On October 21, 1781, Holy Roman Emperor Joseph II issued the Patent of Toleration, which granted religious freedom to Protestants in the Holy Roman Empire.

On October 21, 1876, the West Publishing Company, founded by John B. West, published its first law reporter, The Syllabi, which promised to provide Minnesota lawyers with legal intelligence that was "prompt, interesting, full, and at all times thoroughly reliable." The Syllabi eventually became the Northwestern Reporter, which later evolved into West's National Reporter System.

On October 21, 1977, the European Patent Institute (EPI) was established by the European Patent Organisation pursuant to the European Patent Convention. The EPI serves as a non-governmental professional organization for patent lawyers in Europe.