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Historical events on December 21

DECEMBER 21, 1970
The Grumman F-14 Tomcat, the primary fighter aircraft of the U.S. Navy for nearly 30 years, made its first flight.
The Grumman F-14 Tomcat is an American carrier-capable supersonic, twin-engine, tandem two-seat, twin-tail, all-weather-capable variable-sweep wing fighter aircraft. The Tomcat was developed Read More
DECEMBER 21, 1995
In accordance with the Oslo II Accord, Israeli troops withdrew from Bethlehem in preparation for the transfer of control to the Palestinian National Authority.
The Interim Agreement on the West Bank and the Gaza Strip, commonly known as Oslo II or Oslo 2, was a key Read More
DECEMBER 21, 1988
The world's heaviest aircraft, the Antonov An-225 Mriya, made its first flight.
The Antonov An-225 Mriya was a large strategic airlift cargo aircraft designed and produced by the Antonov Design Bureau in the Soviet Union. (Image Credits)
DECEMBER 21, 2012
Countries that were part of the Maya civilization celebrated the end-date of a 5,126-year-long cycle in the Mesoamerican Long Count calendar.
The Maya civilization was a Mesoamerican civilization that existed from antiquity to the early modern period. It is known by its ancient Read More
DECEMBER 21, 1963
An attempt by Greek Cypriot police to search certain Turkish Cypriot women in Nicosia escalated into island-wide violence, leading to 538 deaths and the displacement of nearly 27,000 people.
Greek Cypriots are the ethnic Greek population of Cyprus, forming the island's largest ethnolinguistic community. According to the 2023 census, 719,252 respondents Read More
DECEMBER 21, 1826
Settlers from the United States in Mexican Texas made the first attempt to secede from Mexico, establishing the short-lived Republic of Fredonia.
Mexican Texas is the historiographical name used to refer to the era of Texan history between 1821 and 1836, when it was Read More
DECEMBER 21, 1934
Lieutenant Kijé, one of Sergei Prokofiev's best-known works, premiered.
Sergei Prokofiev's Lieutenant Kijé music was originally written to accompany the film of the same name, produced by the Belgoskino film studios Read More
DECEMBER 21, 1844
The Rochdale Pioneers opened their store (pictured) in Rochdale, England, forming the basis for the modern co-operative movement.
The Rochdale Society of Equitable Pioneers, founded in 1844, was an early consumers' co-operative, and one of the first to pay a Read More
DECEMBER 21, 1994
Mexico's Popocatépetl volcano, dormant for 47 years, began erupting, and is now one of the nation's most active volcanoes.
Popocatépetl is an active stratovolcano located in the states of Puebla, Morelos, and Mexico in central Mexico. It lies in the eastern Read More
DECEMBER 21, 1919
After serving two years in prison for encouraging people to resist military conscription, anarchist Emma Goldman was deported from the United States to Russia.
Conscription evasion or draft evasion is any successful attempt to elude a government-imposed obligation to serve in the military forces of one's Read More
DECEMBER 21, 1988
A bomb on board Pan Am Flight 103 detonated over Lockerbie, Scotland, killing 270 people.
Pan Am Flight 103 (PA103/PAA103) was a regularly scheduled Pan Am transatlantic flight from Frankfurt to Detroit via a stopover in London Read More
DECEMBER 21, 1968
Apollo 8 launched from Kennedy Space Center in Florida on a trajectory to the Moon; its crew (pictured) became the first humans to visit another celestial body.
Apollo 8 was the first crewed spacecraft to leave Earth's gravitational sphere of influence, and the first human spaceflight to reach the Read More
DECEMBER 21, 1911
Moscow's Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception was consecrated.
The Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception of the Holy Virgin Mary is a neo-Gothic Catholic church at Moscow's center, that serves as Read More
DECEMBER 21, 1965
The United Nations adopted the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination, which 88 member states have since signed.
The United Nations (UN) is an intergovernmental organization established by the signing of the UN Charter on 26 June 1945 with the Read More
DECEMBER 21, 1620
The Pilgrims aboard the Mayflower landed at present-day Plymouth, Massachusetts, to establish the Plymouth Colony.
The Pilgrims, also known as the Pilgrim Fathers, were the English settlers who travelled to North America on the ship Mayflower and Read More
DECEMBER 21, 2018
Operatives of the British Special Boat Service boarded the container ship Grande Tema in the Thames Estuary to detain four stowaways who had threatened the crew.
The Special Boat Service (SBS) is the special forces unit of the United Kingdom's Royal Navy. The SBS can trace its origins Read More
DECEMBER 21, 1872
HMS Challenger departed Portsmouth on a scientific expedition that laid the foundations of oceanography.
HMS Challenger was a Pearl-class corvette of the Royal Navy launched on 13 February 1858 at the Woolwich Dockyard.
DECEMBER 21, 1124
Lamberto Scannabecchi was elected pope, taking the name Honorius II.
The 1124 papal election took place after the death of Pope Callixtus II on 13 December 1124. The election was characterised by Read More
DECEMBER 21, 1923
Nepal and the United Kingdom signed the first treaty that defined the international status of Nepal as an independent and a sovereign nation.
The Nepal–Britain Treaty was first discussed in 1921 and the final treaty was signed on 21 December 1923 in Singha Durbar. The Read More

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