September 21 in History

Significant events that happened on this day.

Today

Historical Events

2001

A 1,000-pound bovine fell through the roof of a Massachusetts family's minivan while they were driving

The cow had escaped from a nearby farm and wandered onto an overpass above Route 495, where it then fell through the roof of the Garcias' minivan, lan...

1998

Baltimore Orioles shortstop Cal Ripken Jr. voluntarily ended his record streak of 2,632 consecutive games played

Ripken sat out the final home game of the season against the New York Yankees, ending a streak that had lasted over 16 years without missing a single...

1996

The board game Pokémon Trading Card Game was released in Japan, sparking a global phenomenon

Following the success of the Pokémon video games, the card game launched and immediately sold out across Japan. Within three years, it would become so...

1981

Belize gained independence from the United Kingdom after 119 years of British rule

The small Central American nation became the last British colony on the American mainland to achieve independence. However, Britain had to maintain tr...

1981

Sandra Day O'Connor was unanimously confirmed as the first female Supreme Court Justice

Major

The Senate voted 99-0 to confirm President Reagan's nominee, making history despite O'Connor having been rejected for legal positions earlier in her c...

1970

NFL Monday Night Football debuted on ABC with the Cleveland Browns defeating the New York Jets

The first-ever prime-time regular-season NFL game revolutionized sports broadcasting with its three-man announce booth and focus on entertainment. The...

1938

A massive hurricane struck New England without warning, killing over 600 people

Major

The Great New England Hurricane became one of the deadliest and most destructive storms in U.S. history, with sustained winds of 121 mph and wave heig...

1937

J.R.R. Tolkien's The Hobbit was published for the first time in London

The book that would eventually spawn The Lord of the Rings trilogy started as a bedtime story Tolkien told his children, with the opening line "In a h...

1897

The New York Sun published the famous "Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus" editorial

In response to eight-year-old Virginia O'Hanlon's letter asking if Santa Claus was real, editor Francis Pharcellus Church penned what would become the...

1866

H.G. Wells, the "father of science fiction," was born in Bromley, England

Major

The author who would go on to write The War of the Worlds, The Time Machine, and The Invisible Island was born to a working-class family. His mother w...

1792

The French Revolution abolished the monarchy and established the First Republic

Major

The National Convention formally declared France a republic, marking the end of over 800 years of royal rule. This happened just over a month after Ki...

1776

Nathan Hale was hanged by the British for spying during the American Revolution

Major

The 21-year-old Connecticut schoolteacher turned spy was executed in New York City, reportedly saying "I only regret that I have but one life to lose...

Fun Facts from September 21