Historical events on May 21
MAY 21, 2005
The world's tallest roller coaster, Kingda Ka, opened at Six Flags Great Adventure in Jackson, New Jersey, U.S.
A roller coaster is a type of amusement ride employing a form of elevated railroad track that carries passengers on a train
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MAY 21, 878
Arab–Byzantine wars: The city of Syracuse was captured by the Aghlabids (pictured) as part of the Muslim conquest of Sicily.
The Arab–Byzantine wars or Muslim–Byzantine wars were a series of wars from the 7th to 11th centuries between multiple Arab dynasties and
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MAY 21, 1927
Aboard the Spirit of St. Louis, American aviator Charles Lindbergh (pictured) completed the first solo non-stop transatlantic flight, flying from Roosevelt Field near New York City to Paris–Le Bourget Airport.
The Spirit of St. Louis is the custom-built, single-engine, single-seat, high-wing monoplane that Charles Lindbergh flew on May 20–21, 1927, on the
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MAY 21, 2014
A Taiwanese man carried out a stabbing spree on a Taipei Metro train, killing four people and injuring 24 others.
On 21 May 2014, a Taiwanese man carried out a stabbing spree targeting random civilians on a Taipei Metro C321 train near
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MAY 21, 1138
The Crusades: The siege of Shaizar ended, and the Emir of Shaizar became a vassal of the Byzantine Empire.
The Crusades were a series of religious wars initiated, supported, and sometimes directed by the Christian Latin Church in the medieval period.
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MAY 21, 1851
The Congress of Colombia passed a law abolishing slavery in the country, to take effect at the beginning of the new year.
The Congress of the Republic of Colombia is the name given to Colombia's bicameral national legislature.
(Image Credits)
"Senado de la República de Colombia 2024" by Danielmoreno4774 - CC BY 4.0
MAY 21, 1864
American Civil War: The inconclusive Battle of Spotsylvania Court House in Virginia ended with combined Union and Confederate casualties totaling around 31,000.
The American Civil War was a civil war in the United States between the Union and the Confederacy, which was formed in
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MAY 21, 1946
While working with a mass of plutonium known as the demon core, Manhattan Project physicist Louis Slotin accidentally exposed himself to a lethal dose of hard radiation.
Plutonium is a chemical element; it has symbol Pu and atomic number 94. It is a silvery-gray actinide metal that tarnishes when
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MAY 21, 1894
The Manchester Ship Canal, linking Manchester in North West England to the Irish Sea, officially opened, becoming the world's largest navigation canal at the time.
The Manchester Ship Canal is a 36-mile-long (58 km) inland waterway in the North West of England linking Manchester to the Irish Sea.
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MAY 21, 1703
English writer Daniel Defoe was imprisoned for seditious libel after publishing a pamphlet that was perceived to satirise the Tory publications about Dissenters.
Daniel Defoe was an English writer, merchant and spy. He is most famous for his novel Robinson Crusoe, published in 1719, which
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MAY 21, 1998
Indonesian president Suharto resigned after a collapse of support for his presidency amid economic and political crises, ending 32 years in power.
Suharto was an Indonesian military officer and politician who served as the second and longest-serving president of Indonesia.
MAY 21, 1911
Mexican president Porfirio Díaz and the revolutionary Francisco I. Madero signed the Treaty of Ciudad Juárez to end hostilities between each other's forces, concluding the initial phase of the Mexican Revolution.
José de la Cruz Porfirio Díaz Mori was a Mexican general and politician who was the dictator of Mexico from 1876 until
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MAY 21, 1991
Former Indian prime minister Rajiv Gandhi was assassinated by a suicide bomber in Sriperumbudur, Tamil Nadu.
Rajiv Gandhi was an Indian statesman and pilot who served as the prime minister of India from 1984 to 1989. He took
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MAY 21, 1856
A crowd of about 800 pro-slavery Americans ransacked the town of Lawrence, Kansas.
The sacking of Lawrence occurred on May 21, 1856, when pro-slavery settlers, led by Douglas County Sheriff Samuel J. Jones, attacked and
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MAY 21, 2015
Islamic State militants entered the ancient city of Palmyra.
The Islamic State (IS), also known as the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) and the Islamic State of Iraq
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MAY 21, 1925
The opera Doktor Faust, unfinished when composer Ferruccio Busoni (pictured) died, was premiered in Dresden.
Doktor Faust is an opera by Ferruccio Busoni with a German libretto by the composer, based on the myth of Faust. Busoni
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