July 21

in History

A Wonder of the World Burns — Arson destroys what centuries had built

Ephesus, Anatolia (modern Selcuk, Turkey)Ancient

356

A Wonder of the World Burns

Arson destroys what centuries had built

The Temple of Artemis at Ephesus, one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World, was destroyed by arson on the very night Alexander the Great was said to have been born. The arsonist Herostratos set the fire seeking eternal infamy, and the Greeks were so appalled that they made it illegal to speak his name. Yet history preserved it anyway, proving that the desire for fame can outlast even the grandest monuments.

356 BC

Ottawa, Illinois, USAEarly 20th Century

1903

Russell Lee Was Born

A camera turned on America's forgotten people

Born in Ottawa, Illinois, Russell Lee would become one of America's most important documentary photographers. His work for the Farm Security Administration during the Great Depression captured the dignity and desperation of ordinary Americans with unflinching honesty. Known for his innovative use of direct flash photography, Lee illuminated the dark corners of American life that others preferred to ignore.

1903 AD

American nuclear-powered commercial ship (1959–72)Late 20th Century

1959

NS Savannah

NS Savannah, the first nuclear-powered cargo-passenger ship, is launched as a showcase for Dwight D.

NS Savannah was the first nuclear-powered merchant ship, launched on July 21, 1959, two years after the Soviet ice-breaker Lenin, the first nuclear-powered civilian vessel. A demonstration project for the potential peacetime uses of nuclear energy, she was built in the late 1950s at a cost of $46.9 million.

1959 AD