This Day That Year

September 21

in History

Emperor Avitus Enters Italy — A Gallic senator claims Rome's crumbling throne
Northern ItalyClassical
455

Emperor Avitus Enters Italy

A Gallic senator claims Rome's crumbling throne

Emperor Avitus entered Italy with a Gallic army to consolidate power over the Western Roman Empire. A senator elevated through Visigothic support, his reign would last barely a year before he was deposed, a victim of the relentless power struggles that characterized the Western Empire's final decades.

455 AD
Allen Lane Was Born — The man who put great books in every pocket
Bristol, EnglandEarly 20th Century
1902

Allen Lane Was Born

The man who put great books in every pocket

Allen Lane was born in Bristol, England, and would revolutionize publishing by founding Penguin Books in 1935. His radical idea was simple: make high-quality literature available in affordable paperback editions. Penguin's distinctive covers became cultural icons, and Lane's democratic vision of reading transformed book publishing and literacy worldwide.

1902 AD
The Gambia — The Gambia, Maldives and Singapore are admitted as members of the United Nations.
Late 20th Century
1965

The Gambia

The Gambia, Maldives and Singapore are admitted as members of the United Nations.

The Gambia, Maldives and Singapore are admitted as members of the United Nations.

1965 AD