Box-office #1
The Empire Strikes Back
1980 · dir. Irvin Kershner
Wide US release on May 23, 1980. Goes on to become the highest-grossing film of the year.
On this day
A curious almanac of what happened on February 21 across the years — history, birthdays, the songs that ruled the charts, the films that packed cinemas, and the science that nudged the world forward.
Vladimir Putin recognizes the Luhansk and Donetsk People's Republics as independent states and deploys Russian forces into eastern Ukraine, drawing international condemnation.
History
Thomas, the first known Bishop of Finland, resigns after confessing to torture and forgery.
Prussian nobles and cities unite to form the Prussian Confederation in opposition to the Teutonic Order's increasing taxation and authoritarian rule.
Mikhail I is elected Tsar by a national assembly, establishing the Romanov dynasty in Imperial Russia.
A force of 1,400 French soldiers invades Britain at Fishguard but is defeated by 500 British reservists.
Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels publish "The Communist Manifesto," outlining their communist ideology.
President James Buchanan and Chief Justice Roger B. Taney attend the dedication of the partially completed Washington Monument in Washington D.C.
Gerald Holtom designs the CND symbol for a protest against the Atomic Weapons Research Establishment.
Israeli fighter aircraft shot down a Libyan Arab Airlines flight over the Sinai Desert, killing 108 people.
Aldrich Ames is arrested for selling U.S. secrets to the Soviet Union in Arlington County, Virginia.
Steve Fossett lands in Leader, Saskatchewan, becoming the first person to complete a solo trans-Pacific balloon flight.
Several bombings in Hyderabad leave at least 17 dead and 119 injured.
Vladimir Putin recognizes the Luhansk and Donetsk People's Republics as independent states and deploys Russian forces into eastern Ukraine, drawing international condemnation.
Born today
Canadian ice hockey player
Jake Muzzin, a Canadian former professional ice hockey defenceman who played 12 seasons in the NHL for the Los Angeles Kings and Toronto Maple Leafs, turns 37 today.
Welsh-English sculptor and academic
1860 – 1952
Trinidad-British journalist and activist
1915 – 1964
American film director, producer, and screenwriter
1933 – 2022
German actress, director, and screenwriter
b. 1942 · 84
American journalist and author
b. 1946 · 80
American football player
b. 1983 · 43
Music
🇬🇧 #1 on February 21, 1981
by Adam and the Ants
The dandy highwayman spent five weeks at the top — a brash, glam-pop coronation.
Also #1 on this day
Film & TV
Box-office #1
1980 · dir. Irvin Kershner
Wide US release on May 23, 1980. Goes on to become the highest-grossing film of the year.
February 21, 1995
Steve Fossett lands in Leader, Saskatchewan, becoming the first person to complete a solo trans-Pacific balloon flight.
Read the storyFebruary 21, 1947
Edwin Land demonstrates the first instant camera, the Polaroid Land Camera, to an audience at the Optical Society of America.
Read the storyToday is also
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