May 21 is the 141nd day of the year (142rd in leap years) according to the Gregorian calendar. There are 224 days left until the end of the year.
Railways
- 21 May 1941 Negotiations were held in Dimotika on the reopening of the Svilingrad Uzunköprü railway and its operation by the Turkish State Railways.
- 21 May 2021 The 9,1 km section of the Northern Marmara Motorway between Habipler Junction and Hasdal Junction is put into service.
Events
- 996 – III. Otto was crowned the Holy Roman Empire. 16-year-old Otto has been King of Germany since he was 3 years old. His empire lasted 6 years.
- 1847 – General Directorate of Land Registry and Cadastre (Defterhane-is Amire Kalemi) was established.
- 1864 – Circassians (Adige Heku in their native language Адыгэхэр ((Adige)), exiled from their homeland of Circassia (Адыгэ Хэку (Adige Heku) in their native language) to Ottoman lands after being subjected to genocide by Tsarist Russia.
- 1881 - The American Red Cross was founded by Clara Barton.
- 1889 – The Party of Union and Progress was founded.
- 1900 - Russia begins to invade Manchuria, using the Boxer uprising in China as an excuse.
- 1904 – FIFA (International Association of Football Associations) was founded in Paris.
- 1927 - American aviator Charles Lindbergh, 'Sprit of St. He became the first pilot to cross the Atlantic Ocean by flying from New York to Paris in his plane named Louis'.
- 1960 – Military Academy students made a silent march against the Government.
- 1963 – Commander of the Military Academy Talat Aydemir attempted a second coup attempt on the grounds that some of the reforms proposed by the Constitution were not carried out, but it was unsuccessful.
- 1979 – The “White Night Riots” took place in San Francisco, California, against Dan White receiving the minimum sentence for the murders of Harvey Milk and George Moscone.
- 1981 – Atatürk's 100th birthday was celebrated with ceremonies.
- 1983 – The 18th of the exhibitions organized by the Council of Europe to promote the cultures that make up the richness of European civilization was opened in Istanbul under the name of Anatolian Civilizations Exhibition.
- 1991 - Indian Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi was assassinated.
- 1994 – A stampede broke out during the stoning of the devil in the Hajj: 185 pilgrims died, seven of whom were Turks.
- 1996 – Selcuk Parsadan, who is alleged to have defrauded some people and organizations with 5.5 billion liras from the hidden appropriation, was caught in Altınoluk town of Balıkesir.
- 1997 – Chief Public Prosecutor of the Court of Cassation Vural Savaş filed a lawsuit with the Constitutional Court for the permanent closure of Welfare Party on the grounds that it became the focus of actions contrary to the principle of secularism in the Constitution.
- 2004 – President Ahmet Necdet Sezer approved the constitutional amendment and the State Security Courts (DGM) were abolished.
- 2017 – Fenerbahce became EuroLeague champion by beating Olympiakos.
Births
- 1173 Shinran, Japanese Buddhist monk (d. 1263)
- 1471 – Albrecht Dürer, German painter and mathematician (d. 1528)
- 1527 – II. Felipe, King of Spain (d. 1598)
- 1688 – Alexander Pope, English poet (d. 1744)
- 1759 – Joseph Fouché, French statesman and revolutionary (d. 1820)
- 1792 – Gaspard-Gustave Coriolis, French mathematician and scientist (d.1843)
- 1799 – Mary Anning, British fossil collector, fossil dealer, and paleontologist (d. 1847)
- 1808 – Lavrentiy Alekseyevich Zagoskin, Russian naval officer and explorer of Alaska (d. 1890)
- 1816 – Stephen Allen Benson, Liberian politician (d. 1865)
- 1843 – Albert Gobat, Swiss writer, educational administrator and Nobel Peace Prize winner (d. 1914)
- 1843 – Louis Renault, French jurist, educator and Nobel Peace Prize winner (d. 1918)
- 1844 – Henri Rousseau, French painter (d. 1910)
- 1851 – Léon Bourgeois, French politician and Nobel Peace Prize winner (d. 1925)
- 1855 – Émile Verhaeren, Belgian poet (d. 1916)
- 1860 – Willem Einthoven, Dutch physiologist and Nobel Prize winner in Physiology or Medicine (d. 1927)
- 1873 – Hans Berger, German psychiatrist (d. 1941)
- 1880 – Tudor Arghezi, Romanian poet and writer (d. 1967)
- 1902 – Marcel Breuer, American architect and designer (d. 1981)
- 1902 – Anatole Litvak, Ukrainian-American filmmaker (d. 1974)
- 1902 – Robert Montgomery, American actor and director (d. 1981)
- 1904 – Fats Waller, American jazz pianist (d. 1943)
- 1913 – Suzan Kahramaner, Turkish academic and one of Turkey's first female mathematicians (d. 2006)
- 1914 – Romain Gary, French writer and director (d. 1980)
- 1916 – Harold Robbins, American novelist (d. 1997)
- 1917 – Raymond Burr, Canadian actor (d. 1993)
- 1919 – George P. Mitchell, Greek-American businessman (d. 2013)
- 1921 – Andrey Saharov, Russian physicist and Nobel Peace Prize laureate (d. 1989)
- 1923 – Ara Parseghian, American football player of Armenian descent (d. 2017)
- 1924 – Peggy Cass, American actress and comedian (d. 1999)
- 1925 – Frank Kameny, American astronomer and LGBT rights activist (d. 2011)
- 1927 – Kay Kendall, English actress and comedian (d. 1959)
- 1928 – Dore Ashton, American academic, author, art historian, and critic (d. 2017)
- 1928 – Alice Drummond, American actress (d. 2016)
- 1930 – Malcolm Fraser, Australian politician and 22nd Australian prime minister (d. 2015)
- 1932 – Inese Jaunzeme, Latvian-Soviet javelin thrower and doctor (d. 2011)
- 1933 – Richard Libertini, American stage, film and television actor (d. 2016)
- 1934 – Bob Nothern, American jazz musician (d. 2020)
- 1934 – Bengt I. Samuelsson, Swedish biochemist and Nobel Prize laureate in Physiology or Medicine (d. 2024)
- 1936 – Günter Blobel, German-American biologist (d. 2018)
- 1939 – Heinz Holliger, Swiss oboist
- 1944 – Mary Robinson, Irish lawyer and politician, 7th President of Ireland
- 1945 – Richard Hatch, American actor and writer (d. 2017)
- 1947 – İlber Ortaylı, Turkish academic and historian
- 1948 – Jonathan Hyde, Australian-British actor
- 1948 – Denis MacShane, British politician
- 1949 – Arno, Belgian singer and actor (d. 2022)
- 1950 – Remídio José Bohn, Brazilian Roman Catholic bishop (d. 2018)
- 1952 – Mr. T, American actor and professional wrestler
- 1955 – Ayşe Kökçü, Turkish theater, cinema and TV series actress
- 1955 – Sergey Shoigu, Russian soldier and politician of Tuvan descent
- 1957 – Renée Soutendijk, Dutch actress
- 1958 – Christian Audigier, French fashion designer (d. 2015)
- 1959 – Nick Cassavetes, American actor, screenwriter, and film producer
- 1959 – Abdulla Yameen, Maldivian politician and 6th president of the Maldives
- 1960 – Vladimir Salnikov, Soviet-Russian swimmer
- 1960 – Jeffrey Dahmer, American serial killer (d. 1994)
- 1962 – Payidar Tüfekçioğlu, Turkish actor and voice actor (d. 2017)
- 1966 – Tatyana Ledovskaya, Soviet-Belarusian athlete
- 1966 – Lisa Edelstein, American actress and playwright
- 1967 – Chris Benoit, Canadian professional wrestler (d. 2007)
- 1968 – Nasuh Mahruki, Turkish mountaineer, writer and photographer
- 1968 – Nihat Odabaşı, Turkish photographer
- 1972 – The Notorious BIG, American rapper (b. 1997)
- 1973 - Stewart Cink, American golfer
- 1974 - Fairuza Balk, American actress
- 1974 – Havoc, American rapper and producer
- 1974 – Masaru Hashiguchi, Japanese football player
- 1976 – Carlo Ljubek, German actor of Croatian descent
- 1976 - Stuart Bingham, English professional snooker player
- 1977 – Quinton Fortune, South African football player
- 1979 – Hideo Hashimoto, Japanese international football player
- 1979 – Lino Guanciale, Italian actor
- 1979 – Mamadou Bagayoko, French-Malian football player
- 1980 – Aydın Cetin, Turkish football player
- 1980 – Gotye, Belgian-Australian musician, songwriter, and composer
- 1980 – Goran Cakic, Serbian basketball player
- 1981 – Edson Buddle, American football player
- 1981 – Maximilian Mutzke, German singer
- 1981 – Anna Rogowska, Polish pole vaulter
- 1982 – Saygin Soysal, Turkish cinema and TV series actor
- 1985 - Alison Carroll, British model
- 1985 – Galena, Bulgarian pop-folk singer
- 1985 – Mark Cavendish, Isle of Man professional road bike racer
- 1985 – Mutya Buena, English singer, songwriter and producer
- 1985 – Lucie Hradecká, Czech tennis player
- 1985 – Dušan Kuciak, Slovak football player
- 1986 – Mario Mandžukić, Croatian football player
- 1986 – Park So-jin, South Korean singer
- 1987 – Masato Morishige, Japanese football player
- 1987 – Ashlie Brillault, American actress
- 1987 – Hit-Boy, American hip hop singer and producer
- 1987 – Mateus de Souza, Brazilian football player
- 1987 – Wilson Morelo, Colombian football player
- 1988 – Idir Ouali, French football player
- 1988 – Kim Joo-ri, South Korean model
- 1988 – Muhammed Ali Atam, Turkish national football player
- 1989 – Gülcan Mıngır, Turkish athlete
- 1989 – Hal Robson-Kanu, Welsh footballer
- 1990 – Rene Krhin, Slovenian football player
- 1991 – Abdoulay Diaby, Malian football player
- 1991 – Guilherme, Brazilian football player
- 1992 – Dylan van Baarle, Dutch professional road cyclist
- 1992 – Hutch Dano, American actor and rapper
- 1992 – Juwan Staten, American professional basketball player
- 1993 – Daniel Sotres, Spanish goalkeeper
- 1993 – Luke Garbutt, English football player
- 1993 – Matías Kranevitter, Argentine football player
- 1994 - Tom Daley, British diver
- 1996 – Dorukhan Tokoz, Turkish football player
- 1996 – Eric Traore, Burkina Faso football player
- 1996 – Josh Allen, American American football player
- 1997 – Viktoriya Petrik, Ukrainian singer and songwriter
- 1997 – Federico Bonazzoli, Italian football player
- 1997 – Patrick Ngoma, Zambian football player
- 2002 – Adam Tučný, Slovak football player
- 2002 – Elena Huelva, Spanish cancer activist (d. 2023)
Deaths
- 252 – Sun Quan, founder and first emperor of the Wu Dynasty during the Three Empires of China (b. 182)
- 987 – Louis V, king of West Francia (b. 967)
- 1086 – Wang Anshi, Chinese economist, statesman, and poet (b. 1021)
- 1471 – VI. Henry, king of England (b. 1421)
- 1481 – Christian I, King of Denmark and Sweden (b. 1426)
- 1542 – Hernando de Soto, Spanish traveler (b. 1496)
- 1639 – Tommaso Campanella, Dominican friar, Italian poet, writer (b. 1568)
- 1686 – Otto von Guericke, German scientist, inventor, and politician (b. 1602)
- 1786 – Carl Wilhelm Scheele, Swedish-German pharmacist and chemist (b. 1742)
- 1865 – Christian Jürgensen Thomsen, Danish historian of antiquity (b. 1788)
- 1894 – Emile Henry, French activist and Anarchist (b. 1872)
- 1911 – Williamina Fleming, Scottish astronomer (b. 1857)
- 1920 – Eleanor Hodgman Porter, American author (b. 1868)
- 1920 – Venustiano Carranza, Mexican politician (b. 1859)
- 1922 – Michael Mayr, Austrian historian (b. 1864)
- 1935 – Jane Addams, American social reformer and Nobel Peace Prize laureate (b. 1860)
- 1935 – Hugo De Vries, Dutch botanist and biologist (b. 1848)
- 1949 – Klaus Mann, German writer (b. 1906)
- 1952 – John Garfield, American actor (b. 1913)
- 1964 – James Franck, German physicist and Nobel Prize-winning scientist (b. 1882)
- 1967 – Nurettin Baransel, Turkish soldier and 7th Chief of Staff of the Turkish Armed Forces (b. 1897)
- 1971 – Avni Dilligil, Turkish actress (b. 1908)
- 1973 – Ivan Konev, Marshal of the Soviet Union (b. 1897)
- 1982 – Giovanni Muzio, Italian architect and academic (b. 1893)
- 1983 – Kenneth Clark, English writer (b. 1903)
- 1983 – Eric Hoffer, American author (b. 1902)
- 1991 – Rajiv Gandhi, Prime Minister of India (b. 1944)
- 1997 – Mustafa Ekmekçi, Turkish journalist and writer (b. 1924)
- 2000 – Barbara Cartland, English writer (b. 1901)
- 2000 – John Gielgud, English actor and winner of the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor (b. 1904)
- 2005
- Harvey M. Lifset, American lawyer and politician (b. 1916)
- Şevki Şenlen, Turkish national football player and sports writer (b. 1949)
- 2008 – Cengiz Keskinkılıç, Turkish theater and TV series actor, voice actor and director (b. 1938)
- 2013 – Antoine Bourseiller, French comedian, theater and opera director (b. 1930)
- 2014 – Jaime Lusinchi, Venezuelan politician (b. 1924)
- 2015 – César Boutteville, French chess player (b. 1917)
- 2015 – Louis Johnson, American bass guitarist and musician (b. 1955)
- 2016 – Gaston Berghmans, Dutch-born Belgian actor and comedian (b. 1926)
- 2016 – Akhtar Mansour, Taliban leader (b. 1956)
- 2016 – Nick Menza, German musician (b. 1964)
- 2017 – Paul Judge, English businessman and politician (b. 1949)
- 2017 – Jimmy LaFave, American singer, songwriter, and folk musician (b. 1955)
- 2017 – Philippa Roles, Welsh discus thrower (b. 1978)
- 2018 – António Arnault, Portuguese poet, writer, lawyer and politician (b. 1936)
- 2018 – Anna Maria Ferrero, Italian actress (b. 1934)
- 2018 – Ghulam Reza Hasani, Iranian scholar (b. 1927)
- 2018 – Nabukazu Kuriki, Japanese businessman and mountaineer (b. 1982)
- 2018 – Allyn Ann McLerie, American actress, singer, and dancer (b. 1926)
- 2018 – Clint Walker, American actor and singer (b. 1927)
- 2019 – Royce Mills, British stage, television and film actor (b. 1942)
- 2019 – Yavuz Özkan, Turkish director, producer and screenwriter (b. 1942)
- 2020 – Kamrun Nahar Putul, Bangladeshi politician (b. 1955)
- 2020 – Hugo Ryckeboer, Belgian West Flemish dialectologist (b. 1935)
- 2020 – Oliver E. Williamson, American economist and Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1932)
- 2021 – Tahir Salahov, Soviet-Azerbaijani painter (b. 1928)
- 2021 – Klemen Tinal, Indonesian politician (b. 1970)
- 2022 – Marco Cornez, Chilean former football player (b. 1957)
Holidays and special occasions
- International Tea Day
- Circassian Mourning Day
- World Milk Day
- World Day of Cultural Diversity for Dialogue and Development
- Storm: Pleiades Storm
