Holidays Calendar for October 21, 2026
On October 21, citizens of Burundi celebrate a national holiday known as President Ndadaye Day. It commemorates the death anniversary of Melchior Ndadaye, the first democratically elected and first Hutu President of Burundi.
In some countries, Armed Forces Day is celebrated as a public holiday, and Honduras is one of them. Armed Forces Day (Army Day) in Honduras is observed on October 21 to honor and recognize the country's military.
Dashain is one of the most important festivals in Nepal. It is also celebrated by many Hindus across the globe. It lasts for fifteen days, and some days of the festival are observed as a public holiday in Nepal, Bhutan, and some parts of India.
Sukkot is a seven-day Jewish holiday. Its celebration starts on the 15th day of Tishrei. Along with Pesach and Shavuot, it belongs to Shalosh Regalim (the Three Pilgrimage Festivals), on which the Israelites were required to make a pilgrimage to the Holy Temple.
Durga Puja, also known as Durgotsava, is an annual Hindu festival dedicated to the goddess Durga. It is an official public holiday in Bangladesh. Besides, the festival is widely celebrated in Nepal (where it is known as Dashain) and several states of India.
World Iodine Deficiency Day, also known as Global Iodine Deficiency Disorders Prevention Day, is observed annually on October 21. Its main goal to raise awareness of the dangers of iodine deficiency and the ways of its prevention.
On the third Wednesday of October, transgender, non-binary, and gender nonconforming individuals around the world, as well as their allies, observe International Pronouns Day. It is an annual awareness event that seeks to make respecting, sharing, and educating about personal pronouns commonplace.
Breast Reconstruction Awareness Day, often shortened to BRA Day, is observed annually on the third Wednesday in October. It was created to honor and empower women diagnosed with breast cancer and to raise awareness about available breast reconstruction options.
SUDEP Action Day is an annual awareness campaign held on the third Wednesday of October. It was launched by the UK-based charity SUDEP Action to raise awareness of sudden unexpected death in epilepsy.
Egyptian Naval Day is celebrated on October 21. This holiday commemorates the sinking of the Israeli destroyer INS Eilat by the Egyptian Naval Force in 1967. Thus the Egyptian Navy became the first navy ever to sink a ship using anti-ship missiles.
National Nurses' Day is an official commemorative day in Thailand observed on October 21. It marks the birth anniversary of Princess Srinagarindra, “the Royal Grandmother”. This member of the Thai Royal Family made a significant contribution to the development of the country's health system.
National Social Welfare Day, also translated as National Social Work Day, is celebrated in Thailand on October 21 every year. It commemorates the birthday of Princess Mother Srinagarindra who set up many social welfare projects.
National Annual Tree Loving Day in Thailand is celebrated on October 21. It was initiated by the Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperation and officially established by the Cabinet of Ministers of Thailand in 1990.
National Reptile Awareness Day is celebrated annually on October 21. It was created to raise awareness of the importance of reptiles for ecosystems and promote reptile conservation efforts.
Overseas Chinese Day is an unofficial holiday celebrated in the Republic of China (commonly known as Taiwan). It is dedicated to the people of Chinese birth or descent who currently live outside the Greater China Area (i.e. China and Taiwan).
Trafalgar Day is celebrated in the United Kingdom on October 21 each year. It commemorates the victory won by the Royal Navy over French and Spanish forces at the Battle of Trafalgar in 1805.
Police Commemoration Day in India is celebrated on October 21. It honors the memory of Indian police personnel killed by Chinese soldiers in 1959. The remembrance day was officially instituted in 1960 and has been observed at the national level since 2012.
World War II Serbian Victims Remembrance Day (Дан сећања на српске жртве у Другом светском рату) is an official remembrance day in Serbia observed on October 21. It honors the memory of those who died on the battlefield, were killed in concentration camps or shot by German soldiers, or starved to death during the Second World War.
Pumpkin is a traditional part of the autumn harvest in North America. In autumn many companies produce seasonal pumpkin-flavored desserts, beverages and other foods. Pumpkin cheesecake is one of them. It even has its own holiday celebrated on October 21, National Pumpkin Cheesecake Day.
Apple Day is an annual festival in the United Kingdom organized by the UK charity and lobby group Common Ground. It was first held on October 21, 1990 and has been celebrated every year since then.
October 21 is International Day of the Nacho that is celebrated annually in the USA and Mexico. This popular snack has a Mexican origin, but it's loved all over the world.
October was designated as National Bullying Prevention Month, that's why so many anti-bulling campaigns are organized during this month. Unity Day is one of these campaigns. It has been held annually since 2011.
National Dental Hygiene Day, also known as National Dental Health Day, is a Thai observance held annually on October 21. It was initiated by the Ministry of Public Health and officially established by the government of Thailand in 1989.
National Pets for Veterans Day is observed across the United States on October 21 every year. It was created to raise awareness of Pets for Vets, a non-profit organization that brings together military veterans and animals from shelters in need of a loving home.
Father’s Day is celebrated in most countries around the world, although different countries observe it on different days. In Belarus, for example, fathers are honored on October 21.
This Day in History
- 2021 During the filming of the Western film Rust, cinematographer Halyna Hutchins was fatally shot and director Joel Souza was injured when a live round was discharged unexpectedly from a prop weapon held by Alec Baldwin.
- 2013 Died: Bud Adams, American businessman who owned the Tennessee Titans. He was instrumental in the establishment of the former AFL.
- 2003 Died: Luis A. Ferré, Puerto Rican engineer, industrialist, politician, and philanthropist who served as the 3rd Governor of Puerto Rico.
- 1995 Born: Doja Cat (Amala Ratna Zandile Dlamini), American rapper and singer. She is known for creating music videos and songs that achieve popularity on social media websites such as TikTok.
- 1994 The Seongsu Bridge over the Han River in Seoul, South Korea collapsed, killing 32 people and inuring 17. It was completely rebuilt in 1997.
- 1992 Born: Hari Nef, American actress, model, writer, and trans rights advocate. He breakthrough role was Gittel in the Amazon original series Transparent.
- 1988 Born: Glen Powell, American actor. He gained prominence for starring in the action film Top Gun: Maverick and the romantic comedy Anyone but You.
- 1987 Between 60 and 70 patients and staff of the Jaffna Teaching Hospital in Jaffna, Sri Lanka were killed by soldiers of the Indian Army.
- 1983 Born: Aaron Tveit, American actor and singer best known for his musical theater roles. He originated the role of Christian in the stage adaptation of Moulin Rouge! on Broadway.
- 1983 Born: Ninet Tayeb, Israeli pop rock singer, musician, and actress. She rose to fame as the first winner of the Israeli version of Pop Idol.
- 1980 Died: Hans Asperger, Austrian pediatrician, medical theorist, and medical professor. An autism spectrum disorder was named after him.
- 1980 Born: Kim Kardashian, American television and social media personality, socialite, model, and actress known for Keeping Up with the Kardashians.
- 1978 Twenty-year-old Australian pilot Frederick Valentich disappeared while on a training flight in a Cessna 182L light aircraft over Bass Strait.
- 1976 Born: Andrew Scott, Irish actor of stage and screen. One of his most notable roles is Jim Moriarty in the BBC crime television drama Sherlock.
- 1973 Born: Sasha Roiz, Canadian actor known for his portrayals of Sam Adama in the science fiction series Caprica and Captain Sean Renard in the fantasy series Grimm.
- 1969 Somalian Major General Mohamed Siad Barre seized power in a bloodless military coup and established the Somali Democratic Republic.
- 1969 Died: Jack Kerouac, American novelist, poet, and painter. He is considered a literary iconoclast and one of the pioneers of the Beat Generation.
- 1966 A catastrophic collapse of a colliery spoil tip occurred in the village of Aberfan, Wales, United Kingdom, killing 116 children and 28 adults.
- 1959 The Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, often referred to as The Guggenheim, located in New York City first opened its doors to large crowds.
- 1959 Born: Ken Watanabe, Japanese actor. To English-speaking audiences, he is best known for his roles in Letters from Iwo Jima and The Last Samurai.
- 1956 Born: Carrie Fisher, American actress, performance artist, novelist, and screenwriter best known for her role as Princess Leia in the Star Wars franchise.
- 1949 Born: Benjamin Netanyahu, also known as Bibi, Israeli military captain, politician, and statesman, the ninth Prime Minister of Israel.
- 1945 In France, women voted in the parliamentary elections for the first time. However, Muslim women in French Algeria could not vote until 1958.
- 1944 Japanese military aviators carried out the first ever kamikaze attack against the Allied naval vessels. They attacked the heavy cruiser HMAS Australia.
- 1940 Ernest Hemingway's novel For Whom the Bell Tolls was first published. The novel is regarded as one of the writer's most significant works.
- 1940 Born: Manfred Mann, South African-British keyboard player best known as a founding member and namesake of several musical bands.
- 1938 Died: Dorothy Hale, American socialite and aspiring actress. She committed suicide by throwing herself out of the window of her apartment.
- 1931 Died: Arthur Schnitzler, Austrian novelist, short-story writer, and playwright. His best known works include Reigen and Professor Bernhardi.
- 1929 Born: Ursula Kroeber Le Guin, American author of novels, short stories, and children's books, mainly in the genres of science fiction and fantasy.
- 1907 Died: Jules Chevalier, French Roman Catholic priest who founded the Missionaries of the Sacred Heart, a missionary congregation.
- 1904 Died: Isabelle Eberhardt, Swiss explorer and writer who lived and traveled extensively in North Africa. She died at the age of twenty-seven.
- 1833 Born: Alfred Bernhard Nobel, Swedish chemist, engineer, and innovator. He is best known for inventing dynamite and founding the Nobel Prize.
- 1805 The Battle of Trafalgar was fought during the War of the Third Coalition. The Royal Navy fleet defeated the combined fleets of the French and Spanish Navies.
- 1805 Died: Horatio Nelson, 1st Viscount Nelson, British flag officer in the Royal Navy noted for his inspirational leadership. He was killed during the Battle of Trafalgar.
- 1772 Born: Samuel Taylor Coleridge, English poet, literary critic, and philosopher. He was a founder of the Romantic Movement in England and a member of the Lake Poets.
- 1422 Died: Charles VI of France, nicknamed the Beloved, and, much later, the Mad, King of France from the House of Valois from 1380 until his death.