Today in history for Dec. 21

Significant Events, Births, and Deaths

Major Historical Events on December 21

• 1620 – Pilgrims landed at Plymouth Rock in present-day Massachusetts, establishing one of the first successful English settlements in North America.
• 1898 – Pierre and Marie Curie discovered radium, a significant milestone in the field of radioactivity and modern science.
• 1913 – The first crossword puzzle was published in the New York World, created by Arthur Wynne.
• 1968 – Apollo 8, the first manned mission to orbit the moon, was launched from Kennedy Space Center.
• 1988 – A bomb exploded on Pan Am Flight 103 over Lockerbie, Scotland, killing 270 people.

Notable Births on December 21

• 1804 – Benjamin Disraeli, British statesman and novelist who served twice as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom.
• 1937 – Jane Fonda, American actress, political activist, and fitness guru.
• 1940 – Frank Zappa, influential American musician, composer, and satirist.
• 1957 – Ray Romano, American actor and comedian, best known for his role in “Everybody Loves Raymond.”
• 1966 – Kiefer Sutherland, British-Canadian actor known for starring in the TV series “24.”

Notable Deaths on December 21

• 1375 – Giovanni Boccaccio, Italian writer, poet, and important Renaissance humanist.
• 1940 – F. Scott Fitzgerald, acclaimed American novelist and author of “The Great Gatsby.”
• 1988 – Nikolaas Tinbergen, Dutch ethologist and Nobel Prize laureate.
• 2012 – Maya Banks, American poet and activist.

December 21 is also the date of the winter solstice in the Northern Hemisphere, marking the shortest day and longest night of the year and official start of winter.

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