What Happened on December 21?
December 21 is Crossword Puzzle Day — fill in the blanks! — on the same date Wynne's first crossword ran in 1913, Snow White premiered in 1937, Apollo 8 launched in 1968, and Naismith invented basketball in 1891. (The winter solstice often falls near this date too.)
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1620 — Mayflower Pilgrims go ashore at Plymouth for the first time
On December 21, 1620 (New Style dating often cited), Pilgrims from the Mayflower stepped onto the shore at what became Plymouth, Massachusetts. Read the full story →
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1864 — Sherman's army captures Savannah, ending the March to the Sea
On December 21, 1864, Union forces under William T. Sherman took Savannah, Georgia — finishing the March to the Sea. Read the full story →
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1891 — James Naismith introduces basketball in Springfield, Massachusetts
On December 21, 1891, physical education teacher James Naismith pinned up peach baskets and taught the first basketball game. Read the full story →
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1913 — Arthur Wynne publishes the first modern crossword puzzle
On December 21, 1913, the New York World printed Arthur Wynne's diamond-shaped 'Word-Cross' — the puzzle we now call a crossword. Read the full story →
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1937 — Disney's Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs premieres in Hollywood
On December 21, 1937, Walt Disney's Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs premiered — the first full-length animated feature from a U.S. studio. Read the full story →
Famous birthdays
Florence Griffith Joyner (1959–1998) · Jane Fonda (1937) · Samuel L. Jackson (1948) · Frank Zappa (1940–1993)
Days & observances
Crossword Puzzle Day · National French Fried Potato Day · Homeless Persons' Memorial Day · Humbug Day