robert Downey Sr., American actor and director (born 1936)
- July 8
Head of a Bear
Head of a Bear (pictured) sold at auction in London for a total of £8.8 million, a record for a drawing by Leonardo da Vinci.
- July 11
Virgin Galactic
Virgin Galactic launches its founder, Richard Branson, into space, the first company ever to do so.
- July 11
Charlie Robinson (actor)
Charlie Robinson, American actor (born 1945)
- July 11
Renée Simonot
Renée Simonot, French actress (born 1911)
- July 15
Peter R. de Vries
Peter R. de Vries, Dutch investigative journalist and crime reporter (born 1956)
- July 16
Biz Markie
Biz Markie, American rapper (born 1964)
- July 18
Tom O'Connor (comedian)
Tom O'Connor, English comedian (born 1939)
- July 20
Jeff Bezos
American businessman Jeff Bezos flies to space aboard New Shepard NS-16 operated by his private spaceflight company Blue Origin.
- July 24
Rodney Alcala
Rodney Alcala, American serial killer (born 1943)
- July 24
Dale Snodgrass
Dale Snodgrass, United States Naval Aviator and air show performer (born 1949)
- July 26
Joey Jordison
Joey Jordison, American musician (born 1975)
- July 28
Dusty Hill
Dusty Hill, American musician (born 1949)
- July 29
International Space Station
The International Space Station temporarily spins out of control, moving the ISS 45 degrees out of attitude, following an engine malfunction of Russian module Nauka.
- July 30
Shona Ferguson
Shona Ferguson, Botswana-born, South African actor and executive producer (born 1974)
August
- August 1
Abdalqadir as-Sufi
Abdalqadir as-Sufi, Scottish Islamic scholar and writer (born 1930)
- August 1
Jerry Ziesmer
Jerry Ziesmer, American assistant director, production manager and occasional actor (born 1939)
- August 5
Australia
Australia's second most populous state Victoria enters its sixth COVID-19 lockdown, enacting stage four restrictions statewide in reaction to six new COVID-19 cases recorded that morning.
- August 7
Markie Post
Markie Post, American actress (born 1950)
- August 7
Trevor Moore (comedian)
Trevor Moore, American comedian (born 1980)
- August 8
Bill Davis
Bill Davis, Canadian politician, 18th premier of Ontario (born 1929)
- August 9
Tampere light rail
The Tampere light rail officially starts operating.
- August 9
Zairaini Sarbini
Zairaini Sarbini, Malaysian voice actress (born 1972)
- August 9
Pat Hitchcock
Pat Hitchcock, English actress and producer (born 1928)
- August 9
Killer Kau
Killer Kau, South African rapper, dancer and record producer (born 1998)
- August 10
Tony Esposito
Tony Esposito, Canadian-American ice hockey player (born 1943)
- August 12
Plymouth shooting
Six people, including the perpetrator, were killed in a mass shooting in Plymouth, England.
- August 12
Plymouth
Six people, five victims and the perpetrator are killed in Keyham, Plymouth in the worst mass shooting in the UK since 2010.
- August 12
Una Stubbs
Una Stubbs, English actress, TV personality, and dancer (born 1937)
- August 13
Nanci Griffith
Nanci Griffith, American singer-songwriter (born 1953)
- August 14
2021 Haiti earthquake
A magnitude 7.2 earthquake struck in Haiti, killing at least 2,248 people and causing $1.5 billion in damages and economic loss.
- August 14
Michael Aung-Thwin
Michael Aung-Thwin, American historian and scholar of Burmese and Southeast Asian history (born 1946)
- August 15
Kabul
Kabul falls into the hands of the Taliban as Ashraf Ghani flees Afghanistan along with local residents and foreign nationals, effectively reestablishing the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan.
- August 15
Gerd Müller
Gerd Müller, German footballer (born 1945)
- August 16
Sean Lock
Sean Lock, English comedian and actor (born 1963)
- August 19
Sonny Chiba
Sonny Chiba, Japanese actor (born 1939)
- August 20
Igor Vovkovinskiy
Igor Vovkovinskiy, Ukrainian-American law student and actor, American tallest person (born 1982)
- August 22
Rod Gilbert
Rod Gilbert, Canadian ice hockey player (born 1941)
- August 23
Elizabeth Blackadder
Elizabeth Blackadder, Scottish painter and printmaker (born 1931)
- August 24
Charlie Watts
Charlie Watts, English musician (born 1941)
- August 26
2021 Kabul airlift
During the 2021 Kabul airlift, a suicide bombing at Hamid Karzai International Airport kills 13 US military personnel and at least 169 Afghan civilians.
- August 28
Thomson–East Coast Line
The second phase of the Thomson-East Coast MRT line was opened for service.
- August 29
Jacques Rogge
Jacques Rogge, Belgian orthopedic surgeon, Olympic sailor and the 8th President of the International Olympic Committee (born 1942)
- August 29
Ed Asner
Ed Asner, American actor (born 1929)
- August 29
Lee "Scratch" Perry
Lee "Scratch" Perry, Jamaican reggae producer (born 1936)
- August 30
2020–2021 US troop withdrawal from Afghanistan
The last remaining American troops leave Afghanistan, ending U.S. involvement in the war.
- August 31
Michael Constantine
Michael Constantine, Greek-American actor (born 1927)
- August 31
Geronimo (alpaca)
Geronimo, British alpaca (born 2013)
- August 31
Mahal (actress)
Mahal, Filipino comedian and actress (born 1974)
- August 31
Francesco Morini
Francesco Morini, Italian footballer (born 1944)
September
- September 2
Sidharth Shukla
Siddharth Shukla, Indian TV and film actor (born 1980)
- September 2
Mikis Theodorakis
Mikis Theodorakis, Greek composer (born 1925)
- September 4
Willard Scott
Willard Scott, American weather presenter and television personality (born 1934)
- September 4
Tunch Ilkin
Tunch Ilkin, Turkish-American football player (born 1957)
- September 5
Alpha Condé
The President of Guinea, Alpha Condé is captured by armed forces during a coup d'état.
- September 5
Sarah Harding
Sarah Harding, English singer, member of Girls Aloud (born 1981)
- September 6
Jean-Paul Belmondo
Jean-Paul Belmondo, French actor (born 1933)
- September 6
Michael K. Williams
Michael K. Williams, American actor (born 1966)
- September 7
National Unity Government of Myanmar
The National Unity Government of Myanmar declares a people's defensive war against the military junta during the Myanmar civil war.
- September 7
Bitcoin
Bitcoin becomes legal tender in El Salvador.
- September 8
Luis Villafuerte
Luis Villafuerte, Filipino politician, former congressman and governor of Camarines Sur (born 1935)
- September 11
Abimael Guzmán
Abimael Guzmán, Peruvian philosopher and academic (born 1934)
- September 12
Siberian Light Aviation Flight 51
Siberian Light Aviation Flight 51 crashes short of the runway at Kazachinskoye Airport, killing four.
- September 14
Norm Macdonald
Norm Macdonald, Canadian comedian and actor (born 1959)
- September 15
Lou Angotti
Lou Angotti, Canadian ice hockey player and coach (born 1938)
- September 16
Inspiration4
Inspiration4, the first private orbital crewed spaceflight, is launched from the Kennedy Space Center.
- September 16
2021 Luxian earthquake
A 6.0 Mw earthquake strikes Lu County, Sichuan, China, killing three and injuring more than 88.
- September 16
Jane Powell
Jane Powell, American actress (born 1929)
- September 16
Clive Sinclair
Clive Sinclair, English entrepreneur and inventor (born 1940)
- September 17
Abdelaziz Bouteflika
Abdelaziz Bouteflika, Algerian politician, President of Algeria (born 1937)
- September 18
Jolidee Matongo
Jolidee Matongo, South African politician, 97th Mayor of Johannesburg (born 1975)
- September 18
Chris Anker Sørensen
Chris Anker Sørensen, Danish road bicycle racer (born 1984)
- September 19
Cumbre Vieja
The Cumbre Vieja volcano, on the island of La Palma in the Canary Islands, erupts. The eruption lasts for almost three months, ending on December 13.
- September 19
Dinky Soliman
Dinky Soliman, Filipino politician, 23rd Secretary of Social Welfare and Development (born 1953)
- September 19
Jimmy Greaves
Jimmy Greaves, English footballer (born 1940)
- September 19
John Challis
John Challis, English actor (born 1942)
- September 21
Willie Garson
Willie Garson, American actor (born 1964)
- September 23
Nino Vaccarella
Nino Vaccarella, Italian race car driver (born 1933)
- September 23
John Elliott (businessman)
John Elliott, Australian businessman (born 1941)
- September 27
Madeleine Tchicaya
Madeleine Tchicaya, Ivorian politician (born 1930)
- September 30
Koichi Sugiyama
Koichi Sugiyama, Japanese composer and orchestrator (born 1931)
October
- October 1
Expo 2020
The 2020 World Expo in Dubai begins. Its opening was originally scheduled for 20 October 2020 but was delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
- October 2
Jack Biondolillo
Jack Biondolillo, American bowler (born 1940)
- October 3
2021 Milan Pilatus PC-12 crash
Eight people are killed in an airplane crash near Milan, Italy.
- October 3
Todd Akin
Todd Akin, American politician (born 1947)
- October 3
Dan Petrescu (businessman)
Dan Petrescu, Romanian businessman and billionaire (born 1953)
- October 5
Windows 11
Windows 11 is released to the general public.
- October 10
Abdul Qadeer Khan
Abdul Qadeer Khan, Pakistani nuclear physicist and metallurgical scientist (born 1936)
- October 14
John Deere
Approximately 10,000 John Deere employees went on strike in one of the largest private-sector strikes in the United States.
- October 14
Lee Wan-koo
Lee Wan-koo, South Korean politician, 39th Prime Minister of South Korea
- October 15
David Amess
David Amess, British politician, member of Parliament for Southend West (born 1952)
- October 18
Colin Powell
Colin Powell, American military leader and statesman, 65th Secretary of State (born 1937)
- October 19
Jack Angel
Jack Angel, American voice actor (born 1930)
- October 21
Rust shooting incident
A shooting occurs on the set of the film Rust, in which actor Alec Baldwin discharged a prop weapon which had been loaded, killing the director of photography, Halyna Hutchins, and injuring director Joel Souza.
- October 21
Bernard Haitink
Bernard Haitink, Dutch conductor and violinist (born 1929)
- October 22
Peter Scolari
Peter Scolari, American actor (born 1955)
- October 24
James Michael Tyler
James Michael Tyler, American actor (born 1962)
- October 26
Roh Tae-woo
Roh Tae-woo, South Korean general and politician, 6th President of South Korea (born 1932)
- October 29
Ashley Mallett
Ashley Mallett, Australian cricketer (born 1945)
- October 31
Peter Philpott
Peter Philpott, Australian cricketer (born 1934)
November
- November 1
Hugo Dittfach
Hugo Dittfach, Canadian horse jockey (born 1936)
- November 2
Neal Smith (politician)
Neal Smith, American politician (born 1920)
- November 5
Astroworld Festival crowd crush
The Astroworld Festival crowd crush results in 10 deaths and 25 people being hospitalized
- November 5
Marília Mendonça
Marília Mendonça, Brazilian singer (born 1995)
- November 7
Dean Stockwell
Dean Stockwell, American actor (born 1936)
- November 9
Max Cleland
Max Cleland, American politician (born 1942)
- November 10
Miroslav Žbirka
Miroslav Žbirka, Slovak singer, songwriter and guitarist (born 1952)
- November 11
F. W. de Klerk
F. W. de Klerk, South African lawyer and politician, former State President of South Africa, Nobel Prize laureate (born 1936)
- November 12
Los Angeles County Superior Court
The Los Angeles Superior Court formally ends the 14-year conservatorship to pop singer Britney Spears.
- November 12
Chung-Yun Hse
Chung-Yun Hse, wood scientist (born 1935)
- November 16
Jyrki Kasvi
Jyrki Kasvi, Finnish journalist and politician (born 1964)
- November 17
Young Dolph
Young Dolph, American rapper (born 1985)
- November 21
Waukesha Christmas parade attack
An SUV plows through a Christmas parade in Waukesha, Wisconsin, killing six and injuring 62.
- November 21
Lou Cutell
Lou Cutell, American actor (born 1930)
- November 21
Jean-Pierre Schumacher
Jean-Pierre Schumacher, French Trappist monk and survivor of the Thibirine monks (born 1924)
- November 26
COVID-19 pandemic
COVID-19 pandemic: The World Health Organization identifies the SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant.
- November 26
Stephen Sondheim
Stephen Sondheim, American composer and lyricist (born 1930)
- November 27
Apetor
Apetor, Norwegian YouTuber (born 1964)
- November 28
Frank Williams (Formula One)
Frank Williams, British founder of Williams Grand Prix Engineering (born 1942)
- November 28
Virgil Abloh
Virgil Abloh, American fashion designer and entrepreneur (born 1980)
- November 29
Arlene Dahl
Arlene Dahl, American actress, businesswoman and writer (born 1925)
- November 29
Kinza Clodumar
Kinza Clodumar, Nauruan politician, 7th President of Nauru (born 1945)
- November 29
LaMarr Hoyt
LaMarr Hoyt, Major League Baseball player, 1983 AL Cy Young Award winner (born 1955)
- November 30
2021 Oxford High School shooting
A 15-year-old gunman murders four students and injures seven people, including a teacher, in a mass shooting at Oxford High School in Oxford Township, Michigan.
- November 30
Barbados
Barbados becomes a republic.
December
- December 4
Semeru
Semeru on the Indonesian island of Java erupts, killing at least 68 people.
- December 5
Bob Dole
Bob Dole, American politician (born 1923)
- December 8
Robbie Shakespeare
Robbie Shakespeare, Jamaican bass guitarist and record producer (born 1953)
- December 9
Central America
Fifty-five people are killed and more than 100 injured when a truck with 160 migrants from Central America overturned in Chiapas, Mexico.
- December 9
Demaryius Thomas
Demaryius Thomas, American football player (born 1987)
- December 9
Speedy Duncan
Speedy Duncan, American football player (born 1942)
- December 10
Edwardsville Amazon warehouse collapse
A tornado strikes an Amazon warehouse during increased holiday demand, killing six sheltering workers.
- December 10
Tornado outbreak of December 10–11, 2021
A widespread, deadly, and violent tornado outbreak slams the Central, Midwestern, and Southern regions of the United States. Eighty-nine people are killed by the tornadoes, with most of the fatalities occurring in Kentucky, where a single tornado kills 57 people, and injures hund
- December 10
Michael Nesmith
Michael Nesmith, American musician (The Monkees), songwriter, actor, producer, and novelist (born 1942)
- December 11
Anne Rice
Anne Rice, American author (born 1941)
- December 12
Formula One
Dutch Formula One racing driver Max Verstappen wins the controversial 2021 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, beating seven-time World Champion Lewis Hamilton to become the first Formula One World Champion to come from the Netherlands.
- December 12
2021 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix
At the season-ending Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, Max Verstappen overtook Lewis Hamilton on the final lap to become World Drivers' Champion.
- December 12
Bernie Fowler
Bernie Fowler, American politician and environmental advocate (born 1924)
- December 12
Vicente Fernández
Vicente Fernández, Mexican actor, ranchera singer, and film producer (born 1940)
- December 12
Maʻafu Tukuiʻaulahi
Maʻafu Tukuiʻaulahi, Tongan politician and military officer, Deputy Prime Minister (born 1955)
- December 18
Sayaka Kanda
Sayaka Kanda, Japanese actress and singer (born 1986)
- December 19
Johnny Isakson
Johnny Isakson, American politician (born 1944)
- December 19
Sally Ann Howes
Sally Ann Howes, English-American singer and actress (born 1930)
- December 23
Joan Didion
Joan Didion, American writer (born 1934)
- December 24
Tatmadaw
Burmese military forces killed at least 40 civilians during the Mo So massacre in Kayah State, Myanmar.
- December 25
James Webb Space Telescope
The James Webb Space Telescope is launched.
- December 25
Wayne Thiebaud
Wayne Thiebaud, American artist (born 1920)
- December 26
2021 Garland shooting
Three people are killed when a 14-year-old opens fire on civilians at a Texaco convenience store in Garland, Texas.
- December 26
Nell Hall Williams
Nell Hall Williams, American quilter (born 1933)
- December 26
Desmond Tutu
Desmond Tutu, South African Anglican bishop, theologian and anti-apartheid and human rights activist (born 1931)
- December 26
E. O. Wilson
Edward O. Wilson, American biologist (born 1929)
- December 26
Paul B. Kidd
Paul B. Kidd, Australian author, journalist, and radio show host (born 1945)
- December 26
Giacomo Capuzzi
Giacomo Capuzzi, Italian Roman Catholic prelate, bishop of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Lodi (born 1929)
- December 26
Karolos Papoulias
Karolos Papoulias, Greek politician, President of Greece from 2005 to 2015 (born 1929)
- December 28
John Madden
John Madden, American football Hall of Fame coach and commentator (born 1936)
- December 28
Harry Reid
Harry Reid, American lawyer, politician, and former Senate majority leader (born 1939)
- December 28
Igor and Grichka Bogdanoff
Grichka Bogdanoff, French television presenter and scientific essayist (born 1949)
- December 29
Peter Klatzow
Peter Klatzow, South African composer (born 1945)
- December 31
Betty White
Betty White, American actress, comedian and producer (born 1922)
Questions about 2021
What happened in 2021?
This site records 383 entries for 2021, including Mark Eden on January 1. They are listed below by date.
How long ago was 2021?
5 years ago, counting from 2026. Anyone born in 2021 turns 5 this year.
Which century is 2021 in?
2021 falls in the 21st century, in the 2020s.
Which generation was born in 2021?
Generation Alpha (2013–2024). Born entirely in the 21st century.
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.