What happened on May 21 ?

987 - King Louis V of France

1254 - Conrad IV of Germany (b. 1228)

1481 - King Christian I of Denmark, Norway and Sweden (b. 1426)

1512 - Pandolfo Petrucci, ruler of Siena

1524 - Thomas Howard, 2nd Duke of Norfolk, English soldier and statesman

1542 - Hernando de Soto, Spanish explorer

1607 - John Rainolds, English scholar and Bible translator (b. 1549)

1639 - Tommaso Campanella, Italian theologian, philosopher, and poet (b. 1568)

1647 - Pieter Corneliszoon Hooft, Dutch poet and historian (b. 1581)

1650 - James Graham, 1st Marquess of Montrose, Scottish royalist (b. 1612)

1664 - Elizabeth Poole, Puritan businesswoman

1670 - Niccolo Zucchi, Italian astronomer and physicist (b. 1586)

1690 - John Eliot, English Puritan missionary (b. 1604)

1724 - Robert Harley, 1st Earl of Oxford and Mortimer, English statesman (b. 1661)

1742 - Lars Roberg, Swedish physician (b. 1664)

1771 - Christopher Smart, English poet (b. 1722)

1786 - Carl Wilhelm Scheele, Swedish chemist (b. 1742)

1790 - Thomas Warton, English poet (b. 1728)

1844 - Giuseppe Baini, Italian composer (b. 1775)

1879 - Arturo Prat, Chilean naval officer (b. 1848)

1894 - Emile Henry, French anarchist (b. 1872)

1894 - August Kundt, German physicist (b. 1839)

1895 - Franz von Suppé, Austrian composer (b. 1819)

1911 - Williamina Fleming, Scottish-born astronomer (b. 1857)

1915 - Leonid Gobyato, Russian general (b. 1875)

1929 - Archibald Primrose, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom (b. 1847)

1935 - Jane Addams, American social worker, recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize (b. 1860)

1949 - Klaus Mann, German writer (b. 1906)

1952 - John Garfield, American actor (b. 1913)

1957 - Aleksandr Vertinsky, Russian singer (b. 1889)

1964 - James Franck, German-born physicist, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1882)

1965 - Geoffrey de Havilland, British aircraft designer (b. 1882)

1970 - E. L. Grant Watson, Australian author and biologist (b. 1885)

1973 - Vaughn Monroe, Singer, trumpet player and big band leader (b. 1911)

1988 - Sammy Davis, Sr., American dancer (b. 1900)

1991 - Rajiv Gandhi, Prime Minister of India (b. 1944)

1996 - Lash LaRue, American actor (b. 1917)

1999 - Karnail Pitts, also known as Bugz, rapper for D12 (b. 1979)

2000 - Barbara Cartland, English author (b. 1901)

2000 - Sir John Gielgud, British actor (b. 1904)

2000 - Mark R. Hughes, American enterpreneur and a founder of Herbalife (b. 1956)

2002 - Niki de Saint Phalle, French artist (b. 1930)

2003 - Frank D. White, Governor of Arkansas (b. 1933)

2006 - Katherine Dunham, American dancer, choreographer, songwriter (b. 1909)

2006 - Spencer Clark, NASCAR driver, (b. 1987)

2006 - Billy Walker, country-music singer (b. 1929)