October 21 is the 294th day of the year (295th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 71 days remaining.
- 1449 - George, Duke of Clarence
- 1660 - Georg Ernst Stahl, German scientist
- 1772 - Samuel Taylor Coleridge, British poet (+ 1834)
- 1833 - Alfred Nobel, Swedish inventor and benefactor of the Nobel Prize (+ 1896)
- 1895 - Edna Purviance[?], actress (+ 1958)
- 1908 - Louis L'Amour[?], novelist (+ 1988)
- 1912 - Sir Georg Solti, conductor (+ 1997)
- 1914 - Martin Gardner, American writer on mathematics and games
- 1917 - Dizzy Gillespie, American jazz musician (+ 1993)
- 1920 - Hy Averback[?], film and television director (+ 1997)
- 1924 - Celia Cruz, singer
- 1928 - Whitey Ford[?], American baseball player
- 1929 - Usula K. Le Guin[?], American science fiction author
- 1940 - Manfred Mann, musician
- 1941 - Steve Cropper[?], musician
- 1942 - Elvin Bishop[?], musician
- 1942 - Judge Judy Sheindlin[?], American judge, television host[?]
- 1943 - Brian Piccolo[?], American football star (+ 1970)
- 1955 - Rich Mullins, American musician
- 1956 - Carrie Fisher[?], actress, writer
See also:
January,
February,
March,
April,
May,
June,
July,
August,
September,
October,
November,
December
October 20 - October 22 - November 21 - September 21 - more historical anniversaries