June 21
Overview
Holidays & Observances
Christianfeast day:
Alban of Mainz, Aloysius Gonzaga, Engelmund of Velsen, Martin of Tongres, Onesimos Nesib(Lutheran), June 21 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
The Christian feast day commemorates saints Alban of Mainz, Aloysius Gonzaga, Engelmund of Velsen, Martin of Tongres, and Onesimos Nesib.
Day of the Martyrs (Togo)
A national holiday in Togo honoring martyrs who sacrificed their lives during the struggle for independence.
Father's Day(Egypt,Lebanon,Jordan, Syria,Uganda,Pakistan,United Arab Emirates)
Father's Day is celebrated on June 21 in Egypt, Lebanon, Jordan, Syria, Uganda, Pakistan, and the United Arab Emirates, honoring paternal bonds and fatherhood.
Go Skateboarding Day
An annual event encouraging skateboarders worldwide to take to the streets and celebrate skateboarding culture.
International Yoga Day(international)
A United Nations–designated observance promoting the physical, mental, and spiritual benefits of yoga worldwide.
National Indigenous Peoples Day(Canada)
A Canadian observance celebrating the cultures, heritage, and contributions of First Nations, Inuit, and Métis peoples.
Solstice-related observances (see alsoJune 20):
Day of Private Reflection(Northern Ireland), International Surfing Day, National Day (Greenland), We Tripantu, a winter solstice festival in the southern hemisphere. (Mapuche, southernChile), Willkakuti, an Andean-Amazonic New Year (Aymara), Fête de la Musique
A collection of global events and cultural celebrations tied to the June solstice, including festivals, national days, and traditional observances.
World Humanist Day(Humanism)
An annual observance celebrating humanist values of reason, compassion, and human welfare.
World Hydrography Day(international)
An international observance highlighting the importance of hydrography and charting the world's oceans and waterways.
Events
A Byzantine expeditionary fleet under Belisarios sails from Constantinople to attack the Vandals in Africa, via Greece and Sicily.
In AD 533, Byzantine general Belisarios led a fleet from Constantinople to challenge the Vandal Kingdom in North Africa.
Külüg Khan is enthroned as Khagan of the Mongols and Wuzong of the Yuan.
In 1307, Külüg Khan was enthroned as Khagan of the Mongol Empire and took the temple name Wuzong as Emperor of the Yuan Dynasty.
French forces are driven out of northern Italy by Spain at the Battle of Landriano during the War of the League of Cognac.
In 1529, Spanish forces decisively defeated the French at the Battle of Landriano, driving them out of northern Italy during the War of the League of Cognac.
Sengoku period: Oda Nobunaga, the most powerful of the Japanese daimyōs, is forced to commit suicide by his own general Akechi Mitsuhide.
On June 21, 1582, the powerful warlord Oda Nobunaga was betrayed by his general Akechi Mitsuhide and forced to commit seppuku at Honnō-ji temple.
Execution of 27 Czech noblemen on the Old Town Square in Prague as a consequence of the Battle of White Mountain.
After the Battle of White Mountain, 27 Czech noblemen were executed in Prague's Old Town Square on June 21, 1621.
In Montreal, New France, a slave known by the French name of Marie-Joseph Angélique is put to death, having been convicted of setting the fire that destroyed much of the city.
In 1734, Montreal slave Marie-Joseph Angélique was executed for allegedly setting a major fire that devastated much of the city.
Halifax, Nova Scotia, is founded.
Halifax, Nova Scotia, was founded on June 21, 1749, as a strategic British naval settlement on Canada's Atlantic coast.
James Otis Jr. offends the King and Parliament in a speech to the Massachusetts General Court.
In 1768, colonial lawyer James Otis Jr. delivered a fiery speech in Massachusetts, condemning British writs of assistance and foreshadowing the American Revolution.
New Hampshire becomes the ninth state to ratify the Constitution of the United States.
On June 21, 1788, New Hampshire became the ninth state to ratify the United States Constitution, ensuring its implementation.
Births
Abu Ja'far Ahmad ibn Muhammad
Abu Ja'far Ahmad ibn Muhammad was the influential Saffarid emir who ruled parts of eastern Iran in the 10th century.
Pope Leo IX was the head of the Catholic Church from 1049 to 1054 and a key figure in ecclesiastical reform.
Bolesław V the Chaste was High Duke of Poland known for his devout piety and efforts to stabilize the realm.
John II
John II was Duke of Schleswig-Holstein-Haderslev and a member of the Oldenburg dynasty.
Maria of Austria
Maria of Austria was Holy Roman Empress and a key political figure in 16th-century Europe.
Leonhard Rauwolf
Leonhard Rauwolf was a German physician and botanist noted for his explorations in the Near East.
Scipione Chiaramonti
Scipione Chiaramonti was an Italian philosopher and astronomer who challenged prevailing cosmological views.
Samuel Oppenheimer
Samuel Oppenheimer was a prominent German-Jewish banker and diplomat in the 17th century.
Godefroy Maurice de La Tour d'Auvergne
Godefroy Maurice de La Tour d'Auvergne was Duke of Bouillon and a notable French nobleman.
Deaths
Emperor Jiemin of Northern Wei
Emperor Jiemin of Northern Wei was a ruler of the Northern Wei dynasty in northern China whose brief reign reflected the turmoil of the era.
Rodulf
Rodulf was a 9th-century Frankish archbishop known for his leadership in the Carolingian church.
Ali al-Hadi
Ali al-Hadi was the tenth Imam of Twelver Shia Islam, revered for his scholarship and piety during Abbasid rule.
Al-Muhtadi
Al-Muhtadi was an Abbasid caliph who sought to restore moral integrity to the caliphate during a brief, troubled reign.
Zhang Li
Zhang Li was a high-ranking official of the Khitan-led Liao Dynasty in northern China during the 10th century.
Fulk III
Fulk III, known as Fulk the Black, was Count of Anjou and a powerful feudal lord in medieval France.
Walter de Luci
Walter de Luci was a French-born Benedictine monk who led a major English abbey, noted for his monastic reforms.
Philip of Swabia was a member of the Hohenstaufen dynasty who served as King of Germany during a disputed succession.
Wenceslaus II was King of Bohemia and later King of Poland known for economic and cultural growth in his realms.