{"id":16062,"date":"2022-07-21T07:05:00","date_gmt":"2022-07-21T05:05:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.historyextra.com\/?p=211721"},"modified":"2022-07-21T07:21:08","modified_gmt":"2022-07-21T05:21:08","slug":"21-july-on-this-day-in-history","status":"publish","type":"rss_feed","link":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbchistory\/rss_feed\/21-july-on-this-day-in-history\/","title":{"rendered":"21 July: On this day in history"},"content":{"rendered":"

<\/p>

By Elinor Evans\n \t\t<\/p>

Published: Thursday, 21 July 2022 at 12:00 am<\/p>

\n\n

21 July 356 BC: The Temple of Artemis burns to the ground\u00a0<\/span><\/h3>\n

An arsonist desperate for eternal fame sets one of the seven wonders of the world ablaze\u00a0<\/span><\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

For the people of Ephesus, the Temple of Artemis was a source of immense local pride. Reportedly built by the extraordinarily rich king Croesus, it was said to have been made largely of marble, boasting huge pillars.<\/p>\n

In the centre stood the colossal figure of Artemis the huntress, made from blackened wood.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

For visitors, there were few better attractions in the Greek world. Pilgrims brought jewellery as a gift for the goddess; refugees came to seek sanctuary. No wonder the Greeks ranked it as one of the seven wonders of the world.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

But on 21 July 356, disaster struck. The man responsible was one Herostratus, who may have been an outsider or a slave. Supposedly hungry for fame, he decided to set the temple\u2019s wooden rafters alight, \u201cso that through the destruction of this most beautiful building his name might be spread through the whole world\u201d.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The result was a tragedy. In the space of a single night, the temple was consumed by flames, and by morning it was a blackened, broken ruin. Herostratus was arrested immediately, tortured and executed. The people of Ephesus also passed a law banning any mention of his name, with the death penalty for transgressors. It didn\u2019t work, though. \u201cHerostratus lives that burnt the Temple of Diana,\u201d lamented the scientific pioneer Sir Thomas Browne in 1658, but \u201che is almost lost that built it\u201d. | Written by Dominic Sandbrook<\/strong><\/p>\n

21 July 1403: Henry IV sees off rebel forces\u00a0<\/span><\/h3>\n

The battle of Shrewsbury leaves the king triumphant\u00a0<\/span><\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

Henry Bolingbroke had been king of England for less than four years when he faced his greatest challenge. In the autumn of 1399 he had deposed his cousin, Richard II, to become Henry IV<\/a>. But by the summer of 1403, rebellion had broken out in Wales \u2013 and the Percy family, who dominated northern England, had turned against him too. Everything seemed to be going wrong at once.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

On the morning of 21 July, Henry\u2019s army caught up with the Percys outside Shrewsbury. Peace talks came to nothing, however, and\u00a0late that afternoon, the king raised his sword to launch the attack. Now, more than ever, it seemed that fate was against him. The Percys\u2019 Cheshire bowmen were deadly shots, and as their arrows rained down, Henry\u2019s men \u201cfell like leaves in autumn\u201d.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Then the feared Henry Percy, nicknamed \u2018Hotspur\u2019, charged at the king himself. The royal standard fell, its bearer hacked to the ground. Word swept across the battlefield: King Henry was dead. \u201cHenry Percy king!\u201d yelled the northern troops. A moment later, however, another cry went up. It was the king. \u201cHenry Percy dead!\u201d he cried. It was true. Hotspur had fallen, apparently after being shot in the face \u2013 but Henry IV was very much alive. Dusk fell and the slaughter petered out.<\/p>\n

As was the case with many medieval battles, Shrewsbury had been a chaotic, bloody mess. None of the participants would ever have imagined that, thanks to William Shakespeare and Sir John Falstaff, it would inspire one of the greatest comedies in the English language.\u00a0 <\/span>| Written by Dominic Sandbrook<\/strong><\/p>\n

21 July 1832\u00a0<\/span><\/h3>\n

Birth in Missouri of rancher and philanthropist Henrietta King. The south Texan ranch she oversaw for 40 years following her husband\u2019s death in 1885 was the largest in the United States.<\/p>\n

21 July 1861\u00a0<\/span><\/h3>\n

In the first major battle of the American Civil War<\/a>, Beauregard\u2019s Confederates defeated McDowell\u2019s Union troops at Bull Run.<\/p>\n

21 July 1960\u00a0<\/span><\/h3>\n

Sirimavo Bandaranaike took office as prime minister of Ceylon and in doing so became the world\u2019s first elected female prime minister.<\/p>\n

Browse more\u00a0On this day in history<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n