Nicosia, Cyprus. July 21 has seen major developments in transport, space exploration, warfare, finance, diplomacy and sport. Events include the completion of the Trans-Siberian Railway and Neil Armstrong’s first steps on the Moon.
Early developments
In 1904, the Trans-Siberian Railway from Moscow to Vladivostok was completed after 13 years of construction.
In 1944, U.S. forces liberated the Pacific island of Guam, which had been held by Japan since December 1941.
Space and sport
In 1969, U.S. astronaut Neil Armstrong stepped from the lunar module Eagle to become the first person to walk on the Moon.
In 2002, Formula One driver Michael Schumacher won the world championship title for the fifth time.
In 2003, freediver Tanya Streeter completed a world-record dive of 400 feet, or 122 metres.
Economic and diplomatic events
In 2002, long-distance telephone and data company WorldCom filed for bankruptcy protection amid a $3.85 billion accounting scandal and a large amount of junk-rated debt, in what was described as the largest U.S. insolvency.
Also in 2002, the South Pacific island of Nauru opened diplomatic relations with China, ending ties with its former ally Taiwan.
In 2005, China revalued the yuan by 2.1 percent and abandoned its decade-old peg to the U.S. dollar following political and market pressure.
In 2008, China and Russia signed an agreement settling the demarcation of their 4,300-kilometre border, which had been the site of armed clashes during the Cold War.
