November 21 in History

• 1783

  November 21, 1783:

  François Laurent and Jean-François Pilâtre de Rozier make the first crewed flight in a hot-air balloon.

• 1837

  November 21, 1837:

  Australia’s Thomas Morris skips rope for 22,806 times.

• 1878

  November 21, 1878:

  The Second Anglo-Afghan War is launched by the British viceroy of India, Lord Lytton.

• 1905

  November 21, 1905:

  The first Australasian tennis championship (would later become the Australian Open) match is played in Melbourne.

• 1931

  November 21, 1931:

  The pre-Code science fiction horror film, “Frankenstein” is released.

• 1937

  November 21, 1937:

  Soviet composer and pianist Dmitri Shostakovich’s “Symphony No. 5” is premiered by the Leningrad Philharmonic Orchestra in Leningrad.

• 1976

  November 21, 1976:

  Sylvester Stallone’s hit film, “Rocky” is released in New York City’s Cinema II.

• 1980

  November 21, 1980:

  The popular television drama series, “Dallas” airs its third season’s first episode titled “Who Done It?” which was watched by an estimated 86 million Americans.

• 1995

  November 21, 1995: The Bosnian War comes to an end with the signing of the Dayton Accords, a peace agreement by the presidents of Serbia, Croatia and Bosnia.

• 2017

  November 21, 2017:

  Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe steps down just as his impeachment process is about to take off.