1529
Politics
Blackfriars trial appearance and speech defending her marriage
Catherine of Aragon delivers a speech defending her marriage's validity at Blackfriars court.
View detailsThis Day
21June
34 indexed achievements across recorded history.
1616
1763
Science
Founding decree of the Smolny Institute for Noble Maidens
Catherine issues the manifesto founding the Smolny Institute, the first state-funded higher education institution for women in Europe.
View details1791
Politics
Flight to Varennes and capture
Attempted escape known as the Flight to Varennes, intercepted and returned to Paris.
View details1836
Science
Death of Agnes Bulmer
Agnes Bulmer died on 21 June 1836, leaving a legacy as a leading Methodist poet and chronicler of early Methodist women's lives.
View details1868
Science
Death of Sarah Mather in New York
Death of inventor Sarah Mather on June 21, 1868 in New York, shortly after securing her second submarine telescope patent.
View details1871
Politics
Created Baroness Burdett-Coutts
Queen Victoria created her Baroness Burdett-Coutts in her own right, the first woman raised to the peerage for philanthropic and public service.
View details1881
Science
Born in Nagaevo, Tula Province, Russia
Natalia Sergeevna Goncharova was born in the village of Nagaevo, Tula Province, Russian Empire, into an aristocratic family.
View details1883
Literature
Birth of Daisy Turner
Daisy Turner was born on June 21, 1883, in Grafton, Vermont.
View details1899
Sports
U.S. women’s singles title
She won the U.S. National Championships women’s singles title in 1899.
View details1902
Sports
U.S. women’s doubles title
Won the U.S. women’s doubles title in 1902 with Juliette Atkinson.
View details1902
Sports
Second U.S. women’s singles title
She won her second U.S. National Championships singles title in 1902.
View details1912
Literature
Birth of Mary McCarthy
Mary McCarthy was born on June 21, 1912, in Seattle, Washington.
View details1913
Arts
Birth of Thelma Hulbert
Thelma Hulbert was born on 21 June 1913 in Sidmouth, Devon, England.
View details1913
Aviation
First woman to parachute from an airplane
On June 21, 1913, Georgia Broadwick became the first woman to jump from an airplane.
View details1914
Arts
Marriage to Baron Otto von Waëtjen
On 21 June 1914, Laurencin married German-born painter Baron Otto von Waëtjen, a union that would soon force her into wartime exile.
View details1914
Activism
Death in Vienna
Bertha von Suttner died in Vienna at age 71, just weeks before the outbreak of World War I, the catastrophe she had spent her life warning against.
View details1914
1914
Aviation
First free-fall jump using a parachute
Georgia Broadwick performed the first free-fall jump using a parachute on June 21, 1914.
View details1928
Arts
Public Debut of Pickford’s Short Bob Haircut
Mary Pickford's new short bob haircut marks a transformation era.
View details1935
Science
Death of Alice Brown Davis
Alice Brown Davis died on June 21, 1935, in Wewoka, Oklahoma, having served as chief of the Seminole Nation until her death.
View details1943
Medicine
Alternate Recorded Date: First Woman to Receive the Soldier's Medal
Encyclopedia.com lists June 21, 1943 as the date Edith Greenwood 'became 1st woman to receive the Soldier's Medal,' differing from other primary sources citing June 10.
View details1947
Activism
Birth of Shirin Ebadi
Shirin Ebadi was born in Hamadan, Iran, and later became a pioneering Iranian lawyer, judge, and human rights advocate.
View details1953
Sports
Birth of Rosie Ruiz
Rosie M. Ruiz was born in Havana, Cuba, beginning her life marked by infamy in sports history.
View details1953
Science
Birth of Benazir Bhutto
Benazir Bhutto was born in Karachi, Pakistan, eldest child of future PM Zulfikar Ali Bhutto and Begum Nusrat Bhutto.
View details1957
Politics
First woman appointed to the federal Cabinet
On June 21, 1957, Fairclough was sworn in as Secretary of State, becoming the first woman ever appointed to the Canadian federal Cabinet.
View details1993
Politics
Appointed Assistant Secretary of Education under Clinton
Heumann was appointed Assistant Secretary for Special Education and Rehabilitative Services, becoming one of the highest-ranking disabled U.S. federal officials.
View details2003
Literature
Publication of *Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix*
The fifth book in the Harry Potter series is published in the UK.
View details2012
Science
Death of Anna Jacobson Schwartz
Anna Jacobson Schwartz died at her Manhattan home on June 21, 2012, at age 96, after more than seven decades at the National Bureau of Economic Research.
View details2012
Science
Death of Anna Jacobson Schwartz
Anna Jacobson Schwartz passed away on June 21, 2012, in New York City.
View details2014
Sports
World records – 1500m and 5000m T54 at USA Track & Field Nationals
Sets world records in women’s 1500m and 5000m T54 at USA Track & Field Nationals on 21 June 2014.
View details2018
Politics
Cyber libel conviction against Maria Ressa
Rappler CEO Maria Ressa was found guilty of cyber libel over a 2012 online article.
View details2021
Literature
Honorary Citizen of Vienna
Granted honorary citizenship of Vienna, recognizing her as a leading Austrian writer.
View details2022
Science
Presentation of European Inventor Award 2022 (Lifetime Achievement)
The European Patent Office honored Karikó with the European Inventor Award 2022 in the Lifetime Achievement category.
View details