November 21
November 21 is the 326th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar; 40 days remain until the year's end. It falls in autumn (northern hemisphere) and under the astrological sign of Scorpio.
External references
Curated jump-off points to the major almanacs, encyclopaedias and primary sources for this date.
Astronomy
On November 21 the Sun's declination is approximately -20.6°. At this latitude the Sun is south of the celestial equator, giving the Northern Hemisphere shorter days than nights.
For specific rise/set times at your location, see the U.S. Naval Observatory, or the NASA APOD archive for any imagery published on a November 21.
Position in the year
Holidays & observances
- Armed Forces Day (Bangladesh)
- Christian feast days: Amelberga of Susteren
- Christian feast days: Digain
- Christian feast days: Maurus of Parentium
- Christian feast days: Pope Gelasius I
Events
A selection of widely-documented historical events that took place on this date. Years marked BCE follow standard astronomical convention.
2022 — A magnitude 5.6 earthquake on the Indonesian island of Java kills between 335 and 602 people. ↗(4 years ago)more
On 21 November 2022, at 13:21 WIB (UTC+07:00), a Mww 5.6 earthquake struck near Cianjur in West Java, Indonesia. The strike-slip earthquake occurred with a focal depth of 11 km (6.8 mi). Between 335 and 635 people died, 7,729 were injured and five remain missing.
2021 — An SUV plows through a Christmas parade in Waukesha, Wisconsin, killing six and injuring 62. ↗(5 years ago)more
On November 21, 2021, Darrell Edward Brooks Jr. drove a sport utility vehicle (SUV) through the annual Christmas parade in Waukesha, Wisconsin, United States, killing six people and injuring 62 others. The parade was live-streamed, and other attendees captured the incident on videos later posted to social media.
2019 — Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is indicted on charges of bribery, fraud, and breach of trust. ↗(7 years ago)more
Benjamin "Bibi" Netanyahu is an Israeli politician and diplomat who has served as Prime Minister of Israel since 2022. Having previously held office from 1996 to 1999 and from 2009 to 2021, Netanyahu is Israel's longest-serving prime minister.
2019 — Tesla launches the SUV Cybertruck. A gaffe occurs during the launch event when its 'unbreakable' windows shatter during demonstration. ↗(7 years ago)more
Tesla, Inc. is an American multinational automotive and clean energy company. Headquartered in Austin, Texas, it designs, manufactures, and sells battery electric vehicles (BEVs), stationary battery energy storage devices from home to grid-scale, solar panels and solar shingles, and related products and services.
2017 — Robert Mugabe formally resigns as President of Zimbabwe, after thirty-seven years in office. ↗(9 years ago)more
Robert Gabriel Mugabe was a Zimbabwean revolutionary and politician who led Zimbabwe from 1980 until he was deposed in a coup in 2017. He served as the first Prime Minister of Zimbabwe from internationally recognised independence in 1980 to 1987, then as the second president of Zimbabwe from 1987 to 2017.
2015 — The government of Belgium imposes a security lockdown on Brussels, including the closure of shops, schools, and public transportation, due to potential terrorist attacks. ↗(11 years ago)more
The Federal Government of Belgium exercises executive power in the Kingdom of Belgium. It consists of ministers and secretaries of state drawn from the political parties which form the governing coalition. The federal government is led by the prime minister of Belgium, and ministers lead ministries of the government.
- 2014 — A stampede in Kwekwe, Zimbabwe caused by the police firing tear gas kills at least eleven people and injures 40 others. ↗(12 years ago)
more
On 21 November 2014, a stampede occurred at Mbizo Stadium in Kwekwe, Zimbabwe, killing 11 and injuring 40 people. Reuters reported that around 30,000 people attended a religious service officiated by Walter Magaya. After the service, the crowd left toward a single exit in a stampede, killing four immediately; seven others were pronounced dead at hospital.
2013 — Fifty-four people are killed when the roof of a shopping center collapses in Riga, Latvia. ↗(13 years ago)more
On 21 November 2013 the roof of a Maxima shopping centre in the Zolitūde neighbourhood of Riga, Latvia, collapsed at 17:44 local time, resulting in the deaths of 54 people, including three rescue workers, and injuries to another 41 people. An unknown number of people were able to leave the store on their own after the initial collapse.
2013 — Massive protests start in Ukraine after President Viktor Yanukovych suspended signing the Ukraine–European Union Association Agreement. ↗(13 years ago)more
Euromaidan, or the Maidan Uprising, was a wave of demonstrations and civil unrest in Ukraine, which began on 21 November 2013 with large protests in Maidan Nezalezhnosti in Kyiv. The protests were sparked by President Viktor Yanukovych's sudden decision not to sign the European Union–Ukraine Association Agreement, instead choosing closer ties to Russia an...
2012 — At least 28 are wounded after a bomb is thrown onto a bus in Tel Aviv. ↗(14 years ago)more
The 2012 Tel Aviv bus bombing was a mass-injury terror attack carried out on November 21, 2012, on a crowded passenger bus driving in the center of Tel Aviv's business district. The attack was carried out by an Israeli citizen of Arab descent, who remotely detonated an explosive device, which he had hid on the bus in advance.
2009 — A mine explosion in Heilongjiang, China kills 108. ↗(17 years ago)more
The 2009 Heilongjiang mine explosion was a mining accident that occurred on November 21, 2009, near Hegang in the Heilongjiang, northeastern China, which killed 108 people. A further 29 people were hospitalised. The explosion occurred in the Xinxing coal mine shortly before dawn, at 02:30 CST, when 528 people were believed to be in the pit.
2006 — Anti-Syrian Lebanese politician and government minister Pierre Gemayel is assassinated in suburban Beirut. ↗(20 years ago)more
Pierre Amine Gemayel was a Lebanese politician in the Kataeb Party, also known as the Phalange Party in English.
Notable births
2004 — Liz, South Korean singer ↗(22 years ago)more
Kim Ji-won, known professionally as Liz, is a South Korean singer under Starship Entertainment. She is a member of the South Korean girl group Ive.
2004 — Rico Lewis, English footballer ↗(22 years ago)more
Rico Mark Lewis is an English professional footballer who plays as a full-back or defensive midfielder for Premier League club Manchester City and the England national team.
2001 — Rizky Ridho, Indonesian footballer ↗(25 years ago)more
Rizky Ridho Ramadhani is an Indonesian professional footballer who plays as a centre-back for Super League club Persija Jakarta and the Indonesia national team.
2000 — Isabel May, American actress ↗(26 years ago)more
Isabel May is an American actress. She first gained attention as high school student Katie Cooper on the Netflix series Alexa & Katie (2018–2020) as well as playing Elsa Dutton on the Paramount+ series 1883 (2021–2022). She reprised her role as Elsa Dutton as the narrator of its sequel series, 1923 (2022–2025).
2000 — Matt O'Riley, English-Danish footballer ↗(26 years ago)more
Matthew Sean O'Riley is a professional footballer who plays as an attacking midfielder for Premier League club Brighton & Hove Albion. Born in England, he plays for the Denmark national team.
1999 — Jaelin Howell, American soccer player ↗(27 years ago)more
Jaelin Marie Howell is an American professional soccer player who plays as a midfielder for Gotham FC of the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL) and the United States national team. She played college soccer for the Florida State Seminoles, winning the Hermann Trophy in two consecutive seasons. She won national championships in 2018 and 2021.
Notable deaths
2024 — Alice Brock, American artist, author and restauranteur (born 1941) ↗(2 years ago)more
Alice May Brock was an American artist, author and restauranteur. A resident of Massachusetts for her entire adult life, Brock owned and operated three restaurants in the Berkshires—The Back Room, Take-Out Alice, and Alice's at Avaloch—in succession between 1965 and 1979.
2021 — Lou Cutell, American actor (born 1930) ↗(5 years ago)more
Lou Cutell was an American actor, who was perhaps best known for his appearance as Amazing Larry in the 1985 film Pee-wee's Big Adventure and as Dr. Howard Cooperman in the 1995 Seinfeld episode "The Fusilli Jerry".
- 2021 — Jean-Pierre Schumacher, French Trappist monk and survivor of the Thibirine monks (born 1924) ↗(5 years ago)
more
Jean-Pierre Schumacher, OCSO was a French Trappist monk and prior who was one of the two survivors of the deadly terrorist attack on the Algerian Abbey of Our Lady of Atlas in 1996.
2017 — David Cassidy, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (born 1950) ↗(9 years ago)more
David Bruce Cassidy was an American actor and musician. While he was best known in the United States for his role as Keith Partridge in the 1970s musical-sitcom The Partridge Family, he was an international success in his solo career as a singer. For a period, he was the highest-paid entertainer in the world.
2016 — Hassan Sadpara, Pakistani mountaineer and adventurer (born 1963) ↗(10 years ago)more
Hassan Sadpara PP was a Pakistani mountaineer and adventurer from Skardu in Gilgit-Baltistan, Pakistan. He is the first Pakistani to have climbed six eight-thousanders including Mount Everest (8848m), K2 (8611m), Gasherbrum I (8080m), Gasherbrum II (8034m), Nanga Parbat and Kangchenjunga (8586m).
Numerical & calendrical curiosities
| Day-of-year (326) | 2 × 163 · composite (no) |
|---|---|
| Days remaining (40) | 2^3 × 5 |
| Date code DDMMYYYY | 21112026 · no palindrome in next 200 years |
| Sun declination | -20.63° (Cooper approximation) |
| Distance from solstice | 29 days |