TODAY IN HISTORY – 21st Nov, 2025 – Africa World News

Valentine Ndukwu 7 hours ago 2 min read

By Valentine Uchechukwu Ndukwu.

It was V. John Simeon (The Mega Icon) who said this in the study of past events, whatever we take for granted today, will keep us grounded tomorrow.

Everything that has ever happened before should never be swept under the carpet in referencing the future. They serve as pointers because of their impacts.

It is on this pillar that we crave your indulgence to journey down with us on memory lane as we dig up events that were.

On this day in 1783, in Paris, Jean-François Pilâtre de Rozier and François Laurent d’Arlandes made the first untethered hot air balloon flight.

Still on this day in 1877, Thomas Edison announced his invention of the phonograph, a machine that can record and play sound.

According to Today in History, on this day in 1953, the Natural History Museum, London announces that the “Piltdown Man” skull, initially believed to be one of the most important fossilized hominid skulls ever found, is a hoax.

In 1998 on this day, Finnish satanist Jarno Elg killed a 23-year-old man and performed a ritual-like cutting and eating of body parts in Hyvinkää, Finland.

It was on this day in 2009, a mine explosion in Heilongjiang, China killed 108.

Still on this day in 2014, a stampede in Kwekwe, Zimbabwe caused by the police firing tear gas kills at least eleven people and injures 40 others.

In 2015, on this day, the government of Belgium imposed a security lockdown on Brussels, including the closure of shops, schools, and public transportation, due to potential terrorist attacks.

Today in History also shows us that on this day in 2017, Robert Mugabe formally resigned as President of Zimbabwe, after thirty-seven years in office.

In 2019 on this day, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is indicted on charges of bribery, fraud, and breach of trust.

Interestingly on this day in 2019, Tesla launched the SUV Cybertruck. A gaffe occurs during the launch event when its “unbreakable” windows shatter during demonstration.