At A Glance

21 May 1969 at a glance

Day of the week
21 May 1969 was a Wednesday.
UK Number One
The UK Number One single was “Get Back” by The Beatles with Billy Preston.
Top Film of 1969
The highest-grossing film worldwide released in 1969 was Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid.
Star sign
The star sign for 21 May is Gemini.
Chinese zodiac
In the Chinese zodiac, 21 May 1969 fell in the Year of the Rooster.
Birthstone
The birthstone for May is Emerald.
Moon phase
The moon phase on 21 May 1969 was Waxing Crescent.

On this day: 21 May

  • 1951 The opening of the Ninth Street Show, otherwise known as the 9th Street Art Exhibition: A gathering of a number of notable artists, and the stepping-out of the post war New York avant-garde, collectively known as the New York School.
  • 1966 The Ulster Volunteer Force declares war on the Irish Republican Army in Northern Ireland.
  • 1972 Michelangelo's Pietà in St. Peter's Basilica in Rome is damaged by a vandal, the mentally disturbed Hungarian geologist Laszlo Toth.
  • 1981 The Italian government releases the membership list of Propaganda Due, an illegal pseudo-Masonic lodge that was implicated in numerous Italian crimes and mysteries.
  • 1981 Transamerica Corporation agrees to sell United Artists to Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer for $380 million after the box office failure of the 1980 film Heaven's Gate.

Famous people born on 21 May

  • Josh Allen, American football player (born 1996)
  • Mr. T, American actor and wrestler (born 1952)
  • The Notorious B.I.G., American rapper (1972–1997)
  • Karen Khachanov, Russian tennis player (born 1996)

Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0)

Choose your country: the charts, news and leaders change to match.

Events of 1969 in the United Kingdom

A selection from Wikipedia's '1969 in the United Kingdom'. Not a complete list.

  • 9 April – The British prototype Concorde airliner makes its first flight, from Bristol Filton Airport (the first French flight was on 2 March).
  • 2 May – Ocean liner Queen Elizabeth 2 departs from Southampton on her maiden voyage to New York.
  • 23 May – The Who release the concept album Tommy. (On 14 December they perform it as a rock opera on stage at the London Coliseum.)

Life in 1969

Prime Minister

Harold Wilson

Monarch

Elizabeth II

Pint of Beer

15p

Loaf of Bread

10p

Average House

£4,640

Weekly Wage

£24.50

Or

Browse by Year

Famous Faces Born in the 1960s

Well-known people born in the same decade as you, not on your birthday.

Sources: Wikidata and Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0)

About The Day You Were Born

Ever wondered what was happening in the world when you took your first breath? Our birthday lookup tool reveals the fascinating history of your special day.

About The Birthday Chronicle and where our data comes from →