On This Day: March 21st

China Eastern Airlines Flight 5735 crashes in Guangxi, China, killing 132 people.

The 2019 Xiangshui chemical plant explosion occurs, killing at least 47 people and injuring 640 others.

The social media site Twitter (now officially named X) is founded.

Pope John Paul II makes his first ever pontifical visit to Israel.

Bertrand Piccard and Brian Jones become the first to circumnavigate the Earth in a hot air balloon.

The United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change enters into force.

Namibia becomes independent after 75 years of South African rule.

Transbrasil Flight 801 crashes into a slum near São Paulo/Guarulhos International Airport, killing 25 people.

Debi Thomas becomes the first African American to win the World Figure Skating Championships.

Canadian paraplegic athlete and humanitarian Rick Hansen begins his circumnavigation of the globe in a wheelchair in the name of spinal cord injury medical research.