Historical Events on May 21

20 significant historical events occurred on May 21. May 21 has been a day of landmark historical events across decades, with eight notable occurrences. On this date, important events include the Battle of Arras during World War II in 1940, the devastating 1960 Valdivia earthquake in Chile with a magnitude of 9.4–9.6, and the 1991 assassination of Indian Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi. Additionally, there was the dangerous demon core plutonium incident in 1946 and the 1950 Monaco Grand Prix Formula One race.

Total Events

Time Span

1260–2025

19 famous birthdays on May 21

Including Andrei Sakharov, Günter Blobel, Bengt I. Samuelsson

View Birthdays

Event Distribution by Century

Darker = Higher Density

13th C.21st C.

13th Century

1 event

1260

war

1260 medieval battle in Ireland

17th Century

1 event

1643

war

Engagement of the First English Civil War

18th Century

1 event

1751

disaster

On May 21, 1751, a magnitude 7.0–7.4 earthquake struck near Takada in present-day Jōetsu City, Niigata Prefecture, Japan, causing significant damage and resulting in approximately 2,100 fatalities