21 June 2003

President Bill Clinton awarded the Medal of Honor to 22 Asian Americans, mostly from the 442nd Regimental Combat Team, for actions during World War II.

The U.S. Supreme Court delivered its decision in the landmark case Miller v. California, establishing the Miller test for determining what is obscene material.

Ellen Fairclough (pictured) became the first woman to be appointed to the cabinet of Canada.

The Manchester Baby (replica pictured), the world's first stored-program computer, ran its first program.

World War II: The main offensive of the unsuccessful Italian invasion of France began.

Irish War of Independence: Most of the village of Knockcroghery in County Roscommon was burned by British forces.

Admiral Ludwig von Reuter scuttled the German High Seas Fleet in Scapa Flow to prevent the ships from being seized and divided amongst the Allied Powers.

During a general strike in Winnipeg, Canada, members of the Royal North-West Mounted Police attacked a crowd of strikers, armed with clubs and revolvers.

The United States captured Guam from Spain in a bloodless event during the Spanish–American War.

Rudyard Kipling's poem Mandalay was published.

New Zealand Wars: A British victory against the Māori King Movement brought the Tauranga campaign to an end.

In the Wallachian Revolution, Ion Heliade Rădulescu and Christian Tell proclaimed a new republican government in present-day Romania.

Greek War of Independence: A combined Egyptian and Ottoman army began an invasion of the Mani Peninsula, but were initially held off by the Maniots at the fortifications of Vergas.

New Hampshire ratified the U.S. Constitution and was admitted as the ninth U.S. state.

French Wars of Religion: Catholic forces defeated an armed group of Huguenots attempting to capture Besançon, from which they had previously been expelled.

War of the League of Cognac: The French army under Francis de Bourbon was destroyed in Lombardy, Italy, by the Spanish army.

William Clito defeated Thierry of Alsace in a battle over the succession to the title of Count of Flanders.

Second Punic War: Commanded by Hannibal, the Carthaginians ambushed a Roman army at the Battle of Lake Trasimene, capturing or killing 25,000 men.

A hot air balloon catches fire mid-flight and crashes in Praia Grande, Santa Catarina, Brazil, killing 8 of the 21 on board.

An Indonesian Air Force Fokker F27 Friendship crashes near Halim Perdanakusuma International Airport, killing 11.

Greenland assumes self-rule.

Pluto's newly discovered moons are officially named Nix and Hydra.

A Yeti Airlines de Havilland Canada DHC-6 Twin Otter crashes at Jumla Airport in Nepal, killing nine people.

Edgar Ray Killen, who had previously been unsuccessfully tried for the murders of James Chaney, Andrew Goodman, and Mickey Schwerner, is convicted of manslaughter 41 years afterwards (the case had been reopened in 2004).