December 21

Scott Winters December 21, 2025 0 Comments

A quick look at Today in History, check out some Celebrity Birthdays, and find out what Days of the Year to celebrate.

TODAY IN HISTORY:

1620 – William Bradford and the Mayflower Pilgrims landed on what is now known as Plymouth Rock in Plymouth, MA.

1891 – The first game of basketball, invented by faculty member James Naismith, was believed to have been played at Springfield College in Massachusetts.

1898 – The radioactive element radium was discovered by scientists Pierre and Marie Curie.

1913 – Arthur Wynne published a new “word-cross” puzzle in the “New York World” in England. The name was later changed to “crossword.”

1914 – Marie Dressler, Charlie Chaplin, Mabel Normand and Mack Swain appeared in the first six-reel, feature-length comedy — “Tillie’s Punctured Romance”.

1937 – Walt Disney debuted the first, full-length, animated feature in Hollywood, CA. The movie was “Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs”.

1944 – Horse racing was banned in the United States until after the end of World War II.

1951 – Joe DiMaggio announced his retirement from major league baseball.

1960 – The Disney movie “Swiss Family Robinson” premiered in theaters.

1967 – Louis Washkansky, the first man to undergo a heart transplant, died in Cape Town, South Africa. He lived for 18 days after the transplant.

1967 – “The Graduate”, starring Dustin Hoffman, premiered in New York, NY.

1968 – Apollo 8 was launched from the Kennedy Space Center on a mission to orbit the moon. It was the first visit to another celestial body by humans. The craft landed safely in the Pacific Ocean on December 27th.

1970 – Elvis Presley went to the White House to volunteer his services to President Richard Nixon in the fight against drugs.

1978 – Police in Des Plaines, IL, arrested John W. Gacy Jr. and began unearthing the remains of 33 men and boys that Gacy was later convicted of having murdered.

1979 – Willie Nelson made his acting debut in “The Electric Horseman”, starring with Robert Redford and Jane Fonda.

1988 – The movie “Working Girl”, starring Melanie Griffith, premiered in theaters.

1988 – A terrorist bomb went off on Pan Am Flight 103 over Lockerbie, Scotland. All 259 passengers on board, and 11 people on the ground, were killed.

1997 – Detroit Lion Barry Sanders set a NFL rushing record, when he became the third NFL player to rush for over 2,000 yards in a single season.

1998 – The first vaccine for Lyme disease was approved.

2001 – Congress passed a $20 billion package to finance the “war against terrorism” being fought in Afghanistan.

2002 – Larry Mayes was released after spending 21 years in prison for a rape that maintained that he never committed. He was the 100th person in the U.S. to be released after DNA tests were performed.

2004 – A suicide bomber killed 22 at the forward operating base next to the main U.S. military airfield at Mosul, Iraq. It was the single deadliest suicide attack on American soldiers.

2012 – The Walt Disney Company completed its acquisition of Lucasfilm and of the “Star Wars” franchise.

2012 – People wondered if the world would end when a Mayan calendar predicted it would happen on this date. It obviously didn’t happen!

2012 – The song “Gangnam Style” became the first video to hit one billion views on YouTube.com.

2020 – A great conjunction of Jupiter and Saturn occurred, with the two planets separated in the sky by 0.1 degrees. This was the closest conjunction between the two planets since 1623.

BIRTHDAYS:

Phil Roman – 95 years old (1930) – Animator

Edward Hoagland – 93 years old (1932) – Author and critic

Robert Worcester – 92 years old (1933) – Businessman and academic, founded MORI

Jane Fonda – 88 years old (1937) – Actress and activist

Larry Bryggman – 87 years old (1938) – Actor

Carla Thomas – 83 years old (1942) – Singer

Michael Tilson Thomas – 81 years old (1944) – Pianist, composer, and conductor

Roy Karch – 79 years old (1946) – Director, producer, and screenwriter

Barry Gordon – 77 years old (1948) – Actor and voice artist; longest-serving president of the Screen Actors Guild (1988–95)

Samuel L. Jackson – 77 years old (1948) – Actor and producer

Dave Kingman – 77 years old (1948) – Baseball player

Jeffrey Katzenberg – 75 years old (1950) – Screenwriter and producer, co-founded DreamWorks Animation

Dennis Boutsikaris – 73 years old (1952) – Actor

Steve Furniss – 73 years old (1952) – Swimmer

Chris Evert – 71 years old (1954) – Tennis player and coach

Jane Kaczmarek – 70 years old (1955) – Actress

Ray Romano – 68 years old (1957) – Actor, producer, and screenwriter

Andy Dick – 60 years old (1965) – Actor and comedian

Michelle Hurd – 59 years old (1966) – Actress

Terry Mills – 58 years old (1967) – Basketball player and coach

Natalie Grant – 54 years old (1971) – Singer-songwriter and author

Buddy Carlyle – 48 years old (1977) – Baseball player

Freddy Sanchez – 48 years old (1977) – Baseball player

Charles Dera – 47 years old (1978) – Pornographic actor, dancer, model, and mixed martial arts fighter

Rutina Wesley – 47 years old (1978) – Actress

Philip Humber – 43 years old (1982) – Baseball player

Taylor Teagarden – 42 years old (1983) – Baseball player

Steven Yeun – 42 years old (1983) – Actor

Khris Davis – 38 years old (1987) – Baseball player

Danny Duffy – 37 years old (1988) – Baseball player

Mark Ingram II – 36 years old (1989) – Football player

Otis – 34 years old (1991) – Wrestler

Ha Ha Clinton-Dix – 33 years old (1992) – Football player

Kaitlyn Dever – 29 years old (1996) – Actress

Madelyn Cline – 28 years old (1997) – Actress and model

Charlie McAvoy – 28 years old (1997) – Ice hockey player

Cooper Flagg – 19 years old (2006) – Basketball player

TODAY IS:

World Basketball Day:
Don’t Make Your Bed Day: Unfurling your sheets and leaving your covers a mess might just give you the relaxation you didn't know you needed.
National Coquito Day: It's the festive elixir that brings a warm embrace to your taste buds with every sip. A holiday in a glass!
Yule:
International Dalek Remembrance Day: Getting hyped and cheering for those iconic, menacing metal menaces from another galaxy who always keep the Doctor on their toes.
National French Fried Shrimp Day: Crispy, golden-brown and delicious! These crunchy treats are the perfect appetizer for any seafood lover, especially if you love shrimp!
National Maine Day:
National Short Story Day: Get lost in worlds within words — create characters, weave plots, and inspire imaginations. Reading and writing is a passport to adventure!
National Crossword Puzzle Day: Solving those mind-teasers, they're like brain workouts that offer a fun challenge, keeping the mental gears oiled and gears turning.
National Flashlight Day:
Look On The Bright Side Day: Seeing the sun even on the cloudiest day, finding silver linings when life throws lemons - that's the spirit that keeps us going.
International Energy Drink Day: Invigorating elixirs — they bestow a surge of vitality, fueling resilience and awakening the spirit with their electrifying potency.
National Short Girl Appreciation Day: Embracing the beauty and strength within petite frames, these remarkable women bring a unique perspective and inspire others through their resilience and grace.
Humbug Day: Have a good old grumble to destress and channel your inner scrooge by reading a Dickens novel or donning a top hat and cane.
Phileas Fogg Win a Wager Day:
National Armagnac Day:
World Snowboard Day:
Gravy Day: Honoring Paul Kelly's festive ballad, celebrating familial bonds and memories, adds a melodic touch to Christmas traditions.
Winter Solstice:
National Homeless Persons’ Remembrance Day:
Ribbon Candy Day: Delicately spun sugar strands that swirl with vibrant colors, this sweet treat captures the whimsy of childhood in its intricate design.
Zagreb Advent:
Christmas Bird Count Week:
Advent:
Saturnalia:
Blue Christmas: While most people are at home opening presents, emergency workers are on duty, ensuring the safety of their communities over the holidays.