2021 Timeline: Events, People and History

Events in 2021 78

1916 – 2021 Beverly Cleary (1916-2021) Died 25 March 2021, aged 104 American children's author who created Ramona Quimby and Henry Huggins, selling over ninety million books.
1921 – 2021 Prince Philip (1921-2021) Died 9 April 2021, aged 99 Duke of Edinburgh and consort to Queen Elizabeth II for seventy-three years, the longest-serving in British history.
1926 – 2021 Cloris Leachman (1926-2021) Died 27 January 2021, aged 94 American actress who won eight Emmy Awards and an Oscar for The Last Picture Show.
1926 – 2021 Jane Withers (1926-2021) American child star of the 1930s, later Josephine the Plumber in TV commercials.
1929 – 2021 Christopher Plummer (1929-2021) Died 5 February 2021, aged 91 Canadian actor of a seventy-year career, from The Sound of Music to an Academy Award at eighty-two for Beginners.
1929 – 2021 Ed Asner (1929-2021) Died 29 August 2021, aged 91 American actor whose Lou Grant won seven Emmy Awards across a comedy and a drama.
1929 – 2021 Eric Carle (1929-2021) Died 23 May 2021, aged 91 American author and illustrator of The Very Hungry Caterpillar, which has sold more than fifty million copies.
1929 – 2021 Jane Powell (1929-2021) American singer and actress, a star of MGM musicals, including Seven Brides for Seven Brothers.
1930 – 2021 Stephen Sondheim (1930-2021) Died 26 November 2021, aged 91 American composer and lyricist whose Sweeney Todd, Company and Into the Woods remade the American musical.
1930 – 2021 Michael Collins (1930-2021) Died 28 April 2021, aged 90 American astronaut who piloted the Apollo 11 command module alone in lunar orbit while Armstrong and Aldrin walked on the Moon.
1931 – 2021 Desmond Tutu (1931-2021) Died 26 December 2021, aged 90 South African archbishop and Nobel Peace Prize laureate who led the moral campaign against apartheid and chaired the Truth and Reconciliation Commission.
1932 – 2021 Donald Rumsfeld (1932-2021) Died 29 June 2021, aged 88 American politician who served twice as United States secretary of defense and was a principal architect of the Iraq War.
1932 – 2021 Roh Tae-woo (1932-2021) Died 26 October 2021, aged 88 South Korean general and president from 1988 to 1993 who oversaw the country's transition to democracy.
1933 – 2021 Jean-Paul Belmondo (1933-2021) Died 6 September 2021, aged 88 French actor whose Breathless made him the face of the New Wave and who became France's biggest box-office star.
1933 – 2021 Larry King (1933-2021) Died 23 January 2021, aged 87 American broadcaster whose interview programme ran for twenty-five years on CNN.
1934 – 2021 Joan Didion (1934-2021) Died 23 December 2021, aged 87 American essayist and novelist whose Slouching Towards Bethlehem and The Year of Magical Thinking set the standard for the personal essay.
1934 – 2021 Lee Elder (1934-2021) Died 28 November 2021, aged 87 American golfer who in 1975 became the first Black player to compete in the Masters.
1934 – 2021 Elgin Baylor Rabbit Lakers legend known for his acrobatic scoring; an 11-time All-Star.
1936 – 2021 Dean Stockwell (1936-2021) American actor with a career of seven decades, from child star to Blue Velvet, Quantum Leap and Battlestar Galactica.
1936 – 2021 Frederik Willem de Klerk (1936-2021) Died 11 November 2021, aged 85 South African president who released Nelson Mandela and dismantled apartheid, sharing the 1993 Nobel Peace Prize with him.
1937 – 2021 Colin Powell (1937-2021) Died 18 October 2021, aged 84 American general and diplomat, the first Black chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and the first Black secretary of state.
1938 – 2021 Bernard Madoff (1938-2021) Died 14 April 2021, aged 82 American financier who ran the largest Ponzi scheme in history, defrauding investors of some $65 billion.
1941 – 2021 Anne Rice (1941-2021) Died 11 December 2021, aged 80 American novelist whose Interview with the Vampire revived vampire fiction and sold in the tens of millions.
1941 – 2021 Chick Corea (1941-2021) Died 9 February 2021, aged 79 American pianist and composer, a founder of jazz fusion who won twenty-three Grammy Awards.
1941 – 2021 Charlie Watts The Rolling Stones' drummer for 58 years Charlie Watts (June 2, 1941 – August 24, 2021) was the drummer and a co-founder of the Rolling Stones. Known for his understated jazz-influenced style, he was the heartbeat of the band for 58 years. He died peacefully in London on August 24, 2021, aged 80.
1942 – 2021 Carlos Reutemann (1942-2021) Died 7 July 2021, aged 79 Argentine Formula One driver and later governor of Santa Fe province.
1951 – 2021 Rush Limbaugh (1951-2021) Died 17 February 2021, aged 70 American broadcaster whose programme reshaped talk radio and American conservative politics.
1952 – 2021 bell hooks (1952-2021) Died 15 December 2021, aged 69 American writer and academic whose work on race, gender and class shaped a generation of feminist thought.
1959 – 2021 Norm Macdonald (1959-2021) Died 14 September 2021, aged 61 Canadian comedian whose Weekend Update on Saturday Night Live and unhurried, deadpan stand-up made him a comedian's comedian.
1968 – 2021 Jovenel Moise (1968-2021) Died 7 July 2021, aged 53 President of Haiti from 2017 until his assassination by a commando unit at his home in Port-au-Prince.
1970 – 2021 DMX (1970-2021) Died 9 April 2021, aged 50 American rapper whose first five albums each debuted at number one, a feat no other artist has matched.
1976 – 2021 Peyton Manning Five-time NFL MVP and two-time Super Bowl champion quarterback Peyton Manning is widely regarded as one of the greatest quarterbacks in National Football League history, spending 18 seasons with the Indianapolis Colts and Denver Broncos. He won five NFL Most Valuable Player awards, a record matched by no other player, and led his teams to victory in two Super Bowls (XLI and 50). Known for his exceptional command of the game at the line of scrimmage, obsessive preparation, and record-setting passing statistics, Manning redefined the quarterback position before retiring in 2016 and being inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2021.
2020 – 2021 Return to the playoffs Under Thibodeau, the Knicks make the playoffs for the first time since 2013.
2021 CODA Best Picture — 94th Academy Awards Sian Heder's film about the hearing daughter of a Deaf fishing family, the first Best Picture from a streaming service.
2021 Jalen Brunson pursued; cap-clearing moves begin The front office, led by president Leon Rose, begins a series of contract and trade maneuvers aimed at clearing space to sign Jalen Brunson.
2021 – present Rivian Electric adventure vehicle manufacturer Rivian focused on electric pickup trucks and SUVs designed for outdoor and adventure use. The company became an important competitor in the expanding EV market.
2021 US Capitol stormed Trump supporters attack Congress Supporters of President Trump stormed the US Capitol on January 6, 2021, attempting to disrupt the certification of Joe Biden's electoral victory. Five people died.
2021 Joe Biden inaugurated as president A ceremony held behind fencing and troops Joe Biden was inaugurated on 20 January 2021 amid extraordinary security following the Capitol attack. Kamala Harris became the first woman, first Black person and first person of South Asian descent to serve as vice president.
2021 Myanmar military seizes power Aung San Suu Kyi detained hours before parliament convened Myanmar's military seized power on 1 February 2021, detaining Aung San Suu Kyi and other elected leaders hours before the new parliament was due to sit. Mass protests and a violent crackdown followed.
2021 Perseverance lands on Mars Most sophisticated Mars rover arrives NASA's Perseverance rover successfully landed in Jezero Crater on Mars on February 18, 2021. It carried the Ingenuity helicopter, which made the first powered flight on another planet.
2021 Iditarod 2021 Winner: Dallas Seavey — 7 days 14h (record) Dallas Seavey won his fifth Iditarod, tying Rick Swenson's all-time record, and shattered the course record with a time of 7 days 14 hours — nearly a full day faster than the previous record.
2021 NFT art sells for $69 million Beeple's digital art at Christie's Digital artist Beeple sold an NFT of his artwork "Everydays: The First 5000 Days" at Christie's for $69.3 million on March 11, 2021, triggering a global NFT frenzy.
2021 Star Trek: Picard — Season 2 Picard and Q return for a time-travel season set largely in 2024 Los Angeles. The season is troubled in production and uneven in execution — Q's farewell is deeply moving; much of the rest is not. Annie Wersching plays the Borg Queen.
2021 Ever Given blocks the Suez Canal Six days of stopped global trade The container ship Ever Given ran aground in the Suez Canal on 23 March 2021, blocking it for six days and halting an estimated $9 billion a day in global trade.
2021 – present Volodymyr Zelensky Ukrainian president during Russian invasion Volodymyr Zelensky, a former comedian and actor, became President of Ukraine in 2019 and emerged as a global symbol of resistance following Russia's invasion in February 2022.
2021 2021 World Snooker Championship Mark Selby Title 4 Winner: Mark Selby; Runner-up: Shaun Murphy. Score: 18–15.
2021 Derek Chauvin convicted of murdering George Floyd Guilty on all three counts Derek Chauvin was convicted on 20 April 2021 of murdering George Floyd, whose death the previous May triggered the largest protests in United States history. He was later sentenced to 22 and a half years.
2021 United States begins its withdrawal from Afghanistan A twenty-year war brought to a close The United States began withdrawing its remaining forces from Afghanistan on 1 May 2021, ending the longest war in American history.
2021 Colonial Pipeline shut down by ransomware Fuel shortages across the American east coast A ransomware attack forced Colonial Pipeline to shut its fuel network on 7 May 2021, causing shortages and panic buying across the eastern United States and drawing attention to critical infrastructure security.
2021 Israel and Hamas fight an eleven-day war in Gaza Some 260 killed before an Egyptian-brokered ceasefire Fighting broke out between Israel and Hamas on 10 May 2021 following clashes in Jerusalem, lasting eleven days and killing around 260 people before Egypt brokered a ceasefire.
2021 Måneskin Eurovision Win Zitti e Buoni The rock band that brought Italy back to the top of the global music charts after winning Eurovision.
2021 Surfside condominium collapses in Florida Ninety-eight killed in a partial building failure The Champlain Towers South condominium in Surfside, Florida, partially collapsed on 24 June 2021, killing 98 people in one of the deadliest structural failures in United States history.
2021 Pacific Northwest heat dome breaks records Lytton reaches 49.6C, then burns down An extreme heat dome settled over the Pacific Northwest in late June 2021. Lytton, British Columbia, reached 49.6C, a Canadian record, and was destroyed by fire the following day. Hundreds died across the region.
2021 Wimbledon 2021 Men: Novak Djokovic · Women: Ashleigh Barty Wimbledon returned after COVID cancellation in 2020. Djokovic won his 6th title. Barty claimed her first Wimbledon.
2021 Black Widow #3 film of 2021 — $379m worldwide Directed by Cate Shortland, starring Scarlett Johansson. Natasha Romanoff confronts the darker parts of her ledger when a dangerous conspiracy arises.
2021 Richard Branson and Jeff Bezos reach the edge of space Two crewed suborbital flights nine days apart Richard Branson flew aboard Virgin Galactic on 11 July 2021 and Jeff Bezos aboard Blue Origin's New Shepard on 20 July, opening the era of billionaire-funded suborbital tourism.
2021 Catastrophic floods hit Germany and Belgium More than 240 killed in a single night of rain Extreme rainfall caused flash flooding across western Germany and Belgium on 14 July 2021, killing more than 240 people in Europe's deadliest flood disaster in decades.
2021 Pegasus spyware investigation published Journalists and heads of state found among the targets An international consortium of newsrooms published the Pegasus Project on 18 July 2021, revealing that NSO Group's spyware had been used against journalists, activists and heads of state.
2021 2020 Summer Olympics XXXII Olympiad - Tokyo Postponed by one year due to COVID-19. Winner: USA.
2021 US Open 2021 Men: Daniil Medvedev · Women: Emma Raducanu Emma Raducanu, 18 and ranked 150th, won without losing a set — an unprecedented achievement in Grand Slam history.
2021 Star Trek: Discovery — Season 4 The fourth season of Discovery faces a galaxy-threatening anomaly and continues to refine the show's 32nd-century identity. Critical reception is mixed but the show commands a devoted audience.
2021 Taliban retakes Afghanistan Kabul falls as US withdraws The Taliban captured Kabul on August 15, 2021, as US forces completed their withdrawal from Afghanistan after 20 years. The Afghan government collapsed within hours.
2021 Charlie Watts dies Drummer dies peacefully aged 80 — August 24, 2021 Charlie Watts, the Rolling Stones' drummer since 1963, died peacefully in London on August 24, 2021, aged 80, surrounded by his family. His death shocked the music world. Steve Jordan replaced him on the Hackney Diamonds tour.
2021 Suicide bombing at Kabul airport Thirteen US service members and some 170 Afghans killed A suicide bomber attacked Abbey Gate at Kabul airport on 26 August 2021 during the evacuation, killing thirteen American service members and around 170 Afghan civilians.
2021 Hurricane Ida strikes Louisiana and then the Northeast Flash flooding kills dozens a thousand miles inland Hurricane Ida made landfall in Louisiana on 29 August 2021 and its remnants caused deadly flash flooding in New York and New Jersey three days later, killing more than 90 people in total.
2021 Inspiration4 flies the first all-civilian orbital mission Three days in orbit with no professional astronauts aboard SpaceX launched Inspiration4 on 15 September 2021, the first orbital spaceflight crewed entirely by private citizens with no professional astronaut on board.
2021 No Time to Die — Daniel Craig Craig's final Bond film — and the first in which Bond dies. After retirement, Bond is drawn back into service to stop a rogue MI6 agent wielding a devastating nanobody weapon. The emotional arc begun in Casino Royale reaches its conclusion. Billie Eilish contributes one of the finest Bond themes in the franchise's history. Budget: $250 million. Box office: $774.2 million.
2021 Facebook whistleblower testifies to Congress Internal research on Instagram and teenagers made public Frances Haugen testified before the United States Senate on 5 October 2021 after leaking internal Facebook research, including studies on Instagram's effects on teenage mental health.
2021 Facebook renames itself Meta A pivot to the metaverse announced Facebook announced on 28 October 2021 that its parent company would be renamed Meta, signalling a strategic bet on virtual and augmented reality.
2021 Star Trek: Prodigy — Season 1 An animated series aimed at younger audiences, following a group of alien kids who find an abandoned Starfleet vessel and discover the Federation. Kate Mulgrew reprises her voice role as Janeway. Created by Dan and Kevin Hageman, it is the most accessible entry point for new audiences the franchise has ever produced.
2021 Global COVID-19 deaths pass five million A toll reached in under two years Recorded deaths from COVID-19 passed five million worldwide on 1 November 2021, with the true figure widely believed to be considerably higher.
2021 Eternals #4 film of 2021 — $402m worldwide Directed by Chloé Zhao. A group of ancient beings who secretly lived on Earth for thousands of years reunite to battle the monstrous Deviants.
2021 COP26 concludes with the Glasgow Climate Pact Coal phase-down agreed after a late intervention The COP26 climate summit in Glasgow closed on 13 November 2021 with a pact that for the first time named coal, though India's late intervention softened phase-out to phase-down.
2021 Omicron variant identified in southern Africa A heavily mutated variant that outran every predecessor South African scientists reported the Omicron variant on 24 November 2021. Far more transmissible than earlier strains, it drove the largest infection wave of the pandemic within weeks.
2021 Barbados becomes a republic Elizabeth II removed as head of state after 396 years Barbados removed Queen Elizabeth II as head of state on 30 November 2021, becoming a republic 55 years after independence and 396 years after English settlement.
2021 mRNA vaccine technology proven COVID vaccines transform medicine The success of mRNA COVID-19 vaccines from Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna validated a new platform for vaccine development. mRNA technology can be adapted rapidly to any pathogen and may transform treatment of cancer and other diseases.
2021 Spider-Man: No Way Home #1 film of 2021 — $1.90bn worldwide Directed by Jon Watts. Peter Parker asks Doctor Strange for help after his identity is revealed, leading to the multiverse colliding.
2021 James Webb Space Telescope launched Most powerful telescope ever built The James Webb Space Telescope was launched on December 25, 2021, the most powerful space telescope ever built. Its first images, released in July 2022, showed the deepest views of the universe ever captured.