February 21
Overview
Holidays & Observances
Armed Forces Day (South Africa)
A national holiday in South Africa honoring the contributions and service of the South African National Defence Force.
Birthday of King Harald V(Norway)
Commemorates the birthday of King Harald V of Norway, marked by royal flags and public celebrations.
Christianfeast day:
Felix of Hadrumetum, Pepin of Landen, Peter Damian, Randoald of Grandval, February 21 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
A set of Christian feast days on February 21 honoring saints such as Felix of Hadrumetum, Pepin of Landen, Peter Damian, and Randoald of Grandval.
Father Lini Day(Vanuatu)
A national holiday in Vanuatu honoring Father Walter Lini, the 'Father of Independence' and first Prime Minister.
Language Movement Day(Bangladesh)
A national observance in Bangladesh commemorating the 1952 Language Movement and its martyrs.
International Mother Language Day(UNESCO)
A UNESCO-declared day promoting linguistic and cultural diversity by celebrating mother languages worldwide.
The first day of theBirth Anniversary of Fifth Druk Gyalpo, celebrated until February 23. (Bhutan)
Marks the opening of Bhutan's three-day celebration of the Fifth Druk Gyalpo's birth, featuring national and religious festivities.
The first day of theMusikahan Festival, celebrated until February 27. (Tagum City, Philippines)
Opens Tagum City's week-long Musikahan Festival celebrating music, arts, and cultural heritage.
Felix of Hadrumetum
Feast day honoring Saint Felix of Hadrumetum, a third-century martyr revered in Christian tradition.
Events
Severianus, Bishop of Scythopolis, is martyred in Palestine.
Severianus, the Bishop of Scythopolis, was killed for his Christian faith in Palestine.
Thomas, the first known Bishop of Finland, is granted resignation after confessing to torture and forgery.
Thomas, the first known Bishop of Finland, resigns in 1245 after admitting to torture and forgery.
The Prussian Confederation is formed.
Cities and nobles in Prussia unite to form the Prussian Confederation in 1440 to challenge Teutonic Order rule.
Mikhail I is unanimously elected Tsar by a national assembly, beginning the Romanov dynasty of Imperial Russia.
Mikhail I is elected Tsar by a national assembly in 1613, founding the Romanov dynasty in Russia.
A force of 1,400 French soldiers invaded Britain at Fishguard in support of the Society of United Irishmen. They were defeated by 500 British reservists.
A French force lands at Fishguard in 1797 but is swiftly defeated by British reservists, marking Britain’s last invasion.
The first self-propelling steam locomotive makes its outing at the Pen-y-Darren Ironworks in Wales.
In 1804, the first steam locomotive makes its debut at the Pen-y-Darren Ironworks in Wales, heralding a new era of rail transport.
Without a previous declaration of war, Russian troops cross the border to Sweden at Abborfors in eastern Finland, thus beginning the Finnish War, in which Sweden will lose the eastern half of the country (i.e. Finland) to Russia.
Russian troops invade eastern Finland without warning in 1808 at Abborfors, starting the Finnish War.
Initial issue of the Cherokee Phoenix is the first periodical to use the Cherokee syllabary invented by Sequoyah.
The Cherokee Phoenix, the first newspaper to use the Cherokee syllabary, publishes its inaugural issue in 1828.
John Greenough is granted the first U.S. patent for the sewing machine.
John Greenough is awarded the United States’ first sewing machine patent in 1842, revolutionizing garment manufacture.
Births
Abe no Seimei
Heian-period Japanese court astrologer and onmyōji renowned for his mastery of divination and the occult.
Duchess of Burgundy and regent, known for her political acumen and cultural patronage in 15th-century Europe.
Joanna la Beltraneja
Castilian princess and rival queen, best known for her claim to the throne in the War of the Castilian Succession.
Joachim I Nestor
Elector of Brandenburg from 1499 to 1535, noted for his staunch Catholicism and efforts to strengthen his realm.
Ralph Neville
English nobleman and courtier, who served Henry VIII during pivotal events of the Tudor era.
Philipp V
German count who governed the County of Hanau-Lichtenberg during the turbulent Reformation era.
Sethus Calvisius
Renaissance scholar who excelled as an astronomer, composer, and music theorist in Germany.
Raimondo Montecuccoli
Renowned Habsburg general whose tactics influenced European warfare in the 17th century.
Rebecca Nurse
Puritan settler in colonial Massachusetts, tragically executed during the Salem witch trials.
Deaths
Gaius Caesar
Grandson of Emperor Augustus who served as a consul and was groomed as his heir before his untimely death.
Randoald of Grandval
Benedictine prior of Grandval Monastery who led his community with piety and became revered as a martyr.
Minamoto no Yoshinaka
Ambitious leader of the Minamoto clan who briefly seized Kyoto and styled himself shōgun during the Genpei War.
Aymon de Briançon
A medieval prelate who combined his duties as Archbishop of Tarentaise with leadership in the Crusades.
Baldwin of Ibelin
Prominent noble of the crusader Kingdom of Cyprus who served as its chief administrator and military commander.
King of Scotland known for legal reforms, cultural patronage, and his tragic assassination in 1437.
Jan Rokycana
Leading Utraquist bishop of Prague whose theology shaped the Hussite movement in Bohemia.
Renaissance pope famed as the 'Warrior Pope' and a great patron of Michelangelo and Raphael.
Ahmad ibn Ibrahim al-Ghazi
Imam of the Adal Sultanate who led a dramatic 16th-century campaign against the Ethiopian Empire.