April 21 is the 111th day of the year (112th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. There are 254 days remaining until the end of the year.
Events
- 753 BC - Romulus and Remus found Rome (traditional).
- 43 BC - Battle of Mutina: Mark Antony is again defeated in battle by Aulus Hirtius, who is killed. Although Antony fails to capture Mutina, Decimus Brutus is murdered shortly afterwards.
- 1509 - Henry VIII ascends the throne of England (unofficially) at the death of his father, Henry VII
- 1792 - Tiradentes, a revolutionary who was leading a movement for Brazil's independence, is hanged and quartered.
- 1836 - Texas Revolution: Battle of San Jacinto – Republic of Texas forces under Sam Houston defeat troops under Mexican General Antonio López de Santa Anna.
- 1863 - Bahá'u'lláh declares his mission as "He whom God shall make manifest". Considered the founder of the Bahá'í Faith.
- 1894 - Norway formally adopts the Krag-Jørgensen rifle as the main arm of its armed forces, a weapon that would remain in service for almost 50 years.
- 1898 - Spanish-American War: The U.S. Congress, on April 25, recognizes that a state of war exists between the United States and Spain as of this date.
- 1918 - World War I: German fighter ace Manfred von Richthofen, known as "The Red Baron", is shot down and killed over in France.
- 1930 - A fire at a penitentiary in Columbus, Ohio, kills 320 people.
- 1944 - Women in France receive the right to vote.
- 1945 - World War II: Soviet Union forces south of Berlin at Zossen attack the German High Command headquarters.
- 1952 - Secretary's Day (now Administrative Professionals' Day) is first celebrated.
- 1960 - Brasília, Brazil's capital, is officially inaugurated. At 9:30 am the of the Republic are simultaneously transferred from the old capital, Rio de Janeiro.
- 1960 - Founding of the Orthodox Bahá'í Faith in Washington, DC.
- 1962 - The Seattle World's Fair (Century 21 Exposition) opens. It is the first World's Fair in the U.S. since World War II. [1]
- 1963 - The Universal House of Justice of the Bahá'í faith is elected for the first time.
- 1965 - The 1964-1965 New York World's Fair opens for its second and final season.
- 1966 - Rastafari movement: Haile Selassie of Ethiopia visits Jamaica, an event now celebrated as Grounation Day.
- 1967 - A few days before the general election in Greece, Colonel George Papadopoulos leads a coup d'état, establishing a military regime that lasts for seven years.
- 1970 - The Hutt River Province Principality secedes from Australia
- 1975 - Vietnam War: President of South Vietnam Nguyen Van Thieu flees Saigon, as Xuan Loc, the last South Vietnamese outpost blocking a direct North Vietnamese assault on Saigon, falls.
- 1982 - Rollie Fingers of the Milwaukee Brewers becomes the first pitcher to record 300 saves.
- 1987 - The Tamil Tigers are blamed for a car bomb that explodes in the Sri Lankan capital of Colombo, killing 106 people.
- 1989 - Tiananmen Square Protests of 1989: In Beijing, around 100,000 students gather in Tiananmen Square to commemorate Chinese reform leader Hu Yaobang.
- 1994 - The first discoveries of extrasolar planets are announced by astronomer Alexander Wolszczan.
Births
- 1555 - Ludovico Carracci, Italian painter (d. 1619)
- 1651 - Blessed Joseph Vaz, Apostle of Ceylon (d. 1711)
- 1652 - Michel Rolle, French mathematician (d. 1719)
- 1671 - John Law, Scottish economist (d. 1729)
- 1673 - Wilhelmina Amalia of Brunswick, Holy Roman Empire Empress (d. 1742)
- 1713 - Louis, 4th duc de Noailles, Marshal of France (d. 1793)
- 1729 - Empress Catherine II of Russia (d. 1796)
- 1767 - Elisabeth of Württemberg, Empress consort of the Holy Roman Empire (d. 1790)
- 1774 - Jean-Baptiste Biot, French physicist (d. 1862)
- 1775 - Alexander Anderson, American illustrator (d. 1870)
- 1810 - John Putnam Chapin, American politician (d. 1864)
- 1811 - Alson Sherman, American politician (d. 1903)
- 1814 - Angela Georgina Burdett-Coutts, English philanthropist (d. 1906)
- 1816 - Charlotte Brontë, English author (d. 1855)
- 1837 - Fredrik Bajer, Danish politician, Nobel laureate (d. 1922)
- 1838 - John Muir, American environmentalist (d. 1914)
- 1851 - Charles Barrois, French geologist (d. 1939)
- 1864 - Max Weber, German economist and sociologist (d. 1920)
- 1870 - Edwin S. Porter, American film pioneer (d. 1941)
- 1879 - Kartini, Indonesian national figure (d. 1904)
- 1882 - Percy Williams Bridgman, American physicist, Nobel laureate (d. 1961)
- 1887 - Joe McCarthy, American baseball manager (d. 1978)
- 1889 - Paul Karrer, Swiss chemist, Nobel laureate (d. 1971)
- 1896 - Henry de Montherlant, French novelist and essayist (d. 1972)
- 1905 - Pat Brown, American politician (d. 1996)
- 1911 - Ivan Combe, American inventor (d. 2000)
- 1912 - Marcel Camus, French film director (d. 1982)
- 1914 - Norman Panama, American screenwriter (d. 2003)
- 1915 - Anthony Quinn, Mexican-born actor (d. 2001)
- 1919 - Don Cornell, American singer (d. 2004)
- 1920 - Edmund Adamkiewicz, German footballer (d. 1991)
- 1920 - Ronald Magill, British actor (d. 2007)
- 1922 - Alistair MacLean, Scottish author (d. 1987)
- 1923 - John Mortimer, English barrister and writer
- 1926 - Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom
- 1927 - Gerald Flood, British actor (d. 1989)
- 1930 - Silvana Mangano, Italian actress (d. 1989)
- 1932 - Elaine May, American comedian
- 1935 - Charles Grodin, American actor
- 1935 - Thomas Kean, former Governor of New Jersey and 9/11 Commission Chairman
- 1936 - James Dobson, American evangelist
- 1938 - Ernie Maresca, American singer, songwriter and record executive
- 1939 - Helen Prejean, American writer
- 1944 - Adrian Hurley, Australian basketball coach
- 1945 - Diana Darvey, British actress, singer and dancer (d. 2000)
- 1947 - Iggy Pop, American musician (The Stooges)
- 1947 - John Weider, British rock musician (Eric Burdon and the Animals, Family)
- 1948 - Gary Condit, American politician
- 1948 - Paul Davis, American singer
- 1949 - Patti Lupone, American singer and actress
- 1951 - Tony Danza, American actor and comedian
- 1951 - Michael Hartley Freedman, American mathematician
- 1951 - Robert Gotobed, English drummer (Wire)
- 1951 - Steve Vickers, Canadian ice hockey player
- 1954 - James Morrison, American actor
- 1954 - Ebiet G. Ade, Indonesian singer
- 1956 - Phillip Longman, American demographer
- 1958 - Edward Leslie, American professional wrestler
- 1958 - Andie MacDowell, American actress
- 1958 - Michael S. Zarnock, American author/columnist/Guinness World Record Holder
- 1959 - Gene Callahan, American writer
- 1959 - Robert Smith, British musician (The Cure)
- 1959 - Jerry Only, American musician (The Misfits)
- 1959 - Michael Timmins, Canadian musician (Cowboy Junkies)
- 1960 - Michel Goulet, Canadian ice hockey player
- 1962 - Les Lancaster, American baseball player
- 1963 - Ken Caminiti, American baseball player (d. 2004)
- 1963 - Roy Dupuis, Canadian actor
- 1963 - John Cameron Mitchell, American film director
- 1964 - Ludmila Engquist, Russian-born Swedish athlete
- 1964 - Alex Baumann, Canadian Olympic swimmer
- 1965 - Ed Belfour, Canadian ice hockey player
- 1965 - Karen Foster, American model (Playboy)
- 1966 - Michael Franti, American musician
- 1969 - Robin Meade, American reporter
- 1970 - Rob Riggle, American comedian
- 1970 - Nicole Sullivan, American actress
- 1970 - Glen Hansard, Irish song-writer/actor
- 1971 - Eric Mabius, American actor
- 1971 - Michael Turner, American comic book artist
- 1972 - Severina Vučković, Croatian singer
- 1972 - Gwendal Peizerat, French ice dancer
- 1977 - Jamie Salé, Canadian figure skater
- 1978 - Jukka Nevalainen, Finnish drummer (Nightwish)
- 1978 - Branden Steineckert, American drummer (Rancid, formerly of The Used)
- 1979 - Doseone, American rapper
- 1979 - James McAvoy, Scottish actor
- 1980 - Vincent Lecavalier, Canadian hockey player
- 1980 - Tony Romo, American football player
- 1981 - Stephanie Larimore, American model
- 1982 - Carnell "Cadillac" Williams, American football player
- 1983 - Paweł Brożek, Polish footballer
- 1984 - Eric Devendorf, American basketball player
- 1986 - Audra Cohen, American tennis player
- 1986 - Alexander Edler, Swedish hockey player
- 1988 - Pedro Mosquera, Spanish footballer
- 1988 - Robbie Amell, Canadian actor
- 1993 - , You know what he did
- 2007 - Princess Isabella of Denmark
Deaths
- 748 - Empress Genshō of Japan (b. 680)
- 1073 - Pope Alexander II
- 1109 - Anselm of Canterbury, Archbishop of Canterbury
- 1142 - Pierre Abélard, French writer (b. 1079)
- 1329 - Frederick IV, Duke of Lorraine (b. 1282)
- 1509 - King Henry VII of England (b. 1457)
- 1551 - Oda Nobuhide, Japanese warlord (b. 1510)
- 1557 - Petrus Apianus, German mathematician (b. 1495)
- 1574 - Cosimo I de' Medici, Grand Duke of Tuscany (b. 1519)
- 1699 - Jean Racine, French dramatist (b. 1639)
- 1701 - Asano Naganori, Japanese warlord (b. 1667)
- 1719 - Philippe de la Hire, French mathematician and historian (b. 1640)
- 1720 - Antoine Hamilton, French writer (b. 1646)
- 1722 - Robert Beverley, Jr., historian of Colonial Virginia (b. 1673)
- 1792 - Tiradentes, Brazilian revolutionary (b. 1746)
- 1793 - John Michell, English seismologist (b. 1724)
- 1815 - Joseph Winston, U.S. Congressman from North Carolina (b. 1746)
- 1825 - Johann Friedrich Pfaff, German mathemattician (b. 1765)
- 1852 - Ivan Nabokov, Russian general (b. 1787)
- 1868 - Henry James O'Farrell, Australian would-be assassin of
- 1910 - Mark Twain, American author and humorist (b. 1835)
- 1918 - Manfred von Richthofen, German pilot (b. 1892)
- 1924 - Eleonora Duse, Italian actress (b. 1858)
- 1930 - Robert Bridges, English poet (b. 1844)
- 1938 - Allama Iqbal, Indian philosopher and poet (b. 1877)
- 1945 - Walter Model, German field marshal (b. 1891)
- 1946 - John Maynard Keynes, English economist (b. 1883)
- 1956 - Charles MacArthur, American writer (b. 1895)
- 1965 - Edward Victor Appleton, English physicist, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1892)
- 1971 - François "Papa Doc" Duvalier, Haitian dictator (b. 1907)
- 1973 - Arthur Fadden, thirteenth Prime Minister of Australia (b. 1894)
- 1977 - Gummo Marx, American actor and comedian (b. 1892)
- 1978 - Sandy Denny, British vocalist (b. 1947)
- 1978 - Thomas Wyatt Turner, American civil rights advocate and agricultural engineer (b. 1877)
- 1980 - Aleksandr Oparin, Russian biochemist (b. 1894)
- 1980 - Sohrab Sepehri, Persian poet and painter (b. 1928)
- 1983 - Walter Slezak, Austrian actor (b. 1902)
- 1985 - Rudi Gernreich, Austrian fashion designer (b. 1922)
- 1985 - Foster Hewitt, Canadian radio pioneer (b. 1902)
- 1985 - Tancredo de Almeida Neves, Brazil banker and elected president (b. 1910)
- 1986 - Salah Jaheen, Egyptian poet and cartoonist (b.1930)
- 1989 - Princess Dukhye of Korea (b. 1912)
- 1990 - Erté, French artist (b. 1892)
- 1991 - Willi Boskovsky, Austrian violinist and conductor (b. 1909)
- 1996 - Dzhokhar Dudaev, Chechen leader (b. 1944)
- 1996 - Jimmy "The Greek" Snyder, American bookie and sports broadcaster (b. 1919)
- 1999 - Charles 'Buddy' Rogers, American actor and musician (b. 1904)
- 2000 - Neal Matthews, Jr., American singer (b. 1929)
- 2003 - Nina Simone, American singer and pianist (b. 1933)
- 2004 - Mary McGrory, American journalist (b. 1918)
- 2005 - Gerry Marshall, British racing driver (b. 1941)
- 2006 - T.K. Ramakrishnan, Indian politician (b. 1922)
- 2006 - Telê Santana, Brazilian football manager (b. 1931)
- 2007 - Lobby Loyde, Australian guitarist and songwriter (b. 1941)
Holidays and observances
Liturgical feasts
External links
