June 21
June 21 is the 173rd day of the year in the Gregorian calendar; 193 days remain until the year's end. It falls in summer (northern hemisphere) and under the astrological sign of Cancer.
External references
Curated jump-off points to the major almanacs, encyclopaedias and primary sources for this date.
Astronomy
- The June solstice typically occurs around this date — the Northern Hemisphere's longest day, the Southern Hemisphere's shortest. The Sun reaches its maximum northern declination (about +23.44°).
Position in the year
Holidays & observances
- International Yoga Day (UN)
- Make Music Day (worldwide, on the solstice)
- World Music Day
Events
A selection of widely-documented historical events that took place on this date. Years marked BCE follow standard astronomical convention.
1788 — New Hampshire became the ninth U.S. state to ratify the Constitution, putting it into effect. ↗(238 years ago)more
New Hampshire is a state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders Massachusetts to the south, Vermont to the west, Maine and the Gulf of Maine to the east, and the Canadian province of Quebec to the north. Of the 50 U.S.
1893 — The first Ferris wheel premiered at the World's Columbian Exposition in Chicago. ↗(133 years ago)more
A Ferris wheel is an amusement ride consisting of a rotating upright wheel with multiple passenger-carrying components attached to the rim in such a way that as the wheel turns, they are kept upright, usually by gravity.
1948 — The world's first stored-program computer, the Manchester Baby, ran its first program. ↗(78 years ago)more
The Manchester Baby, also called the Small-Scale Experimental Machine (SSEM), was the first electronic stored-program computer. It was built at the Victoria University of Manchester by Frederic C. Williams, Tom Kilburn, and Geoff Tootill, and ran its first program on 21 June 1948.
- 1989 — The U.S. Supreme Court ruled in Texas v. Johnson that flag-burning is constitutionally protected free speech. ↗(37 years ago)
more
Texas v. Johnson, 491 U.S. 397 (1989), is a landmark decision by the Supreme Court of the United States in which the Court held, 5–4, that burning the flag of the United States was protected speech under the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, as doing so counts as symbolic speech and political speech.
Notable births
1905 — Jean-Paul Sartre, French philosopher. ↗(121 years ago)more
Jean-Paul Charles Aymard Sartre was a French philosopher, playwright, novelist, screenwriter, political activist, biographer, and literary critic, considered a leading figure in 20th-century French philosophy and Marxism. Sartre was one of the key figures in the philosophy of existentialism.
1982 — Prince William of Wales (later Prince of Wales). ↗(44 years ago)more
William, Prince of Wales, is the heir apparent to the British throne. He is the elder son of King Charles III and Diana, Princess of Wales.
Notable deaths
1908 — Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov, Russian composer. ↗(118 years ago)more
Nikolai Andreyevich Rimsky-Korsakov was a Russian composer, a member of the group of composers known as The Five. His best-known orchestral compositions—Capriccio Espagnol, the Russian Easter Festival Overture, and the symphonic suite Scheherazade—are staples of the classical music repertoire, along with suites and excerpts from some of his fifteen operas.
Numerical & calendrical curiosities
| Day-of-year (173) | 173 · prime |
|---|---|
| Days remaining (193) | 193 |
| Date code DDMMYYYY | 21062026 · no palindrome in next 200 years |
| Sun declination | +23.44° (Cooper approximation) |
| Distance from solstice | 1 days |