Famous people born on May 21 — and what else happened that day
If your birthday is May 21, you share it with Albrecht Dürer, Fats Waller, Mr. T — and you were born under Gemini, the sign of the curious, quick-witted, and endlessly social.
Birthday basics for May 21
Gemini ♊
Zodiac sign
Emerald
Birthstone
Lily of the Valley
Birth flower
141st
Day of the year
May 21 is the 141st day of the year (142nd in leap years), with 224 days still to come.
Famous people born on May 21
Albrecht Dürer — German painter and master printmaker of the Renaissance (born 1471).
Fats Waller — American jazz pianist and composer of 'Ain't Misbehavin'' (born 1904).
Mr. T — American actor famous as B.A. Baracus on The A-Team (born 1952).
Also sharing the day:
Alexander Pope (b. 1688) — English poet and master of the heroic couplet, author of The Rape of the Lock.
Andrei Sakharov (b. 1921) — Soviet physicist turned human-rights champion who won the Nobel Peace Prize.
The Notorious B.I.G. (b. 1972) — Brooklyn rapper whose album Ready to Die reshaped hip-hop.
May 21 in history
1881 — Clara Barton founded the American Red Cross.
1927 — Charles Lindbergh landed in Paris, completing the first solo nonstop transatlantic flight.
1932 — Amelia Earhart landed in Ireland, becoming the first woman to fly solo across the Atlantic.
1901 — Connecticut passed America's first automobile speed-limit law: 12 mph in cities, 15 mph on country roads.
1904 — FIFA, the international governing body of soccer, was founded in Paris.
1980 — The Empire Strikes Back opened in theaters, introducing one of cinema's most famous plot twists.
May 21 birthday questions
What zodiac sign is May 21?
Anyone born on May 21 is a Gemini — curious, quick-witted, and endlessly social.
What is the birthstone for May 21?
The birthstone for a May 21 birthday is Emerald, and the birth flower is the Lily of the Valley.
Who is the most famous person born on May 21?
Albrecht Dürer is among the best known — German painter and master printmaker of the Renaissance (born 1471).
What happened on May 21?
In 1881, Clara Barton founded the American Red Cross.
What day of the year is May 21?
May 21 is the 141st day of the year (142nd in leap years), with 224 days still to come.
Make their day unforgettable
Know someone born on May 21? See the full story of their exact birthday — the headlines, the #1 song, what things cost — and turn it into a personalized front-page newspaper they can keep.