1622
Politics
Envoy to Luanda, peace negotiations with Portuguese
On 21 December 1622, Nzinga negotiated a peace treaty with the Portuguese in Luanda.
View detailsThis Day
21December
15 indexed achievements across recorded history.
1767
Literature
First published poem: “On Messrs. Hussey and Coffin”
First published poem: “On Messrs. Hussey and Coffin” in Newport Mercury.
View details1853
Activism
Birth of Marie Connolly Owens
Birth of Marie Connolly Owens in Ottawa, Ontario, to Irish immigrant parents.
View details1865
Activism
Birth of Nina Boyle
Nina Boyle was born on December 21, 1865, in Lancaster, England.
View details1866
Science
Birth of Maud Gonne
Edith Maud Gonne was born near Aldershot, England, to an Anglo-Irish family that would shape her lifelong devotion to Ireland.
View details1886
Science
Marriage to William Mackay Low
Juliette Gordon married wealthy Englishman William Mackay Low in Savannah, beginning ties to British society that led her to scouting.
View details1892
Science
Birth of Rebecca West (Cicily Isabel Fairfield)
Born Cicily Isabel Fairfield in London, later known by her pen name Rebecca West, journalist, novelist, and critic.
View details1903
1919
Activism
Self-described first political agitator deported from the United States
Goldman claims to be the first political agitator deported from the U.S., highlighting her case's precedence.
View details1919
Politics
Deportation from the United States on the 'Soviet Ark'
Goldman is deported from the U.S. to Russia aboard the USAT Buford, marking a notable incident in anti-radical measures.
View details1920
Science
Birth of Alicia Alonso in Havana, Cuba
Alicia Ernestina de la Caridad del Cobre Martínez Hoyo was born in Havana, Cuba, on December 21, 1920.
View details1924
Arts
Marriage to Alfred Stieglitz
Marries Alfred Stieglitz in New York, influencing American modernism.
View details1945
Politics
Appointed U.S. delegate to the United Nations
President Harry Truman appoints Eleanor Roosevelt as a U.S. delegate to the United Nations General Assembly, launching her formal diplomatic career.
View details1950
Politics
Death of Hattie Wyatt Caraway
Hattie Caraway died on December 21, 1950, in Virginia, concluding her influential life.
View details1959
Science
Birth of Florence Griffith Joyner
Florence Delorez Griffith was born in Los Angeles, California, the future world-record-holding sprinter known as 'Flo-Jo.'
View details