21 November on the globe: what happened in the world on this day, and who was born

Judas Maccabeus, son of Mattathias of the Hasmonean family, rededicates the Temple in Jerusalem, an event that is commemorated each year by the festival of Hanukkah. (25 Kislev 3597 in the Hebrew calendar.)

Pope Anterus succeeds Pontian as the nineteenth pope.

Timur of Samarkand captures and sacks the Georgian capital of Tbilisi, taking King Bagrat V of Georgia captive.

Plymouth Colony settlers sign the Mayflower Compact (November 11, O.S.)

The Danish astronomer Ole Rømer presents the first quantitative measurements of the speed of light.

In Paris, Jean-François Pilâtre de Rozier and François Laurent d'Arlandes make the first untethered hot air balloon flight.

North Carolina ratifies the United States Constitution and is admitted as the 12th U.S. state.

Mutineers take control of the Chilean penal colony of Punta Arenas in the Strait of Magellan.

American Civil War: Confederate President Jefferson Davis appoints Judah Benjamin Secretary of War.

Thomas Edison announces his invention of the phonograph, a machine that can record and play sound.

Port Arthur, China, falls to the Japanese, a decisive victory of the First Sino-Japanese War; Japanese troops are accused of massacring the remaining inhabitants.

Claude Monet's paintings shown at Gallery Durand-Ruel in Paris.

The Philadelphia Football Athletics defeat the Kanaweola Athletic Club of Elmira, New York, 39–0, in the first-ever professional American football night game.

Albert Einstein's paper that leads to the mass–energy equivalence formula, E = mc², is published in the journal Annalen der Physik.

Sailors on board Brazil's warships including the Minas Gerais, São Paulo, and Bahia, violently rebel in what is now known as the Revolta da Chibata (Revolt of the Lash).

World War I: Mines from SM U-73 sink HMHS Britannic, the largest ship lost in the war.

A pogrom takes place in Lwów (now Lviv); over three days, at least 50 Jews and 270 Ukrainian Christians are killed by Poles.

The Flag of Estonia, previously used by pro-independence activists, is formally adopted as the national flag of the Republic of Estonia.

The Parliament (Qualification of Women) Act 1918 is passed, allowing women to stand for Parliament in the UK.

Irish War of Independence: On "Bloody Sunday" in Dublin, the Irish Republican Army (IRA) assassinated a group of British Intelligence agents, and British forces killed 14 civilians at a Gaelic football match at Croke Park.

Rebecca Latimer Felton of Georgia takes the oath of office, becoming the first female United States Senator.

Columbine Mine massacre: Striking coal miners are allegedly attacked with machine guns by a detachment of Colorado state police dressed in civilian clothes.

The completion of the Alaska Highway (also known as the Alcan Highway) is celebrated (however, the highway is not usable by standard road vehicles until 1943).

World War II: American submarine USS Sealion sinks the Japanese battleship Kongō and Japanese destroyer Urakaze in the Formosa Strait.

Manzanar, a camp in California for the internment of Japanese Americans during World War II, was closed.

The United Auto Workers strike 92 General Motors plants in 50 cities to back up worker demands for a 30-percent raise.

Two Canadian National Railway trains collide in northeastern British Columbia in the Canoe River train crash; the death toll is 21, with 17 of them Canadian troops bound for Korea.

The Natural History Museum, London announces that the "Piltdown Man" skull, initially believed to be one of the most important fossilized hominid skulls ever found, is a hoax.

People's Action Party, an eventual dominative political party in Singapore, was established.

American disc jockey Alan Freed, who had popularized the term "rock and roll" and music of that style, is fired from WABC radio over allegations he had participated in the payola scandal.

"La Ronde" opens in Honolulu, the first revolving restaurant in the United States.

The Chinese People's Liberation Army declares a unilateral ceasefire in the Sino-Indian War.

Second Vatican Council: The third session of the Roman Catholic Church's ecumenical council closes.

The Verrazzano–Narrows Bridge opens to traffic. At the time it is the world's longest bridge span.

Vietnam War: American General William Westmoreland tells news reporters: "I am absolutely certain that whereas in 1965 the enemy was winning, today he is certainly losing."

The first permanent ARPANET link is established between UCLA and SRI.

U.S. President Richard Nixon and Japanese Premier Eisaku Satō agree on the return of Okinawa to Japanese control in 1972. The U.S. retains rights to bases on the island, but these are to be nuclear-free.

Vietnam War: Operation Ivory Coast: A joint United States Air Force and Army team raids the Sơn Tây prisoner-of-war camp in an attempt to free American prisoners of war thought to be held there.

Indian troops, partly aided by Mukti Bahini (Bengali guerrillas), defeat the Pakistan army in the Battle of Garibpur.

Voters in South Korea overwhelmingly approve a new constitution, giving legitimacy to Park Chung Hee and the Fourth Republic.

The Birmingham pub bombings kill 21 people. The Birmingham Six are sentenced to life in prison for the crime but are later exonerated.

Minister of Internal Affairs Allan Highet announces that the national anthems of New Zealand shall be the traditional anthem "God Save the Queen" and "God Defend New Zealand".

The United States Embassy in Islamabad, Pakistan, is attacked by a mob and set on fire, killing four.

A deadly fire breaks out at the MGM Grand Hotel in Paradise, Nevada (now Bally's Las Vegas). Eighty-five people are killed and more than 650 are injured in the worst disaster in Nevada history.

United States Navy intelligence analyst Jonathan Pollard is arrested for spying after being caught giving Israel classified information on Arab nations. He is subsequently sentenced to life in prison.

National Security Council member Oliver North and his secretary start to shred documents allegedly implicating them in the Iran–Contra affair.

Aeroflot Flight 37577 crashes on approach to Sovetsky Airport, killing 32.

Bangkok Airways Flight 125 crashes on approach to Samui Airport, killing 38.

A major tornado strikes the Houston, Texas area during the afternoon. Over the next two days the largest tornado outbreak ever to occur in the US during November spawns over 100 tornadoes.

The Dayton Agreement is initialed at the Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, near Dayton, Ohio, ending three and a half years of war in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Humberto Vidal explosion: Thirty-three people die when a Humberto Vidal shoe shop in Río Piedras, Puerto Rico explodes.

Finnish satanist Jarno Elg kills a 23-year-old man and performs a ritual-like cutting and eating of body parts in Hyvinkää, Finland.

Arturo Guzmán Decena, founder of Los Zetas and high-member of the Gulf Cartel, is killed in a shoot-out with the Mexican Army and the police.

NATO invites Bulgaria, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Romania, Slovakia and Slovenia to become members.

China Eastern Airlines Flight 5210 crashes after takeoff from Baotou Donghe Airport, killing 55.

Dominica is hit by the most destructive earthquake in its history. The northern half of the island sustains the most damage, especially the town of Portsmouth. In neighboring Guadeloupe, one person is killed.

The Paris Club agrees to write off 80% (up to $100 billion) of Iraq's external debt.

The second round of the Ukrainian presidential election is held, giving rise to massive protests and controversy over the election's integrity.

Anti-Syrian Lebanese politician and government minister Pierre Gemayel is assassinated in suburban Beirut.

A mine explosion in Heilongjiang, China kills 108.

At least 28 are wounded after a bomb is thrown onto a bus in Tel Aviv.

Fifty-four people are killed when the roof of a shopping center collapses in Riga, Latvia.

Massive protests start in Ukraine after President Viktor Yanukovych suspended signing the Ukraine–European Union Association Agreement.

A stampede in Kwekwe, Zimbabwe caused by the police firing tear gas kills at least eleven people and injures 40 others.

The government of Belgium imposes a security lockdown on Brussels, including the closure of shops, schools, and public transportation, due to potential terrorist attacks.

Robert Mugabe formally resigns as President of Zimbabwe, after thirty-seven years in office.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is indicted on charges of bribery, fraud, and breach of trust.

Tesla launches the SUV Cybertruck. A gaffe occurs during the launch event when its "unbreakable" windows shatter during demonstration.

An SUV plows through a Christmas parade in Waukesha, Wisconsin, killing six and injuring 62.

A magnitude 5.6 earthquake on the Indonesian island of Java kills between 335 and 602 people.

Voltaire, French writer and philosopher (died 1778)

Pope Benedict XV (died 1922)

Isaac Bashevis Singer, Polish-American novelist and short story writer, Nobel Prize laureate (died 1991)

Björk, Icelandic singer-songwriter

René Magritte, Belgian painter (died 1967)

Goldie Hawn, American actress, singer, and producer

Friedrich Schleiermacher, German theologian, philosopher, and scholar (died 1834)

Jesús Navas, Spanish footballer

Carly Rae Jepsen, Canadian singer-songwriter and actress

Lewis H. Morgan, American lawyer, anthropologist, and theorist (died 1881)

Victoria, Princess Royal of England (died 1901)

Alexander Berkman, Lithuanian-American activist and author (died 1936)

Mikhail Suslov, Russian soldier, economist, and politician (died 1982)

Vincenzo Iaquinta, Italian footballer

Saúl Ñíguez, Spanish footballer

Michel Suleiman, Lebanese general and politician, 16th President of Lebanon

Christopher Tolkien, English author and academic (died 2020)

Harold Ramis, American actor, director, producer, and screenwriter (died 2014)

Fabian Delph, English footballer

Francisco Tárrega, Spanish guitarist and composer (died 1909)

Jena Malone, American actress and singer

Nicollette Sheridan, English actress

Milka Planinc, Yugoslav politician, 28th Prime Minister of Yugoslavia (died 2010)

Dick Durbin, American lawyer and politician

Almaz Ayana, Ethiopian sprinter

Hussein Kamel of Egypt (died 1917)

Coleman Hawkins, American saxophonist and clarinet player (died 1969)

Cherry Jones, American actress

Lewis Dunk, English footballer

Beryl Bainbridge, English author and screenwriter (died 2010)

Rico Lewis, English footballer

Gustav Radbruch, German lawyer and politician, German Minister of Justice (died 1949)

Ken Block, American race car driver (died 2023)

Jacques Laffite, French race car driver

Isabel May, American actress

Chung Il-kwon, Korean politician, diplomat, and soldier (died 1994)

Natalia Makarova, Russian ballerina, choreographer, and actress

Vangelis Pavlidis, Greek footballer

Henry Hartsfield, American colonel, pilot, and astronaut (died 2014)

Juliet Mills, English-American actress

Hetty Green, American businesswoman and financier (died 1916)

Sigbjørn Obstfelder, Norwegian poet and author (died 1900)

Veljko Kadijević, Croatian general and politician, 5th Federal Secretary of People's Defence (died 2014)

Evgeny Bareev, Russian chess player and coach

Ken Griffey Jr., American baseball player and actor

Jimmi Simpson, American actor

Marilyn French, American author and academic (died 2009)

Marlo Thomas, American actress, producer, and activist

Reo Hatate, Japanese footballer

Harold Nicolson, English author and politician (died 1968)

Eleanor Powell, American actress and dancer (died 1982)

Ingrid Pitt, Polish-English actress (died 2010)

Jonny Magallón, Mexican footballer

Nikki Bella, American wrestler and television personality

Álvaro Bautista, Spanish motorcycle racer

Josiah Bartlett, American physician and politician, 6th Governor of New Hampshire (died 1795)

Olav Duun, Norwegian author and educator (died 1939)

Stan Musial, American baseball player and manager (died 2013)

William Wakefield Baum, American cardinal (died 2015)

Earl Monroe, American basketball player