Discover what happened on May 21 in history, along with notable events that shaped aviation, entertainment, and Michigan history.
What Happened on May 21 in History?
Important events on this day include Charles Lindbergh completing his historic Atlantic flight, Michigan choosing the robin as its state bird, and The Empire Strikes Back opening in theaters.
MAY 21 – TODAY IN HISTORY:
1819 – Bicycles were first seen in the U.S. in New York, NY. They were originally known as “swift walkers”. Within a month, the city banned the bikes because they felt they were hazardous to public safety.
1832 – The Democratic Party held its first national convention.
1834 – Detroit installed its first streetlights.
1881 – The American branch of the Red Cross was founded by Clara Barton in Washington, DC.
1881 – The United States Lawn Tennis Association was formed in New York, NY.
1891 – Peter Jackson and Jim Corbett fought for 61 rounds only to end in a draw.
1904 – Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) was founded.
1906 – Louis H. Perlman received his patent for the demountable tire-carrying rim.
1914 – The Greyhound Bus Company was formed in Minnesota.
1927 – Charles A. Lindbergh completed the first solo nonstop airplane flight across the Atlantic Ocean when he landed at Le Bourget Field in Paris. The trip began May 20.
1929 – The first automatic electric stock quotation board was used by Sutro and Company of New York, NY.
1929 – William Henry Storey registered the trademark for the board game “Sorry!” in the U.K.
1931 – The robin was named the official state bird of Michigan.
1932 – Bad weather forced Amelia Earhart to land in a pasture in Derry, Northern Ireland. She became the first woman to fly solo across the Atlantic Ocean.
1934 – Oskaloosa, IA, became the first city in the U.S. to fingerprint all of its citizens.
1937 – The song “My Michigan” was adopted as the official state song. The song as composed and written by Giles Kavanagh and H. O’Reilly Clint. It was chosen because it expressed the hopes, ambitions and pride of the people of the State of Michigan. “My Michigan” should not be confused with the song “Michigan, My Michigan” by Douglas Malloch.
1947 – Joe DiMaggio, and five of his New York Yankee teammates, were fined $100 because they had not fulfilled contract requirements to do promotional duties for the team.
1954 – An amendment to lower the voting age to 18 was defeated.
1956 – The U.S. exploded the first airborne hydrogen bomb in the Pacific Ocean over Bikini Atoll.
1968 – The nuclear-powered U.S. submarine Scorpion, with 99 men aboard, was last heard from. The remains of the sub were later found on the ocean floor 400 miles southwest of the Azores.
1969 – John Lennon and Yoko Ono began a ten-day “bed-in” in Montreal’s Queen Elizabeth Hotel.
1980 – “The Empire Strikes Back”, the second film in the “Star Wars” series, opened across the U.S.
1990 – The last episode of TV’s “Newhart” was broadcast by CBS.
1992 – The TV show “Real World” debuted on MTV. Seven strangers were placed in a home and we learned “what happens… when people stop being polite… and start getting real”.
1992 – After 30 seasons, Robin Williams and Bette Midler were Johnny Carson’s last guests on TV’s “The Tonight Show”, one night before the show aired its final episode.
1997 – Susan Lucci lost out in the running for the Best Actress Daytime Emmy for a 17th consecutive year.
1998 – Kip Kinkel, an expelled high school student in Springfield, OR, killed two people and wounded 25 others with a semi-automatic rifle in a school shooting spree. After he was apprehended, police learned that the boy had killed his parents the day before the rampage.
1998 – Microsoft and Sega announced that they were collaborating on a home video game system.
1999 – On her 19th try, Susan Lucci finally won a Daytime Emmy for best actress on TV’s “All My Children”.
2001 – The first Bratz dolls hit the shelves as Yasmin, Jade, Sasha, and Cloe were introduced to the public.
2005 – The tallest roller coaster in the world at the time, Kingda Ka, opened at Six Flags Great Adventure in Jackson Township, NJ.
2008 – David Cook was crowned TV’s “American Idol: Season 7” champ. David Archuleta took the runner-up spot.
2011 – Radio broadcaster Harold Camping predicted that the end of the world would occur on this day. Obviously, he was wrong.
2013 – Microsoft announced the release of Xbox One.
2014 – Caleb Johnson won TV’s “American Idol”.
2014 – The National September 11 Museum opened to the public.
2017 – The Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus performed their last show at Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum, in Uniondale, NY.
2024 – The Greenfield tornado killed 5 and injured 35 across rural Iowa. Wind speeds in excess of 300 miles per hour were estimated from measurements for the third time in history.
CELEBRITY BIRTHDAYS ON MAY 21:
Ronald Isley – 85 years old (1941) – Singer-songwriter and producer
Marcie Blane – 82 years old (1944) – Singer
Bill Champlin – 79 years old (1947) – Singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer
Al Franken – 75 years old (1951) – Actor, screenwriter, and politician
Mr. T – 74 years old (1952) – Actor and wrestler
Marc Ribot – 72 years old (1954) – Guitarist and composer
Stan Lynch – 71 years old (1955) – Drummer, songwriter, and producer
James Bailey – 69 years old (1957) – Basketball player
Judge Reinhold – 69 years old (1957) – Actor and producer
Naeem Khan – 68 years old (1958) – Indian-American fashion designer
Jefery Levy – 68 years old (1958) – Director, producer, and screenwriter
Nick Cassavetes – 67 years old (1959) – Actor, director, and screenwriter
Kent Hrbek – 66 years old (1960) – Baseball player and sportscaster
David Crumb – 64 years old (1962) – Composer and educator
Richard Appel – 63 years old (1963) – Screenwriter and producer
Patrick Grant – 63 years old (1963) – Musician and producer
Dave Specter – 63 years old (1963) – Guitarist
Pete Sandoval – 62 years old (1964) – Salvadoran-American drummer
Lisa Edelstein – 60 years old (1966) – Actress and playwright
George LeMieux – 57 years old (1969) – Lawyer and politician
Dorsey Levens – 56 years old (1970) – Football player and sportscaster
Stewart Cink – 53 years old (1973) – Golfer
Fairuza Balk – 52 years old (1974) – Actress
Havoc – 52 years old (1974) – Rapper and producer
Deron Miller – 50 years old (1976) – Singer-songwriter and guitarist
Ricky Williams – 49 years old (1977) – Football player
Max B – 48 years old (1978) – Rapper and songwriter
Briana Banks – 48 years old (1978) – German-American porn actress and model
Scott Smith – 47 years old (1979) – Mixed martial artist
Craig Anderson – 45 years old (1981) – Ice hockey player
Edson Buddle – 45 years old (1981) – Soccer player
Josh Hamilton – 45 years old (1981) – Baseball player
Brandon Fields – 42 years old (1984) – Football player
Andrew Miller – 41 years old (1985) – Baseball player
Myra – 40 years old (1986) – Singer and actress
Matt Wieters – 40 years old (1986) – Baseball player
Hutch Dano – 34 years old (1992) – Actor
Olivia Olson – 34 years old (1992) – Singer and actress
Lynn Williams – 33 years old (1993) – Soccer player
Josh Allen – 30 years old (1996) – Football player
Kevin Quinn – 29 years old (1997) – Actor and singer
DAYS OF THE YEAR FOR MAY 21:
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For additional information check out websites like: www.on-this-day.com, www.born-today.com, www.famousbirthdays.com, www.daysoftheyear.com, and www.nationaldaycalendar.com.
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