July 21- History, Events, Births, Deaths Holidays and Observances On This Day
- 356 BC – The Temple of Artemis in Ephesus, one of the Seven Wonders of the World, is destroyed by arson.
- 230 – Pope Pontian succeeds Urban I as the eighteenth pope.
- 285 – Diocletian appoints Maximian as Caesar and co-ruler.
- 365 – The 365 Crete earthquake affects the Greek island of Crete with a maximum Mercalli intensity of XI (Extreme), causing a destructive tsunami that affects the coasts of Libya and Egypt, especially Alexandria. Many thousands were killed.
- 905 – King Berengar I of Italy and a hired Hungarian army defeats the Frankish forces at Verona. King Louis III is captured and blinded for breaking his oath (see 902).
- 1242 – Battle of Taillebourg: Louis IX of France puts an end to the revolt of his vassals Henry III of England and Hugh X of Lusignan.
- 1403 – Battle of Shrewsbury: King Henry IV of England defeats rebels to the north of the county town of Shropshire, England.
- 1545 – The first landing of French troops on the coast of the Isle of Wight during the French invasion of the Isle of Wight.
- 1568 – Eighty Years’ War: Battle of Jemmingen: Fernando Álvarez de Toledo, Duke of Alva defeats Louis of Nassau.
- 1645 – Qing dynasty regent Dorgon issues an edict ordering all Han Chinese men to shave their forehead and braid the rest of their hair into a queue identical to those of the Manchus.
- 1656 – The Raid on Málaga takes place during the Anglo-Spanish War.
- 1718 – The Treaty of Passarowitz between the Ottoman Empire, Austria and the Republic of Venice is signed.
- 1774 – Russo-Turkish War (1768–74): Russia and the Ottoman Empire sign the Treaty of Küçük Kaynarca ending the war.
- 1798 – French campaign in Egypt and Syria: Napoleon’s forces defeat an Ottoman-Mamluk army near Cairo in the Battle of the Pyramids.
- 1831 – Inauguration of Leopold I of Belgium, first king of the Belgians.
- 1861 – American Civil War: First Battle of Bull Run: At Manassas Junction, Virginia, the first major battle of the war begins and ends in a victory for the Confederate army.
- 1865 – In the market square of Springfield, Missouri, Wild Bill Hickok shoots and kills Davis Tutt in what is regarded as the first western showdown.
- 1873 – At Adair, Iowa, Jesse James and the James–Younger Gang pull off the first successful train robbery in the American Old West.
- 1877 – After rioting by Baltimore and Ohio Railroad workers and the deaths of nine rail workers at the hands of the Maryland militia, workers in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, stage a sympathy strike that is met with an assault by the state militia.
- 1904 – Louis Rigolly, a Frenchman, becomes the first man to break the 100 mph (161 km/h) barrier on land. He drove a 15-liter Gobron-Brillié in Ostend, Belgium.
- 1907 – The passenger steamer SS Columbia sinks after colliding with the steam schooner San Pedro off Shelter Cove, California, killing 88 people.
- 1919 – The dirigible Wingfoot Air Express crashes into the Illinois Trust and Savings Building in Chicago, killing 12 people.
- 1925 – Scopes Trial: In Dayton, Tennessee, high school biology teacher John T. Scopes is found guilty of teaching evolution in class and fined $100.
- 1925 – Malcolm Campbell becomes the first man to exceed 150 mph (241 km/h) on land. At Pendine Sands in Wales, he drives Sunbeam 350HP built by Sunbeam at a two-way average speed of 150.33 mph (242 km/h).
- 1944 – World War II: Battle of Guam: American troops land on Guam, starting a battle that will end on August 10.
- 1944 – World War II: Claus von Stauffenberg and fellow conspirators are tortured and executed in Berlin, Germany, for the July 20 plot to assassinate Adolf Hitler.
- 1949 – The United States Senate ratifies the North Atlantic Treaty.
- 1952 – The 7.3 Mw Kern County earthquake strikes Southern California with a maximum Mercalli intensity of XI (Extreme), killing 12 and injuring hundreds.
- 1954 – First Indochina War: The Geneva Conference partitions Vietnam into North Vietnam and South Vietnam.
- 1959 – NS Savannah, the first nuclear-powered cargo-passenger ship, is launched as a showcase for Dwight D. Eisenhower’s “Atoms for Peace” initiative.
- 1959 – Elijah Jerry “Pumpsie” Green becomes the first African-American to play for the Boston Red Sox, the last team to integrate. He came in as a pinch runner for Vic Wertz and stayed in as shortstop in a 2–1 loss to the Chicago White Sox.
- 1960 – Sirimavo Bandaranaike is elected Prime Minister of Sri Lanka, becoming the world’s first female head of government
- 1961 – Mercury program: Mercury-Redstone 4 Mission: Gus Grissom piloting Liberty Bell 7 becomes the second American to go into space (in a suborbital mission).
- 1969 – Apollo program: At 02:56 UTC, astronaut Neil Armstrong becomes the first person to walk on the Moon.
- 1970 – After 11 years of construction, the Aswan High Dam in Egypt is completed.
- 1972 – The Troubles: Bloody Friday: The Provisional IRA detonate 22 bombs in central Belfast, Northern Ireland, United Kingdom in the space of 80 minutes, killing nine and injuring 130.
- 1973 – In Lillehammer, Norway, Mossad agents kill a waiter whom they mistakenly thought was involved in the 1972 Munich Olympics Massacre.
- 1976 – Christopher Ewart-Biggs, the British ambassador to the Republic of Ireland, is assassinated by the Provisional IRA.
- 1977 – The start of the four-day-long Libyan–Egyptian War.
- 1979 – Jay Silverheels, a Mohawk actor, becomes the first Native American to have a star commemorated in the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
- 1983 – The world’s lowest temperature in an inhabited location is recorded at Vostok Station, Antarctica at −89.2 °C (−128.6 °F).
- 1990 – Taiwan’s military police forces mainland Chinese illegal immigrants into sealed holds of a fishing boat Min Ping Yu No. 5540 for repatriation to Fujian, causing 25 people to die from suffocation.
- 1995 – Third Taiwan Strait Crisis: The People’s Liberation Army begins firing missiles into the waters north of Taiwan.
- 2001 – At the conclusion of a fireworks display on Okura Beach in Akashi, Hyōgo, Japan, 11 people are killed and more than 120 are injured when a pedestrian footbridge connecting the beach to JR Asagiri Station becomes overcrowded and people leaving the event fall down in a domino effect.
- 2005 – July 2005 London bombings occur.
- 2008 – Ram Baran Yadav is declared the first president of Nepal.
- 2011 – NASA’s Space Shuttle program ends with the landing of Space Shuttle Atlantis on mission STS-135 at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center.
- 2012 – Erden Eruç completes the first solo human-powered circumnavigation of the world.
Births on July 21
- 541 – Emperor Wen of Sui, emperor of the Sui Dynasty (d. 604)
- 1030 – Kyansittha, King of Burma (d. 1112)
- 1414 – Pope Sixtus IV (d. 1484)
- 1462 – Queen Jeonghyeon, Korean royal consort (d. 1530)
- 1476 – Alfonso I d’Este, Duke of Ferrara (d. 1534)
- 1476 – Anna Sforza, Italian noble (d. 1497)
- 1515 – Philip Neri, Italian Roman Catholic saint (d. 1595)
- 1535 – García Hurtado de Mendoza, 5th Marquis of Cañete, Royal Governor of Chile (d. 1609)
- 1616 – Anna de’ Medici, Archduchess of Austria (d. 1676)
- 1620 – Jean Picard, French astronomer (d. 1682)
- 1648 – John Graham, 1st Viscount Dundee, Scottish general (d. 1689)
- 1654 – Pedro Calungsod, Filipino catechist and sacristan; later canonized (d. 1672)
- 1664 – Matthew Prior, English poet and diplomat, British Ambassador to France (d. 1721)
- 1693 – Thomas Pelham-Holles, 1st Duke of Newcastle, English politician, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom (d. 1768)
- 1710 – Paul Möhring, German physician, botanist, and zoologist (d. 1792)
- 1783 – Charles Tristan, marquis de Montholon, French general (d. 1853)
- 1808 – Simion Bărnuțiu, Romanian historian, academic, and politician (d. 1864)
- 1810 – Henri Victor Regnault, French chemist and physicist (d. 1878)
- 1811 – Robert Mackenzie, Scottish-Australian politician, 3rd Premier of Queensland (d. 1873)
- 1816 – Paul Reuter, German-English journalist, founded Reuters (d. 1899)
- 1858 – Maria Christina of Austria (d. 1929)
- 1858 – Lovis Corinth, German painter (d. 1925)
- 1858 – Alfred Henry O’Keeffe, New Zealand painter and educator (d. 1941)
- 1863 – C. Aubrey Smith, English-American cricketer and actor (d. 1948)
- 1866 – Carlos Schwabe, Swiss Symbolist painter and printmaker (d. 1926)
- 1870 – Emil Orlík, Czech painter, etcher, and lithographer (d. 1932)
- 1875 – Charles Gondouin, French rugby player and tug of war competitor (d. 1947)
- 1880 – Milan Rastislav Štefánik, Slovak astronomer, general, and politician (d. 1919)
- 1882 – David Burliuk, Ukrainian author and illustrator (d. 1967)
- 1885 – Jacques Feyder, Belgian actor, director, and screenwriter (d. 1948)
- 1891 – Julius Saaristo, Finnish javelin thrower and soldier (d. 1969)
- 1893 – Hans Fallada, German author (d. 1947)
- 1896 – Sophie Bledsoe Aberle, Native American anthropologist, physician and nutritionist (d. 1996)
- 1898 – Sara Carter, American singer-songwriter (d. 1979)
- 1899 – Hart Crane, American poet (d. 1932)
- 1899 – Ernest Hemingway, American novelist, short story writer, and journalist, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1961)
- 1900 – Isadora Bennett, American theatre manager and modern dance publicity agent (d. 1980)
- 1903 – Russell Lee, American photographer and journalist (d. 1986)
- 1903 – Roy Neuberger, American businessman and financier, co-founded Neuberger Berman (d. 2010)
- 1908 – Jug McSpaden, American golfer and architect (d. 1996)
- 1911 – Marshall McLuhan, Canadian author and theorist (d. 1980)
- 1911 – Umashankar Joshi, Indian author, poet, and scholar (d. 1988)
- 1914 – Aleksander Kreek, Estonian shot putter and discus thrower (d. 1977)
- 1917 – Alan B. Gold, Canadian lawyer and jurist (d. 2005)
- 1920 – Constant Nieuwenhuys, Dutch painter, sculptor, and illustrator (d. 2005)
- 1920 – Isaac Stern, Polish violinist and conductor (d. 2001)
- 1920 – Jean Daniel, Algerian-French-Jewish journalist and author (d. 2020)
- 1921 – James Cooke Brown, American sociologist and author (d. 2000)
- 1921 – John Horsley, English actor (d. 2014)
- 1921 – Vusamazulu Credo Mutwa, Zulu sangoma (d. 2020)
- 1922 – Kay Starr, American singer (d. 2016)
- 1922 – Mollie Sugden, English actress (d. 2009)
- 1923 – Rudolph A. Marcus, Canadian-American chemist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate
- 1923 – Queenie Watts, English actress and singer (d. 1980)
- 1924 – Rahimuddin Khan, Pakistani general and politician, 7th Governor of Balochistan
- 1924 – Don Knotts, American actor and screenwriter (d. 2006)
- 1926 – Paul Burke, American actor (d. 2009)
- 1925 – Johnny Peirson, Canadian hockey player
- 1926 – Norman Jewison, Canadian actor, director, and producer
- 1926 – Bill Pertwee, English actor (d. 2013)
- 1926 – Karel Reisz, Czech-English director and producer (d. 2002)
- 1928 – Sky Low Low, Canadian wrestler (d. 1998)
- 1929 – Bob Orton, American wrestler (d. 2006)
- 1930 – Anand Bakshi, Indian poet and songwriter (d. 2002)
- 1930 – Helen Merrill, American singer
- 1931 – Sonny Clark, American pianist and composer (d. 1963)
- 1931 – Plas Johnson, American saxophonist
- 1931 – Leon Schidlowsky, Chilean-Israeli painter and composer
- 1932 – Kaye Stevens, American singer and actress (d. 2011)
- 1933 – John Gardner, American novelist, essayist, and critic (d. 1982)
- 1934 – Chandu Borde, Indian cricketer and manager
- 1934 – Jonathan Miller, English actor, director, and author (d. 2019)
- 1935 – Norbert Blüm, German businessman and politician
- 1935 – Moe Drabowsky, Polish-American baseball player and coach (d. 2006)
- 1937 – Eduard Streltsov, Soviet footballer (d. 1990)
- 1938 – Les Aspin, American captain and politician, 18th United States Secretary of Defense (d. 1995)
- 1938 – Anton Kuerti, Austrian-Canadian pianist, composer, and conductor
- 1938 – Janet Reno, American lawyer and politician, 79th United States Attorney General (d. 2016)
- 1939 – Jamey Aebersold, American saxophonist and educator
- 1939 – Kim Fowley, American singer-songwriter, producer, and manager (d. 2015)
- 1939 – John Negroponte, English-American diplomat, 23rd United States Ambassador to the United Nations
- 1943 – Fritz Glatz, Austrian race car driver (d. 2002)
- 1943 – Edward Herrmann, American actor (d. 2014)
- 1943 – Henry McCullough, Northern Irish guitarist, singer and songwriter (d. 2016)
- 1944 – John Atta Mills, Ghanaian lawyer and politician, 3rd President of Ghana (d. 2012)
- 1944 – Buchi Emecheta, Nigerian author and academic (d. 2017)
- 1944 – Paul Wellstone, American academic and politician (d. 2002)
- 1945 – Wendy Cope, English poet, critic, and educator
- 1945 – Geoff Dymock, Australian cricketer
- 1945 – Barry Richards, South African cricketer
- 1946 – Ken Starr, American lawyer and judge, 39th Solicitor General of the United States
- 1946 – Timothy Harris, American author, screenwriter and producer
- 1947 – Chetan Chauhan, Indian cricketer and politician
- 1948 – Art Hindle, Canadian actor and director
- 1948 – Cat Stevens (Yusuf Islam), English singer-songwriter and guitarist
- 1948 – Garry Trudeau, American cartoonist
- 1949 – Christina Hart, American playwright and actress
- 1949 – Hirini Melbourne, New Zealand singer-songwriter and poet (d. 2003)
- 1950 – Ubaldo Fillol, Argentinian footballer and coach
- 1950 – Susan Kramer, Baroness Kramer, English politician, Minister of State for Transport
- 1951 – Richard Gozney, English politician and diplomat, 30th Lieutenant Governor of the Isle of Man, 139th Governor of Bermuda
- 1951 – Robin Williams, American actor, singer, and producer (d. 2014)
- 1952 – John Barrasso, American physician and politician
- 1952 – Ahmad Husni Hanadzlah, Malaysian economist
- 1953 – Eric Bazilian, American singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, arranger, and producer (The Hooters)
- 1953 – Jeff Fatt, Australian keyboard player and actor
- 1953 – Bernie Fraser, New Zealand rugby player
- 1953 – Brian Talbot, English footballer and manager
- 1955 – Howie Epstein, American bass player, songwriter, and producer (d. 2003)
- 1955 – Dannel Malloy, American lawyer and politician, 88th Governor of Connecticut
- 1955 – Henry Priestman, English singer-songwriter, keyboard player, and producer
- 1955 – Taco, Indonesian-born Dutch singer and entertainer
- 1955 – Béla Tarr, Hungarian director, producer, and screenwriter
- 1956 – Michael Connelly, American author
- 1957 – Stefan Löfven, Swedish trade union leader and politician, 33rd Prime Minister of Sweden
- 1957 – Jon Lovitz, American comedian, actor, and producer
- 1958 – Dave Henderson, American baseball player and sportscaster (d. 2015)
- 1959 – Gene Miles, Australian rugby league player and sportscaster
- 1959 – Reha Muhtar, Turkish journalist
- 1959 – Paul Vautin, Australian rugby league player, coach, and sportscaster
- 1960 – Amar Singh Chamkila, Indian singer-songwriter (d. 1988)
- 1960 – Veselin Matić, Serbian basketball player and coach
- 1960 – Fritz Walter, German footballer
- 1961 – Morris Iemma, Australian politician, 40th Premier of New South Wales
- 1961 – Jim Martin, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
- 1962 – Victor Adebowale, Baron Adebowale, English businessman
- 1963 – Kevin Poole, English footballer and manager
- 1963 – Giant Silva, Brazilian basketball player, mixed martial artist, and wrestler
- 1964 – Steve Collins, Irish boxer and actor
- 1964 – Ross Kemp, English actor and producer
- 1964 – Jens Weißflog, German ski jumper and journalist
- 1965 – Guðni Bergsson, Icelandic footballer and lawyer
- 1965 – Mike Bordick, American baseball player, coach, and sportscaster
- 1966 – Arija Bareikis, American actress
- 1966 – Sarah Waters, Welsh author and academic
- 1968 – Brandi Chastain, American soccer player and sportscaster
- 1968 – Aditya Srivastava, Indian actor
- 1968 – Lyle Odelein, Canadian ice hockey player
- 1969 – Godfrey, American comedian and actor
- 1969 – Klaus Graf, German race car driver
- 1969 – Emerson Hart, American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer
- 1969 – Isabell Werth, German equestrian
- 1970 – Michael Fitzpatrick, American singer-songwriter
- 1971 – Emmanuel Bangué, French long jumper
- 1971 – Charlotte Gainsbourg, English-French actress and singer
- 1971 – Nitzan Shirazi, Israeli footballer and manager (d. 2014)
- 1972 – Korey Cooper, American singer and guitarist
- 1972 – Catherine Ndereba, Kenyan marathon runner
- 1974 – Geoff Jenkins, American baseball player and coach
- 1974 – René Reinumägi, Estonian actor, director, and screenwriter
- 1975 – Christopher Barzak, American author and educator
- 1975 – Cara Dillon, Irish singer-songwriter
- 1975 – Ravindra Pushpakumara, Sri Lankan cricketer
- 1975 – Mike Sellers, American football player
- 1976 – Jaime Murray, English actress
- 1977 – Paul Casey, English golfer
- 1978 – Justin Bartha, American actor
- 1978 – Anderson da Silva Gibin, Brazilian footballer
- 1978 – Josh Hartnett, American actor
- 1978 – Julian Huppert, English academic and politician
- 1978 – Damian Marley, Jamaican singer-songwriter and producer
- 1978 – Gary Teale, Scottish footballer
- 1979 – David Carr, American football player
- 1979 – Tamika Catchings, American basketball player
- 1979 – Luis Ernesto Michel, Mexican footballer
- 1979 – Andriy Voronin, Ukrainian footballer
- 1980 – Justin Griffith, American football player
- 1980 – Sandra Laoura, French skier
- 1980 – CC Sabathia, American baseball player
- 1980 – Yvonne Sampson, Australian journalist and sportscaster
- 1981 – Paloma Faith, English singer-songwriter and actress
- 1981 – Anabelle Langlois, Canadian figure skater
- 1981 – Joaquín, Spanish footballer
- 1981 – Romeo Santos, American singer-songwriter
- 1981 – Stefan Schumacher, German cyclist
- 1982 – Jason Cram, Australian swimmer
- 1982 – Mao Kobayashi, Japanese newscaster and actress (d. 2017)
- 1984 – Jurrick Juliana, Dutch footballer
- 1984 – Liam Ridgewell, English footballer
- 1985 – Mati Lember, Estonian footballer
- 1985 – Von Wafer, American basketball player
- 1986 – Anthony Annan, Ghanaian footballer
- 1986 – Rebecca Ferguson, American-English singer-songwriter
- 1986 – Jason Thompson, American basketball player
- 1987 – Bilel Mohsni, French footballer
- 1987 – Jesús Zavala, Mexican footballer
- 1988 – KB, American rapper
- 1988 – DeAndre Jordan, American basketball player
- 1988 – Chris Mitchell, Scottish footballer (d. 2016)
- 1989 – Marco Fabián, Mexican footballer
- 1989 – Juno Temple, English actress
- 1990 – Chris Martin, English footballer
- 1990 – Jason Roy, English cricketer
- 1990 – Erislandy Savón, Cuban amateur heavyweight boxer
- 1990 – Franck Elemba, Congolese athlete
- 1991 – Sara Sampaio, Portuguese model
- 1992 – Rachael Flatt, American figure skater
- 1996 – Mikael Ingebrigtsen, Norwegian footballer
- 1998 – Thomas Preining, Austrian racing driver
Deaths on July 21
- 658 – K’an II, Mayan ruler (b. 588)
- 710 – Li Guo’er, princess of the Tang dynasty
- 710 – Wei, empress of the Tang Dynasty
- 710 – Shangguan Wan’er, Chinese poet (b. 664)
- 987 – Geoffrey I, Count of Anjou
- 1259 – Gojong of Goryeo
- 1403 – Henry Percy, English soldier (b. 1364)
- 1403 – Sir Walter Blount, English soldier, standard-bearer of Henry IV
- 1403 – Edmund Stafford, 5th Earl of Stafford, English soldier
- 1425 – Manuel II Palaiologos, Byzantine emperor (b. 1350)
- 1552 – Antonio de Mendoza, Spanish politician, 1st Viceroy of New Spain (b. 1495)
- 1688 – James Butler, 1st Duke of Ormonde, English soldier and politician, Lord Lieutenant of Ireland (b. 1610)
- 1793 – Antoine Bruni d’Entrecasteaux, French admiral, explorer, and politician (b. 1739)
- 1796 – Robert Burns, Scottish poet and songwriter (b. 1759)
- 1798 – François Sébastien Charles Joseph de Croix, Count of Clerfayt, Austrian field marshal (b. 1733)
- 1798 – Anthony Perry, Irish rebel leader (b. ca. 1760)
- 1868 – William Bland, Australian surgeon and politician (b. 1789)
- 1878 – Sam Bass, American outlaw (b. 1851)
- 1880 – Hiram Walden, American general and politician (b. 1800)
- 1889 – Nelson Dewey, American lawyer and politician, 1st Governor of Wisconsin (b. 1813)
- 1899 – Robert G. Ingersoll, American soldier, lawyer, and politician (b. 1833)
- 1920 – Fiammetta Wilson, English astronomer and educator (b. 1864)
- 1932 – Bill Gleason, American baseball player (b. 1858)
- 1934 – Hubert Lyautey, French general and politician, French Minister of Defence (b. 1854)
- 1938 – Owen Wister, American lawyer and author (b. 1860)
- 1941 – Bohdan Lepky, Ukrainian poet and scholar (b. 1872)
- 1943 – Charley Paddock, American runner and actor (b. 1900)
- 1943 – Louis Vauxcelles, French Jewish art critic (b. 1870)
- 1944 – Claus von Stauffenberg, German soldier (b. 1907)
- 1946 – Gualberto Villarroel, Bolivian soldier and politician, 45th President of Bolivia (b. 1908)
- 1948 – Arshile Gorky, Armenian-American painter and illustrator (b. 1904)
- 1952 – Pedro Lascuráin, Mexican politician, president for 45 minutes on February 13, 1913. (b. 1856)
- 1966 – Philipp Frank, Austrian-American physicist, mathematician, and philosopher, Vienna Circle member (b. 1884)
- 1967 – Jimmie Foxx, American baseball player, coach, and manager (b. 1907)
- 1967 – Albert Lutuli, South African academic and politician, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1898)
- 1967 – Basil Rathbone, South African-American actor and singer (b. 1892)
- 1968 – Ruth St. Denis, American dancer and choreographer (b. 1878)
- 1970 – Mikhail Mikhaylovich Gerasimov, Russian anthropologist and sculptor (b. 1907)
- 1970 – Bob Kalsu, American football player and lieutenant (b. 1945)
- 1972 – Ralph Craig, American sprinter and sailor (b. 1889)
- 1972 – Jigme Dorji Wangchuck, Bhutanese king (b. 1928)
- 1977 – Lee Miller, American model and photographer (b. 1907)
- 1982 – Dave Garroway, American journalist and actor (b. 1913)
- 1991 – Paul Warwick, English race car driver (b. 1969)
- 1994 – Marijac, French author and illustrator (b. 1908)
- 1997 – Olaf Kopvillem, Estonian-Canadian conductor and composer (b. 1926)
- 1998 – Alan Shepard, American admiral, pilot, and astronaut (b. 1923)
- 1998 – Robert Young, American actor and singer (b. 1907)
- 2000 – Marc Reisner, American environmentalist and author (b. 1948)
- 2002 – Esphyr Slobodkina, Russian-American author and illustrator (b. 1908)
- 2003 – John Davies, English-New Zealand runner and coach (b. 1938)
- 2004 – Jerry Goldsmith, American composer and conductor (b. 1929)
- 2004 – Edward B. Lewis, American geneticist and biologist, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1918)
- 2005 – Long John Baldry, English-Canadian singer and actor (b. 1941)
- 2005 – Lord Alfred Hayes, English-American wrestler and manager (b. 1928)
- 2006 – Mako Iwamatsu, Japanese-American actor and singer (b. 1933)
- 2006 – Ta Mok, Cambodian soldier and monk (b. 1926)
- 2007 – Dubravko Škiljan, Croatian linguist and academic (b. 1949)
- 2008 – Donald Stokes, English businessman (b. 1914)
- 2010 – Luis Corvalán, Chilean educator and politician (b. 1916)
- 2010 – Ralph Houk, American baseball player, coach, and manager (b. 1919)
- 2010 – John E. Irving, Canadian businessman (b. 1932)
- 2012 – Alexander Cockburn, Scottish-American journalist and author (b. 1941)
- 2012 – Marie Kruckel, American baseball player (b. 1924)
- 2012 – Ali Podrimja, Albanian poet and author (b. 1942)
- 2012 – James D. Ramage, American admiral and pilot (b. 1916)
- 2012 – Angharad Rees, English-born Welsh actress (b. 1944)
- 2012 – Don Wilson, English cricketer and coach (b. 1937)
- 2013 – Andrea Antonelli, Italian motorcycle racer (b. 1988)
- 2013 – Lourembam Brojeshori Devi, Indian martial artist (b. 1981)
- 2013 – Det de Beus, Dutch field hockey player (b. 1958)
- 2013 – Luis Fernando Rizo-Salom, Colombian-French composer and educator (b. 1971)
- 2013 – Fred Taylor, American football player and coach (b. 1920)
- 2014 – Louise Abeita, Isleta Pueblo (Native American) writer, poet, and educator (b. 1926)
- 2014 – Dan Borislow, American businessman, invented the magicJack (b. 1961)
- 2014 – Lettice Curtis, English engineer and pilot (b. 1915)
- 2014 – Hans-Peter Kaul, German lawyer and judge (b. 1943)
- 2014 – Rilwanu Lukman, Nigerian engineer and politician (b. 1938)
- 2014 – Kevin Skinner, New Zealand rugby player and boxer (b. 1927)
- 2015 – Robert Broberg, Swedish singer-songwriter (b. 1940)
- 2015 – E. L. Doctorow, American novelist, short story writer, and playwright (b. 1931)
- 2015 – Nicholas Gonzalez, American physician (b. 1947)
- 2015 – Czesław Marchaj, Polish-English sailor and academic (b. 1918)
- 2015 – Dick Nanninga, Dutch footballer (b. 1949)
- 2016 – Dennis Green, American football player and coach (b. 1949)
- 2017 – John Heard, American film and television actor (b. 1946)
- 2018 – Alene Duerk, U.S. Navy first female admiral (b. 1920)
Holidays and observances on July 21
- Christian feast day:
- Albert John Luthuli (Episcopal Church)
- Arbogast
- Barhadbesciabas
- Carlos of Brazil (Brazilian Catholic Apostolic Church)
- Daniel (Catholic Church)
- Lawrence of Brindisi
- Praxedes
- Victor of Marseilles
- July 21 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
- Liberation Day in 1944 (Guam)
- Belgian National Day (Belgium)
- Racial Harmony Day (Singapore)
- Summer Kazanskaya (Russia)
