Calendar date · December

What happened on December 21

On December 21, 69: The Roman Senate declares Vespasian emperor of Rome, the last in the Year of the Four Emperors.

Events

37

across history

Notable births

50

Notable deaths

50

Zodiac

Sagittarius

Featured moment · 69

The Roman Senate declares Vespasian emperor of Rome, the last in the Year of the Four Emperors.

AD 69 (LXIX) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Julian calendar. In the Roman Empire, it was known as the Year of the consulship of Galba and Vinius. The denomination AD 69 for this year has been used since the early medieval period, when the Anno Domini calendar era became the prevalent method in Europe for naming years.

People

Born on December 21

Cooper Flagg 2006– American basketball player (born 2006)
Clara Tauson 2002– Danish tennis player (born 2002)
Madelyn Cline 1997– American actress (born 1997)
Charlie McAvoy 1997– American ice hockey player (born 1997)
Ben Chilwell 1996– English footballer (born 1996)
Kaitlyn Dever 1996– American actress (born 1996)
Luke Brooks 1994– Australian rugby league footballer
Ha Ha Clinton-Dix 1992– American football player (born 1992)
Jamie Oleksiak 1992– Canadian ice hockey player (born 1992)
Show 9 more — notable births on December 21
Nic Maddinson 1991– Australian cricketer
Otis 1991– American professional wrestler (born 1991)
Riccardo Saponara 1991– Italian footballer
Mark Ingram II 1989– American football player (born 1989)
Tamannaah 1989– Indian actress (born 1989)
Danny Duffy 1988– American baseball player (born 1988)
Perri Shakes-Drayton 1988– English track and field athlete (born 1988)
Khris Davis 1987– American baseball player (born 1987)
Tom Sturridge 1985– English actor (born 1985)

People

Died on December 21

Michelle Botes South African actress (1962–2024)
Art Evans American actor (1942–2024)
Andrew Clennel Palmer British engineer (1938–2019)
Bruce McCandless II American aviator and astronaut (1937–2017)
Udo Jürgens Austrian singer and composer (1934–2014)
Sitor Situmorang Indonesian poet
Billie Whitelaw British actress (1932–2014)
Edgar Bronfman Sr. Canadian-American businessman (1929–2013)
John Eisenhower United States Army general, military historian, diplomat
Show 9 more — notable deaths on December 21
Enzo Bearzot Italian football player and manager (1927–2010)
Edwin G. Krebs American biochemist (1918–2009)
Christos Lambrakis Greek businessman
Saparmyrat Nyýazow President of Turkmenistan from 1991 to 2006
Autar Singh Paintal Indian medical scientist (1925–2004)
Ernst-Günther Schenck German SS surgeon
Stella Adler American actress and acting teacher (1901–1992)
Albert King American blues musician (1923–1992)
Nathan Milstein American violinist (1904–1992)

Timeline

Every December 21 on record

  1. 69 The Roman Senate declares Vespasian emperor of Rome, the last in the Year of the Four Emperors.

    Calendar year

    AD 69 (LXIX) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Julian calendar. In the Roman Empire, it was known as the Year of the consulship of Galba and Vinius. The denomination AD 69 for this year has been used since the early medieval period, when the Anno Domini calendar era became the prevalent method in Europe for naming years.

  2. 1124 Pope Honorius II is consecrated, having been elected after the controversial dethroning of Pope-Elect Celestine II.

    Head of the Catholic Church from 1124 to 1130

    Pope Honorius II, born Lamberto Scannabecchi, was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 21 December 1124 to his death in 1130.

  3. 1140 After a siege of several weeks, the city of Weinsberg and its castle surrender to Conrad III of Germany.

    1140 battle between the Welfs and Hohenstaufens dynasties

    The siege of Weinsberg took place in 1140 in Weinsberg, in the modern state of Baden-Württemberg, Germany, which was then part of the Holy Roman Empire. The siege was a decisive battle between two dynasties, the Welfs and the Hohenstaufen. The Welfs for the first time changed their war cry from "Kyrie Eleison" to their party cries.

  4. 1237 The city of Ryazan is sacked by the Mongol army of Batu Khan.

    City in Ryazan Oblast, Russia

    Ryazan is the largest city and administrative center of Ryazan Oblast, Russia. The city is located on the banks of the Oka River in Central Russia, 196 km (122 mi) southeast of Moscow. As of the 2010 Census, Ryazan had a population of 524 927, making it the 33rd most populated city in Russia, and the fourth most populated in Central Russia after Moscow, Voronezh, and Yaroslavl.

  5. 1361 The Battle of Linuesa is fought in the context of the Spanish Reconquista between the forces of the Emirate of Granada and the combined army of the Kingdom of Castile and of Jaén resulting in a Castilian victory.

    1361 battle of the Reconquista

    The Battle of Linuesa was an action fought on 21 December 1361 in the city of Huesa, Kingdom of Jaén. The battle was fought between the Kingdom of Castile and the forces of the Emirate of Granada. The battle resulted in a victory for the forces of the Kingdom of Castile.

  6. 1598 Battle of Curalaba: The revolting Mapuche, led by cacique Pelentaru, inflict a major defeat on Spanish troops in southern Chile.
  7. 1620 Plymouth Colony: William Bradford and the Mayflower Pilgrims land near what is now known as Plymouth Rock in Plymouth, Massachusetts.
  8. 1826 American settlers in Nacogdoches, Mexican Texas, declare their independence, starting the Fredonian Rebellion.
  9. 1832 Egyptian–Ottoman War: Egyptian forces decisively defeat Ottoman troops at the Battle of Konya.
  10. 1844 The Rochdale Society of Equitable Pioneers commences business at its cooperative in Rochdale, England, starting the Cooperative movement.
  11. 1861 Medal of Honor: Public Resolution 82, containing a provision for a Navy Medal of Valor, is signed into law by President Abraham Lincoln.
  12. 1872 Challenger expedition: HMS Challenger, commanded by Captain George Nares, sails from Portsmouth, England.
  13. 1879 the fictional character of Nora Helmer is first portrayed by Betty Hennings at a showing of A Doll's House at the Royal Danish Theatre.
  14. 1883 The Royal Canadian Dragoons and The Royal Canadian Regiment, the first Permanent Force cavalry and infantry regiments of the Canadian Army, are formed.
  15. 1907 The Chilean Army commits a massacre of at least 2,000 striking saltpeter miners in Iquique, Chile.
Show 15 earlier entries from December 21
  1. 1910 An underground explosion at the Hulton Bank Colliery No. 3 Pit in Over Hulton, Westhoughton, England, kills 344 miners.
  2. 1919 American anarchist Emma Goldman is deported to Russia.
  3. 1923 United Kingdom and Nepal formally sign an agreement of friendship, called the Nepal–Britain Treaty of 1923, which superseded the Treaty of Sugauli signed in 1816.
  4. 1934 Lieutenant Kijé, one of Sergei Prokofiev's best-known works, premiered.
  5. 1941 World War II: A Thai-Japanese Pact of Alliance is signed.
  6. 1946 An 8.1 Mw earthquake and subsequent tsunami in Nankaidō, Japan, kills over 1,300 people and destroys over 38,000 homes.
  7. 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.
  8. 1965 International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination is adopted.
  9. 1967 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.
  10. 1968 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.
  11. 1973 The Geneva Conference on the Arab–Israeli conflict opens.
  12. 1979 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.
  13. 1988 A bomb explodes on board Pan Am Flight 103 over Lockerbie, Dumfries and Galloway, Scotland, killing 270. This is to date the deadliest air disaster to occur on British soil.
  14. 1991 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.
  15. 1992 A Dutch DC-10, flight Martinair MP 495, crashes at Faro Airport, Portugal, killing 56.

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