Date·Lore

On This Day · The 202nd day of the year

July 21

July 21 carries 10 recorded events spanning between 230 and 2024. Pope Pontian succeeds Urban I as the eighteenth pope. After being exiled to Sardinia, he became the first pope to resign his office.

♋ZodiacCancer ◈BirthstoneRuby ❀Birth flowerLarkspur

Compiled & reviewed by · Last reviewed July 13, 2026

What happened on July 21?

July 21 is the 202nd day of the year. It marks 10 notable events in history, dated between 230 and 2024. Famous people born on July 21 include Emperor Wen of Sui, James Cooke Brown and Ernest Hemingway.

The shape of the day

July 21 carries an unusually long memory — its events reach back as far as 230. Most of the weight falls in the 20th century, where conflict is a recurring thread.

Cancer is the sign for July 21 — read more on the Cancer page, or see July's birthstone & birth flower.

Released on July 21

Movies, games, albums & shows

2023

  • Game Pikmin 4

2022

  • Game Hell Pie

Release data from TMDB & IGDB.

Events

10 notable moments
  1. 230

    Pope Pontian

    Pope Pontian succeeds Urban I as the eighteenth pope. After being exiled to Sardinia, he became the first pope to resign his office.

  2. 365

    AD 365

    The 365 Crete earthquake affected the Greek island of Crete with a maximum Mercalli intensity of XI (Extreme), causing a destructive tsunami that affects the coasts of Libya and Egypt, especially Alexandria. Many thousands are killed.

  3. 1645

    Qing dynasty

    Qing dynasty regent Dorgon issues an edict ordering all Han Chinese men to shave their forehead and braid the rest of their hair into a queue identical to those of the Manchus.

  4. 1861

    American Civil War

    American Civil War: First Battle of Bull Run: At Manassas Junction, Virginia, the first major battle of the war begins and ends in a victory for the Confederate army.

  5. 1944

    World War II

    World War II: Battle of Guam: American troops land on Guam, starting a battle that will end on August 10.

  6. 1952

    1952 Kern County earthquake

    The 7.3 Mw Kern County earthquake strikes Southern California with a maximum Mercalli intensity of XI (Extreme), killing 12 and injuring hundreds.

  7. 1960

    Sirimavo Bandaranaike

    Sirimavo Bandaranaike is sworn in as prime minister of Ceylon, becoming the world's first democratically elected female head of government.

  8. 1972

    The Troubles

    The Troubles: Bloody Friday: The Provisional IRA detonate 22 bombs in central Belfast, Northern Ireland, United Kingdom in the space of 80 minutes, killing nine and injuring 130.

  9. 2010

    Barack Obama

    U.S. President Barack Obama signs the Dodd–Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act.

  10. 2024

    Joe Biden

    U.S. President Joe Biden announces he will no longer seek a second term and withdraws from the 2024 election, endorsing Vice President Kamala Harris as she launches her own presidential campaign.

Famous birthday twins

Born on July 21

Emperor Wen of Sui

b. 541

emperor of the Sui dynasty

James Cooke Brown

b. 1921

American sociologist and author

Ernest Hemingway

b. 1899

American novelist, short story writer, and journalist, Nobel Prize laureate

Anna de' Medici, Archduchess of Austria

b. 1616

Archduchess consort of Further Austria

Taco (musician)

b. 1955

Indonesian-born Dutch singer and entertainer

John Atta Mills

b. 1944

Ghanaian lawyer and politician, 3rd President of Ghana

DeAndre Jordan

b. 1988

American basketball player

Stefan Schumacher

b. 1981

German cyclist

Deaths

  • 2014Hans-Peter Kaul
  • 1966Philipp Frank
  • 1944Claus von Stauffenberg
  • 1798François Sébastien Charles Joseph de Croix, Count of Clerfayt
  • 1796Robert Burns
  • 1425Manuel II Palaiologos

Holidays & observances

  • —Christian feast day: Albert John Luthuli (Episcopal Church)
  • —Christian feast day: Arbogast
  • —Christian feast day: Barhadbesciabas
  • —Christian feast day: Carlos of Brazil (Brazilian Catholic Apostolic Church)
  • —Christian feast day: Daniel (Catholic Church)
  • —Christian feast day: Lawrence of Brindisi
  • —Christian feast day: Praxedes
  • —Christian feast day: Victor of Marseilles

Historical facts, event summaries, and biographical lines above are adapted from Wikipedia under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike (CC BY-SA) license. DateLore adds curation, structure, and original editorial commentary. DateLore is not affiliated with the Wikimedia Foundation.

About the author

Roman Tailor compiles and reviews every date on DateLore. He's the writer and editor behind the site's editorial essays and the day-by-day almanac. Corrections and questions are welcome — read more about DateLore or get in touch.

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