January 6
January 6
U.S. Capitol riot
On the afternoon of January 6, 2021, a mob of President Donald Trump’s supporters descend on the U.S. Capitol, attempting to interfere with the certification of electoral votes from the…
A Year In History: 2021
This Year in History:
2021
Discover what happened in this year with HISTORY’s summaries of major events, anniversaries, famous births and notable deaths.
January 20
January 20
Kamala Harris becomes first female vice president
Kamala Harris makes history when she is sworn in as the 49th U.S. vice president on January 20, 2021, becoming the first woman, the first Black American and the first…
March 15
March 15
Deb Haaland sworn in as first Indigenous cabinet secretary
Deb Haaland is sworn in as Secretary of the Interior. She is the first Indigenous person to serve as a cabinet secretary in U.S. history. Incoming President Joe Biden announced…
June 24
June 24
98 people die in Surfside condo collapse
Early in the morning on June 24, 2021, 98 people die when a 12‑story, beachfront condominium building collapses in Surfside, Florida, near Miami. The disaster is one of the worst…
July 2
July 2
U.S. withdraws from Bagram Air Force Base in Afghanistan
On July 2, 2021, the United States vacates Bagram Airfield, the U.S. Air Force Base north of Kabul, and turns it over to Afghan forces, a major milestone in the…
August 15
August 15
Kabul falls to the Taliban after U.S. withdrawal
On August 15, 2021—just two weeks before U.S. troops were set to officially withdraw from Afghanistan—Taliban leaders enter the capital city of Kabul and sweep back into power with little…
August 23
August 23
FDA fully approves the Pfizer COVID‑19 vaccine
On August 23, 2021, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) fully approves the Pfizer‑BioNTech COVID‑19 vaccine for people aged 16 and older, following a manufacturing review and analysis of the…
October 13
October 13
William Shatner goes to space
On October 13, 2021, Canadian actor William Shatner—best known for his iconic “Star Trek” role as Captain Kirk—boards Jeff Bezos’s Blue Origin space shuttle with three other people, and becomes…
