October 21st, 1916

Born on October 21st, 1916

Age in days, weeks and months
Wow, over 39,000 days old!

Why not celebrate an alternative birthday? In 730 days, exactly on April 27th, 2026, people who were born on October 21st, 1916 will be 40,000 days old!

... in seconds, minutes and hours

What happened on October 21st?

October 21st, 1994

In Seoul, South Korea, 32 people were killed and 17 others injured when a span of the Seongsu Bridge collapsed (pictured).

October 21st, 1978

After reporting contact with an unidentified aircraft, Australian pilot Frederick Valentich disappeared while piloting a Cessna 182L across the Bass Strait to King Island.

October 21st, 1968

At the height of the Japanese university protests, protestors occupied Tokyo's Shinjuku Station and clashed violently with police.

October 21st, 1966

A coal tip fell on the village of Aberfan, Wales, killing 144 people, mostly schoolchildren.

October 21st, 1959

The Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum , designed by American architect Frank Lloyd Wright, opened in New York City.

October 21st, 1944

World War II: The three-week-long Battle of Aachen concluded, making the city the first on German soil to be captured by the Allies.

October 21st, 1941

World War II: German soldiers massacred nearly 2,800 Serbs in Kragujevac in reprisal for insurgent attacks in the district of Gornji Milanovac.

October 21st, 1910

HMS Niobe arrived in Halifax Harbour to become the first large ship of the Royal Canadian Navy.

October 21st, 1867

The first and second of three treaties were signed near Medicine Lodge, Kansas, between the United States federal government and several Native American tribes in the Great Plains, requiring them to relocate to areas in present-day western Oklahoma.

October 21st, 1858

French composer Jacques Offenbach's operetta Orpheus in the Underworld, featuring the music most associated with the can-can (audio featured), was first performed at the Théâtre des Bouffes-Parisiens in Paris.

October 21st, 1854

Florence Nightingale and a staff of 38 nurses and 15 nuns were sent to the Ottoman Empire to help treat wounded British soldiers fighting in the Crimean War.

October 21st, 1345

Hundred Years' War: The English victory at the Battle of Auberoche marked a change in the military balance of power in Aquitaine, with the subsequent collapse of the French position.

October 21st, 1096

First Crusade: At the Battle of Civetot, the Seljuk forces of Kilij Arslan destroyed the army of the People's Crusade as it marched toward Nicaea.

October 21st, 2019

In Canada, the 2019 Canadian federal election ends, resulting in incumbent Prime Minister Justin Trudeau remaining in office, albeit with the Liberal Party in a minority government.

October 21st, 2011

Iraq War: President Barack Obama announces that the withdrawal of United States troops from Iraq will be complete by the end of the year.

Birthdays
... of famous people, actors, celebrities and stars on October 21st

Born on October 21st, 1916

57

Andrea Checchi

Italian actor and painter

*October 21st, 1916, Florence †March 31st, 1974, Rome

Same Day
Who's birthday is on October 21st?

66

Julian Cope

Welsh musician, author, antiquarian, musicologist, poet and cultural commentator

*October 21st, 1957, Deri

41

Lee Chong Wei

Malaysian badminton player

*October 21st, 1982, Bagan Serai

28

Doja Cat

American rapper and singer

*October 21st, 1995, Tarzana

75

Dizzy Gillespie

American jazz trumpeter (1917–1993)

*October 21st, 1917, Cheraw †January 6th, 1993, Englewood

30

Käärijä

Finnish rapper

*October 21st, 1993, Helsinki

62

Lux Interior

American punk rock musician and a founding member of the band The Cramps

*October 21st, 1946, Akron †February 4th, 2009, Glendale

60

Carrie Fisher

American actress, writer and screenwriter (1956–2016)

*October 21st, 1956, Burbank †December 27th, 2016, UCLA Ronald Reagan Medical Center

64

Michael Hansen

German cabaret artist (1946-2011)

*October 21st, 1946, Aalborg †March 15th, 2011, Berlin

74

Benjamin Netanyahu

Prime Minister of Israel (1996–1999, 2009–2021, 2022–present)

*October 21st, 1949, Tel Aviv

63

Alfred Nobel

Swedish chemist and inventor (1833–1896)

*October 21st, 1833, Stockholm †December 10th, 1896, Sanremo

89

Ursula K. Le Guin

American fantasy and science fiction author (1929-2018)

*October 21st, 1928, Berkeley †January 22nd, 2018, Portland

90

Julie Wilson

American actor (1924-2015)

*October 21st, 1924, Omaha †April 5th, 2015, Manhattan

64

Ken Watanabe

Japanese actor

*October 21st, 1959, Uonuma

60

Lev Yashin

Association football player from the USSR

*October 21st, 1929, Moscow †March 20th, 1990, Moscow

88

Pierre Bellemare

French writer and entertainer (1929-2018)

*October 21st, 1929, Boulogne-Billancourt †May 26th, 2018, Suresnes

43

Kim Kardashian

American television and social media personality

*October 21st, 1980, Los Angeles

93

Ingrid van Houten-Groeneveld

Dutch astronomer (1921–2015)

*October 21st, 1921, Berlin †March 30th, 2015, Oegstgeest

78

Nikita Mikhalkov

Soviet and Russian film director, writer, producer and actor

*October 21st, 1945, Moscow

98

Éliane Victor

French journalist

*October 21st, 1918, 17th arrondissement of Paris †March 7th, 2017, 8th arrondissement of Paris

84

Georg Solti

Hungarian-British conductor (1912–1997)

*October 21st, 1912, Budapest †September 5th, 1997, Antibes

Same year
Born in 1916

89

Phil Brown

American actor (1916–2006)

*April 30th, 1916, Cambridge †February 9th, 2006, Woodland Hills

100

Jean Rouverol

American actress and screenwriter

*July 8th, 1916, St. Louis †March 24th, 2017, Dover

89

Geoffrey Keen

English actor (1916–2005)

*August 21st, 1916, Wallingford †November 3rd, 2005, Northwood

101

Harry Huskey

American computer design pioneer (1916-2017)

*January 19th, 1916, Whittier †April 9th, 2017, Santa Cruz

79

François Mitterrand

21st President of the French Republic from 1981 to 1995

*October 26th, 1916, Jarnac †January 8th, 1996, 7th arrondissement of Paris

71

Jackie Gleason

American comedian and actor (1916-1987)

*February 26th, 1916, Brooklyn †June 24th, 1987, Fort Lauderdale

103

Kirk Douglas

American stage and film actor (1916–2020)

*December 9th, 1916, Amsterdam †February 5th, 2020, Beverly Hills

101

Jacque Fresco

American futurist and self-described social engineer

*March 13th, 1916, Brooklyn †May 18th, 2017, Sebring

88

Francis Crick

British molecular biologist, biophysicist, neuroscientist; co-discoverer of the structure of DNA

*June 8th, 1916, Northampton †July 28th, 2004, La Jolla

107

Friedrich Grade

German engineer and naval officer

*March 29th, 1916, Büdelsdorf †October 13th, 2023, Bornheim

101

Bernard Lewis

British-American historian (1916–2018)

*May 31st, 1916, London †May 19th, 2018, Voorhees Township

79

Harold Wilson

British politician

*March 11th, 1916, Huddersfield †May 24th, 1995, London

104

Olivia de Havilland

English and American actress (1916–2020)

*July 1st, 1916, Tokyo †July 26th, 2020, 16th arrondissement of Paris

93

Vitaly Ginzburg

Russian physicist

*September 21st, 1916, Moscow †November 8th, 2009, Moscow

84

Sirimavo Bandaranaike

Prime Minister of Ceylon (later Sri Lanka) from 1960–65, 1970–77, 1994–2000

*April 17th, 1916, Baḷangoḍa †October 10th, 2000, Colombo

87

Maurice Wilkins

New Zealand-born English physicist and biologist

*December 15th, 1916, Pongaroa †October 5th, 2004, Blackheath

101

Sam Beazley

British actor

*March 29th, 1916, Kensington †June 12th, 2017, London

100

João Havelange

Brazilian businessman and athlete (1916-2016)

*May 8th, 1916, Rio de Janeiro †August 16th, 2016, Rio de Janeiro

89

Edward Heath

Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1970 to 1974

*July 9th, 1916, Broadstairs †July 17th, 2005, Salisbury

77

Mark Stevens

American actor (1916–1994)

*December 13th, 1916, Cleveland †September 15th, 1994, Spain

Birthdays of famous people

Public holidays on October 21st

Fixed holidays (Christian feast day) which are celebrated on October 21st.

Date as a Roman numeral / digit

Leap year

Yes: 1916 is a leap year, therefore has a 29th of February with an additional leap day and a total of 366 days (instead of the usual 365 days in a normal year).

Calendar
October 1916