March 21: Historical Events, Birthdays, Observances & Significance, Today in History

On the 21st of March each year, the International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination is commemorated. This date was chosen to honor the memory of the tragic events in Sharpeville, South Africa, in 1960, where police fired on peaceful demonstrators protesting apartheid laws, resulting in the death of approximately 69 individuals.

A Day of History, Observances, & Remembrance

Here is the list of major events on March 21 over the years

	Year	March 21
1	21 March, 1858	The siege of Lucknow was lifted by British forces, marking the end of the Indian Mutiny.
2	21 March, 1887	Birth of M.N. Roy, an Indian revolutionary and philosopher.
3	21 March, 1916	Birth of Bismillah Khan, renowned shehnai maestro who popularized the instrument in classical Indian music.
4	21 March, 1922	Death of C.V. Raman Pillai, a celebrated Malayalam playwright and novelist.
5	21 March, 1923	Birth of Nirmala Shrivastava (Shri Mataji Nirmala Devi), founder of Sahaja Yoga.
6	21 March, 1936	Birth of Aribam Syam Sharma, an Indian film director and music composer.
7	21 March, 1944	Birth of Pinarayi Vijayan, Chief Minister of Kerala and influential political leader.
8	21 March, 1960	Sharpeville Massacre in South Africa, leading to the observance of the International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination.
9	21 March, 1970	Birth of Shobhana, a renowned Indian film actress and Bharatanatyam dancer.
10	21 March, 1978	Birth of Bollywood actress Rani Mukerji and National Award-winning filmmaker Apurva Asrani.
11	21 March, 1989	Birth of actor Zuber K. Khan, known for his roles in Hindi films.
12	21 March, 2005	Death of Dinkar D. Patil, a prominent Marathi film director, screenwriter, and dialogue writer.
13	21 March, 2007	Death of Captain Md. Ayub Khan, former minister in the Government of India under Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi.
14	21 March, 2025	International Forest Day is observed to highlight the significance of forests.
15	21 March	World Poetry Day is celebrated to recognize linguistic diversity through poetry.