May 21 belongs to Neus Molist
Historical events & facts — May 21
What happened on May 21?
On May 21, 1881, American philanthropist Clara Barton founded the American Red Cross, modelled on the international organisation created by Henry Dunant. Barton, who had served as a nurse in the Civil War, was president of the organisation for 22 years. Today the American Red Cross is the largest humanitarian organisation in the US and coordinates more than one million volunteers to respond to emergencies.
On May 21, 1927, aviator Charles Lindbergh landed at 22:22 at Le Bourget airport, Paris, completing the first non-stop solo transatlantic flight. He had taken off from New York the previous day. The waiting crowd broke through the security barriers and pulled him out of the aircraft. The King of Belgium and the President of France received him. Lindbergh was acclaimed as the greatest hero of aviation.
On May 21, 1502, Spanish navigator João da Nova discovered the island of Saint Helena in the South Atlantic — the same island where Napoleon would be exiled 313 years later — during a return voyage from India. The island, a British Overseas Territory, has today only 5,000 inhabitants and is known primarily for having been the place of exile of the French emperor, where he died on May 5, 1821.
Notable birthdays — May 21
Famous people born on May 21
Anatole Litvak
Anatoly Mikhailovich Litvak OBE, commonly known as Anatole Litvak, was a Russian-American filmmaker.
Ara Parseghian
Ara Raoul Parseghian was an American football coach and player who coached the University of Notre Dame to national championships in 1966 and 1973. He is noted for bringing Notre Dame's Fighting Irish football program back from years of futility into national prominence in 1964 and is regarded alongside Knute Rockne and Frank Leahy as a part of the "Holy Trinity" of Notre Dame head coaches.
Leonidas Vasilikopoulos
Leonidas Vasilikopoulos was a Greek Navy officer, who served as Chief of the Hellenic Navy General Staff in 1986–1989 and then as head of the Greek National Intelligence Service in 1993–1996. A distinguished officer, he is also notable for his participation in resistance groups against the Greek military junta of 1967–1974, being repeatedly imprisoned and exiled as a consequence.
John Dalton
John Dalton was an English chemist, physicist, and meteorologist whose work laid the foundations of modern atomic theory and stoichiometric chemistry.
Jonathan Hyde
Jonathan Stephen Geoffrey King, known professionally as Jonathan Hyde, is an Australian actor. He portrayed Herbert Arthur Runcible Cadbury in the comedy film Richie Rich (1994), Samuel Parrish and Van Pelt in the fantasy adventure film Jumanji (1995), J.
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