December 21

December 21: This Day in History

• 1898— Marie and Pierre Curie announced the discovery of the radioactive element radium.
• 1937— Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, Disney's first animated feature film, premiered at the Carthay Circle Theatre in Hollywood.
• 1945— U.S. General George S. Patton died in Heidelberg, Germany, from injuries sustained in a car accident nine days earlier.
• 1968— NASA launched Apollo 8, the first crewed spacecraft to travel to and orbit the Moon.
• 1988— Pan Am Flight 103 was destroyed by a bomb over Lockerbie, Scotland, killing all 259 people on board and 11 on the ground.

Famous Birthdays on December 21

• Jane Fonda (1937) — actress and activist
• Frank Zappa (1940) — rock musician and composer
• Samuel L. Jackson (1948) — actor
• Kiefer Sutherland (1966) — actor
• Ray Romano (1957) — comedian and actor

What Happens on December 21?

Did You Know? December 21 Fun Facts

• December 21 marks the winter solstice in the Northern Hemisphere, when the North Pole is tilted furthest from the sun, giving the fewest hours of daylight of the year.
• Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs cost $1.5 million to produce in 1937 — a staggering sum at the time — but grossed over $8 million in its initial release.

Count Down to Events on December 21

• How many days until First Day of Winter?
• How many days until First Day of Winter?
• How many days until Winter?
• How many days until Winter?
• How many days until Winter?
• How many days until Winter Solstice?
• How many days until Winter Solstice?
• How many days until Winter Solstice?