Historical events on July 21

JULY 21, 1990
The Taiwanese military ordered the deportation of dozens of illegal immigrants from mainland China in sealed boat holds, causing 25 deaths due to suffocation.
The Republic of China Armed Forces are the national military forces of the Republic of China (ROC), which is now based primarily Read More
JULY 21, 2013
Nour Ahmad Nikbakht, an Iranian diplomat in Yemen, was kidnapped by al-Qaeda militants and held hostage for the next two years.
Nour Ahmad Nikbakht, an administrative staff member of the Iranian Embassy in Sana'a, Yemen, was kidnapped by Al Qaeda in the Arabian Read More
JULY 21, 2019
People returning from anti-extradition bill protests were attacked (pictured) by suspected triad members in Yuen Long, Hong Kong, leaving 45 people injured.
The 2019–2020 Hong Kong protests were a series of demonstrations against the Hong Kong government's introduction of a bill to amend the Read More
JULY 21, 625
Paulinus was consecrated as the first bishop of York by Justus, the archbishop of Canterbury.
Paulinus was a Roman missionary and the first Bishop of York. A member of the Gregorian mission sent in 601 by Pope Read More
JULY 21, 1918
World War I: An Imperial German Navy U-boat opened fire on a small convoy of barges and defending aircraft near the American town of Orleans, Massachusetts.
World War I or the First World War, also known as the Great War, was a global conflict between two coalitions: the Read More
JULY 21, 1946
After weeks of unrest, rioters lynched Bolivian president Gualberto Villarroel, desecrating and hanging his corpse in the streets of La Paz.
The 1946 La Paz riots were a series of increasingly violent strikes and protests which culminated in the lynching and hanging of Read More
JULY 21, 905
Louis III, Holy Roman Emperor, was captured and blinded during his attempt to restore Carolingian power over Italy by King Berengar I.
Louis the Blind was king in Provence and Lower Burgundy from 890 to 928, and also king of Italy from 900 to Read More
JULY 21, 230
Pope Pontian began his pontificate, succeeding Urban I.
Pope Pontian was the bishop of Rome from 21 July 230 to 28 September 235. In 235, during the persecution of Christians Read More
JULY 21, 1959
The inaugural International Mathematical Olympiad, the leading mathematical competition for pre-university students, began in Romania.
The International Mathematical Olympiad (IMO) is a mathematical olympiad for pre-university students, and is the oldest of the International Science Olympiads. It Read More
JULY 21, 1960
Sirimavo Bandaranaike (pictured) was elected the prime minister of Ceylon, becoming the world's first democratically elected female head of government.
Sirima Ratwatte Dias Bandaranaike, commonly known as Sirimavo Bandaranaike, was a Sri Lankan politician. She was the world's first female prime minister Read More
JULY 21, 1877
Much of central Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, was burned and looted during the Great Railroad Strike of 1877.
Pittsburgh is a city in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, United States, and its county seat. It is the second-most populous city in Pennsylvania Read More
JULY 21, 1925
American high school biology teacher John T. Scopes was found guilty of violating Tennessee's Butler Act by teaching evolution in class.
John Thomas Scopes was a teacher in Dayton, Tennessee, who was charged on May 5, 1925, with violating Tennessee's Butler Act, which Read More
JULY 21, 365
A large earthquake occurred near Crete, triggering a tsunami, and causing widespread destruction around the eastern Mediterranean region.
Year 365 (CCCLXV) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was known in the Read More
JULY 21, 1378
Unrepresented labourers revolted and violently took over the government of the Republic of Florence (depicted), demanding that they be granted political office.
The Ciompi Revolt was a rebellion among unrepresented labourers which occurred in the Republic of Florence in Tuscany, Italy, from 1378 to Read More
JULY 21, 1972
The Troubles: The Provisional Irish Republican Army detonated twenty-two bombs throughout Belfast, Northern Ireland.
The Troubles were an ethno-nationalist conflict in Northern Ireland that lasted for about 30 years from the late 1960s to 1998. Also Read More
JULY 21, 1977
Libyan forces carried out a raid at Sallum, sparking a four-day war with Egypt.
Sallum is a harbourside village or town in Egypt. It is along the Egypt/Libyan short north–south aligned coast of the Mediterranean Sea Read More

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