Date·Lore

On This Day · The 294th day of the year

October 21

October 21 carries 10 recorded events spanning between 1097 and 2019. First Crusade: Crusaders led by Godfrey of Bouillon, Bohemund of Taranto, and Raymond IV, Count of Toulouse, begin the Siege of Antioch.

♎ZodiacLibra ◈BirthstoneOpal ❀Birth flowerMarigold

Compiled & reviewed by · Last reviewed July 13, 2026

What happened on October 21?

October 21 is the 294th day of the year. It marks 10 notable events in history, dated between 1097 and 2019. Famous people born on October 21 include Hongwu Emperor, Almen Abdi and Alfred Nobel.

The shape of the day

From 1097 to 2019, October 21 gathers 922 years of history. Most of the weight falls in the 20th century, where conflict is a recurring thread.

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

Released on October 21

Movies, games, albums & shows

2025

  • Game Jurassic World Evolution 3
  • Game Ninja Gaiden 4
  • Game Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines 2
  • Game Painkiller

2024

  • Game Tormenture

2022

  • Game Gotham Knights

2021

  • TV Invasion

Release data from TMDB & IGDB.

Events

10 notable moments
  1. 1097

    First Crusade

    First Crusade: Crusaders led by Godfrey of Bouillon, Bohemund of Taranto, and Raymond IV, Count of Toulouse, begin the Siege of Antioch.

  2. 1854

    Florence Nightingale

    Florence Nightingale and a staff of 38 nurses are sent to the Crimean War.

  3. 1867

    Medicine Lodge Treaty

    The Medicine Lodge Treaty is signed by southern Great Plains Indian leaders. The treaty requires Native American Plains tribes to relocate to a reservation in the western Indian Territory.

  4. 1910

    HMS Niobe (1897)

    HMS Niobe arrives in Halifax Harbour to become the first ship of the Royal Canadian Navy.

  5. 1941

    World War II

    World War II: The Kragujevac massacre against Serbian men and boys takes place.

  6. 1959

    Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum

    In New York City, the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum opens to the public.

  7. 1989

    Honduras

    In Honduras, 131 people are killed when a Boeing 727 crashes on approach to Toncontín International Airport near the nation's capital Tegucigalpa.

  8. 1994

    Agreed Framework

    North Korea and the United States sign an Agreed Framework that requires North Korea to stop its nuclear weapons program and agree to inspections.

  9. 2003

    Eris (dwarf planet)

    Images of the dwarf planet Eris are taken and subsequently used in documenting its discovery.

  10. 2019

    Canada

    In Canada, the 2019 Canadian federal election ends, resulting in incumbent Prime Minister Justin Trudeau remaining in office, albeit with the Liberal Party in a minority government.

Famous birthday twins

Born on October 21

Hongwu Emperor

b. 1328

of China

Almen Abdi

b. 1986

Swiss footballer

Alfred Nobel

b. 1833

Swedish chemist and engineer, invented dynamite and founded the Nobel Prize

Michael McMillian

b. 1978

American actor

Benjamin Netanyahu

b. 1949

Israeli captain and politician, 9th Prime Minister of Israel

Festus Ezeli

b. 1989

Nigerian-American basketball player

Dizzy Gillespie

b. 1917

American trumpet player, composer, and bandleader

Nikita Mikhalkov

b. 1945

Russian filmmaker

Deaths

  • 2014Gough Whitlam
  • 2012Yash Chopra
  • 1984François Truffaut
  • 1944Alois Kayser
  • 1931Arthur Schnitzler
  • 1505Paul Scriptoris

Holidays & observances

  • —Armed Forces Day (Honduras)
  • —Christian feast day: Céline of Laon
  • —Christian feast day: Blessed Charles of Austria (Roman Catholic Church)
  • —Christian feast day: Fintán of Taghmon
  • —Christian feast day: Hilarion
  • —Christian feast day: John of Bridlington
  • —Christian feast day: Laura of Saint Catherine of Siena
  • —Christian feast day: Malchus of Syria

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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