Historical Events on September 21
- 1776: Occupying British forces burn down parts of New York City during the American Revolutionary War.
- 1780: Benedict Arnold turns over the plans to West Point to the British.
- 1792: France is declared a republic by the National Convention and the absolute monarchy is abolished during the French Revolution.
- 1897: In response to a question from then-8 year old Virginia O’Hanlon asking if Santa Clause is real, the New York Sun publishes the editorial “Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Clause.”
- 1934: A typhoon hits Western Honshu in Japan and kills over three thousand people.
- 1937: The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien is published on this day.
- 1942: The Boeing B-29 Super Fortress begins its maiden flight on this day.
- 1964: Malta gets its independence from the U.K.
- 1964: The first Mach 3 bomber – the North American XB-70 Valkryrie – makes its maiden flight leaving Palmdale in California.
- 1965: The Gambia and Singapore become members of the U.N.
- 1965: The Maldives become a member of the U.N.
- 1976: Seychelles becomes a member of the U.N.
- 1981: Belize gains its independence from the U.K.
- 1981: The first female Supreme Court Justice of the United States – Sandra Day O’Connor – is unanimously approved by the U.S Senate.
- 1984: Brunei becomes a member of the U.N.
- 1991: Armenia gains its independence from the Soviet Union.
- 1993: The Russian Constitutional Crisis of 1993 begins when Russian President Boris Yeltsin scraps the constitution and suspends parliament.
Famous Birthdays on September 21
- French-Tunisian microbiologist and Nobel Prize laureate Charles Nicolle is born in 1866.
- English novelist and historian H.G. Wells is born in 1866.
- English chief officer aboard the doomed RMS Titanic, Henry Tingle Wilde was born in 1872.
- American author and screenwriter Stephen King is born in 1947.
- American author and playwright Marsha Norman is born in 1947.
- American actor, comedian and screenwriter Bill Murray is born in 1950.
- American director and screenwriter Ethan Coen is born in 1957.
- American singer-songwriter Faith hill is born in 1967.
- American actress and talk show host Ricki Lake is born in 1968.