On This Day for May 21 - First nonstop solo transatlantic flight made by Charles Lindbergh, Malcolm Fraser is featured, and more

This message contains graphics. If you do not see the graphics, click here to view. May 21 FEATURED BIOGRAPHY Malcolm Fraser READ MORE   FEATURED EVENT 1927 First nonstop solo transatlantic flight made by Charles Lindbergh READ MORE   Advertisement Advertisement   MORE EVENTS ON THIS DAY 2017: After years of declining attendance—in part due to animal rights protests—the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus gave its final performance. [Take our quiz about clowns.] 2000: British author Dame Barbara Cartland—who wrote more than 700 books, mostly formulaic novels of romantic love set in the 19th century—died. [Test your knowledge of famous authors.] 1991: Indian politician Rajiv Gandhi, who served as the country's prime minister (1984–89), was assassinated in a suicide bombing attack. [ Sort fact from fiction in our quiz about India.] 1972: Michelangelo's Pietà, a sculpture depicting the Virgin Mary supporting the body of the dead Christ, was attacked and badly damaged in St. Peter's Basilica, Vatican City. [ How much do you know about Italian Renaissance art?] 1932: American aviator Amelia Earhart became the first woman to pilot an airplane solo across the Atlantic Ocean. [Take our quiz about early aviation.] 1921: Soviet nuclear theoretical physicist and human rights advocate Andrey Sakharov, who won the 1975 Nobel Prize for Peace, was born in Moscow. [Test your knowledge of Nobel laureates in literature .] SEE ALL EVENTS ON THIS DAY ALSO BORN ON THIS DAY 1960 Jeffrey Dahmer American serial killer 1527 Philip II king of Spain and Portugal 1471 Albrecht Dürer German artist 1904 Fats Waller American musician 1959 Loretta Lynch American lawyer and official 1951 Al Franken United States senator SEE ALL BIOS ON THIS DAY   Advertisement   FOLLOW: To unsubscribe from Britannica e-mails, click here. Encyclopædia Britannica 325 N. LaSalle Street, Suite 200 Chicago, Illinois 60654 United States © 2021 Encyclopaedia Britannica, Inc. Privacy Policy • Help