Today
Monday December 21 2026
- Day of the year
- 355/ 365
- Week
- 522,026
- Days left
- 1097%
- Moon
- 92%Waxing gibbous
Today is Monday, December 21, 2026. It is day 355 of 2026, a year of 365 days: 10 remain, and 97% of the year has gone. Under ISO 8601 this date falls in week 52.
What's celebrated on this date
No United Nations international day falls on this date.
Coming up
- January 4World Braille Day
- January 24International Day of Education
- January 27International Holocaust Remembrance Day
Saints and name days
Saints whose feast falls on this date, most widely known first.
- Peter CanisiusDutch, Jesuit priest, Doctor of the Church, Roman Catholic saint
- Anastasius II of Antiochbishop of Antioch
- Peter of KiyvRuthenian bishop and saint
- Peter FriedhofenGerman Roman Catholic religious, founder and blessed (1819–1860)
- Maria Lorenza LongoFounded the Capuchin Poor Clares
Sources : Wikidata (P841) · CC0 1.0
Astronomy
New York
- Sunrise
- 07:17
- Sunset
- 16:32
- Length of day
- 9h 15m
- Solar noon
- 11:54
Times shown for America/New_York
Season
Winter
began on December 21, 2026
Next season
Spring — 89 days, March 20, 2027 (March equinox)
Public holidays — United States
Not a public holiday in the United States.
Next public holiday : Christmas Day — December 25, 2026
National holidays only. Regions, provinces and Länder add their own.
Moon
Waxing gibbous
Illumination : 92%
Moon age : 12.7 days
- Next full moon
- December 24, 2026
- Next new moon
- January 7, 2027
Astrology
Today's zodiac sign
Sagittarius
until December 22, 2026 — Capricorn
Zodiac dates are an astrological convention, not the Sun's actual position among the constellations. The astronomy above is measured; this is not.
On this day in history
69
The Roman Senate declares Vespasian emperor of Rome, the last in the Year of the Four Emperors. Wikipedia
1124
Pope Honorius II is consecrated, having been elected after the controversial dethroning of Pope-Elect Celestine II. Wikipedia
1140
After a siege of several weeks, the city of Weinsberg and its castle surrender to Conrad III of Germany. Wikipedia
1872
Challenger expedition: HMS Challenger, commanded by Captain George Nares, sails from Portsmouth, England. Wikipedia
1907
The Chilean Army commits a massacre of at least 2,000 striking saltpeter miners in Iquique, Chile. Wikipedia
1965
International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination is adopted. Wikipedia
Show more (4)
1968
Apollo program: Apollo 8 is launched from the Kennedy Space Center, placing its crew on a lunar trajectory for the first visit to another celestial body by humans. Wikipedia
1979
Lancaster House Agreement: An independence agreement for Rhodesia is signed in London by Lord Carrington, Sir Ian Gilmour, Robert Mugabe, Joshua Nkomo, Bishop Abel Muzorewa and S.C. Mundawarara. Wikipedia
1988
A bomb explodes on board Pan Am Flight 103 over Lockerbie, Dumfries and Galloway, Scotland, killing 270. This is to date the deadliest air disaster to occur on British soil. Wikipedia
1991
Dissolution of the Soviet Union: The leaders of 11 now effectively autonomous Soviet republics sign the Alma-Ata Protocol establishing the Commonwealth of Independent States in place of the collapsing Soviet Union. Wikipedia
Sources : Wikipedia (en) · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Data imported on 2026-08-26
Births and deaths
Born on this day December 21
- 1401Masaccio, Italian painter (died 1428)
- 1804Benjamin Disraeli, English lawyer and politician, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom (died 1881)
- 1890Hermann Joseph Muller, American geneticist and biologist, Nobel Prize laureate (died 1967)
- 1917Heinrich Böll, German novelist and short story writer, Nobel Prize laureate (died 1985)
- 1918Kurt Waldheim, Austrian colonel and politician; 9th President of Austria (died 2007)
- 1942Hu Jintao, Chinese engineer and politician, 5th Paramount leader of Chinaturns 84 years
- 1949Thomas Sankara, Burkinabé captain and politician, 5th President of Burkina Faso (died 1987)
- 1977Emmanuel Macron, French politician, 25th President of Franceturns 49 years
Died on this day December 21
- 1375Giovanni Boccaccio, Italian author and poet (born 1313)aged 62 years
- 1549Marguerite de Navarre, queen of Henry II of Navarre (born 1492)aged 57 years
- 1935Kurt Tucholsky, German-Swedish journalist and author (born 1890)aged 45 years
- 1940F. Scott Fitzgerald, American novelist and short story writer (born 1896)aged 44 years
- 1945George S. Patton, American general (born 1885)aged 60 years
- 1988Nikolaas Tinbergen, Dutch-English ethologist and ornithologist, Nobel Prize laureate (born 1907)aged 81 years
- 1992Albert King, American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer (born 1924)aged 69 years
- 2006Saparmyrat Nyýazow, Turkmen engineer and politician, 1st President of Turkmenistan (born 1940) (date death announced)aged 66 years
Sources : Wikipedia (en) · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Data imported on 2026-08-26
The day in words
In New York the sun rises at 07:17 and sets at 16:32, giving 9h 15m of daylight — the same as yesterday. It has been winter since December 21, 2026; spring opens in 89 days, on March 20, 2027 (March equinox).
The moon is waxing gibbous, 92% illuminated. The next full moon falls on December 24, 2026 and the next new moon on January 7, 2027.
The saints' calendar attaches December 21 to Peter Canisius, Anastasius II of Antioch and Peter of Kiyv.
No United Nations international day falls on December 21. The next one on the calendar is World Braille Day, on January 4.
It is not a public holiday in the United States.
On this day in history: The Roman Senate declares Vespasian emperor of Rome, the last in the Year of the Four Emperors (69); Pope Honorius II is consecrated, having been elected after the controversial dethroning of Pope-Elect Celestine II (1124). English Wikipedia records 10 events for this date.
Masaccio was born on December 21, 1401; Giovanni Boccaccio died on December 21, 1375.
4 days remain until Christmas and 11 until New Year's Day.
In astrology — kept separate from the measured astronomy above, deliberately — December 21 falls under the sign of Sagittarius.
Calendar
By the numbers
- 97%
- of the year elapsed
- 4
- until Christmas
- 11
- until New Year
- 435
- until the next 29 February
2026 — Common year (365 days)
Work with dates
Sources
Every block on this page names where its data comes from. Nothing here is generated when the source is silent.
- United Nations — International Days— What's celebrated today
- Wikidata (P841)— Saints and name days · CC0 1.0
- Wikipedia (en)— On this day in history · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Data imported on 2026-08-26