December 21st is known as Look On The Bright Side Day & Phileas Fogg Win A Wager Day.
Welcome to day 356 of the year folks, there are just 4 days left until Christmas & 10 days left in 2024.
At some point today, we’ll have exactly one million seconds left of 2024.
From inventions and discoveries and advances in film, TV and space, this day has certainly been an important one in history.
Did you know that on this day in 1968, the first manned Moon voyage, Apollo 8, was launched? It was the first time a human eye ever saw an ‘Earthrise’ as the planet appeared over the Moon’s horizon.
Keep reading for more fun & interesting facts about December 21st in history!
Events
What memorable events happened on December 21 in history? Keep reading to find out!
2020
President-elect Joe Biden received his first dose of the Pfizer Covid-19 vaccine on live television.
2012
Psy’s music video for “Gangnam Style” surpassed one billion views on YouTube, becoming the first video to do so in the website’s history.
2005
Elton John and his partner David Furnish registered their civil partnership at Windsor Town Hall on the first day civil partnerships could legally be performed in England.
1988
Antonov An-255 Mriya, the largest airplane in the world, flew for the first time.
Initially designed by the Soviet Union to transport rockets and shuttles for their space program, this behemoth holds several world records for transporting the heaviest payloads. The Soviet Union made only one Antonov AN-255. After the Soviet Union no longer needed it, it was placed in storage for nearly a decade before being fixed up to fly as a commercial cargo plane in 2001.
1978
John Wayne Gacy was arrested.
Police in Des Plaines, Illinois, arrested John Wayne Gacy after having him under surveillance. While in custody, Gacy claimed to have killed someone in self-defense, which he buried in his garage. Police searched the house and found at least three bodies in the house’s crawl space.
Famous Births
Are you celebrating your birthday today? If so, did you know that you share the same birthday as Samuel L. Jackson? See what other famous people were born on this day.
1948
Samuel L. Jackson
American
Actor
Age:
75 years old
Born In:
Washington D.C., USA
1982
Tom Payne
English
Actor
Age:
41 years old
Born In:
England, UK
Famous Deaths
Unfortunately, December 21st has also been a day where we’ve had to say some goodbyes over the years…
1896
1940
F. Scott Fitzgerald
American
Novelist
1896
1940
F. Scott Fitzgerald
F. Scott Fitzgerald was an American novelist born on September 24, 1896. He died on this day in 1940, at age 44 in Los Angeles, California, USA.
Died On:
Dec 21, 1940 (Age 44)
Died In:
California, USA
Quotes
Of all of the quotes said on this day, these are the most notable ones said on Dec 21st throughout history.
1934
Manners consist in pretending that we think as well of others as of ourselves.
Bertrand Russell
British Mathematician
1855
To be as good as our fathers we must be better. Imitation is not discipleship.
Wendell Phillips
American Advocate
Special Holidays
Looking for a reason to celebrate? Well, here’s a few! These unique holidays are sure to bring some enjoyment to your day.
Phileas Fogg Win A Wager Day
In Jules Verne’s Around the World in Eighty Days, Phileas Fogg makes a wager that he could circumnavigate the globe in his hot air balloon in just 80 days, returning by December 21. The best way to celebrate today is to read the book and learn about Phileas Fogg’s adventure!
Look On The Bright Side Day
Some say the glass is half-full, others day half-empty. What we can learn most from this is that life is all about perspective, so why choose to look at things negatively? Do your best today to look on the bright side, and you’ll be surprised how much happier you’ll feel!
THe Fact Site’s
Fun Fact Of The Day
Lemurs got their name because of their big eyes, which made them look like ghosts at night to explorers. Lemur in Latin means “ghost.”
Birthday & Zodiac
Everyone who was born on December 21st shares the same zodiac sign, Sagittarius.
Sagittarius is represented by the archer and is the ninth sign in the zodiac. Anyone who was born between November 22 and December 21 falls into this astrological sign.
All those who are born in December share the Blue Topaz birthstone. The blue topaz promotes harmony, serenity, tranquility and helps the wearer to overcome pain and hurt.
If you were born on this day, it’s likely that you were conceived on March 30 in the same year.
A baby that is conceived on this day will likely be born around September 13th, 2025.
