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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 date ).
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, drawn and quartered .
1836 - Texas Revolution : The 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 , considered the founder of the Bahá'í Faith , declares his mission as "He whom God shall make manifest ".
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 Vaux sur Somme in France .
1922 - The first Aggie Muster is held as a remembrance for fellow Aggies who had died in the previous year.
1942 - World War II : The most famous (and first international) Aggie Muster is held on the Philippine island of Corregidor , by Brigadier General George F. Moore (with 25 fellow Aggies who were under his command), while 1.8 million pounds of shells pounded the island over a 5 hour attack.
1944 - Women in France receive the right to vote.
1945 - World War II: The 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 Three Powers of the Republic are simultaneously transferred from the old capital, Rio de Janeiro .
1960 - Founding of the Orthodox Bahá'í Faith in Washington, D.C.
1962 - The Seattle World's Fair (Century 21 Exposition ) opens. It is the first World's Fair in the United States since World War II.
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 .
1992 -Robert Alton Harris is put to death in the California Gas Chamber for 3 murders .
1994 - The first discoveries of extrasolar planets are announced by astronomer Alexander Wolszczan .
2008 - The United States Air Force retires the F-117 Nighthawk .
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 )
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 )
1854 - William Stang , Roman Catholic Bishop (d. 1907 )
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 )
1904 - Odilo Globocnik , Austrian Nazi (d. 1945 )
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 American actor (d. 2001 )
1919 - Don Cornell , American singer (d. 2004 )
1920 - Edmund Adamkiewicz , German footballer (d. 1991 )
1920 - Ronald Magill , British actor (d. 2007 )
1923 - John Mortimer , English barrister and writer
1925 - Sir Anthony Mason , former Chief Justice of Australia
1926 - Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom
1926 - Arthur Rowley , English Footballer (d. 2002 )
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 , American politician
1936 - James Dobson , American evangelist
1938 - Ernie Maresca , American singer 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
1957 - Edward Leslie , American professional wrestler
1958 - Andie MacDowell , American actress
1958 - Michael Zarnock , American author and columnist
1958 - Yoshito Usui , Japanese manga artist
1959 - Robert Smith , British musician (The Cure )
1959 - Jerry Only , American musician (The Misfits )
1959 - Michael Timmins , Canadian musician (Cowboy Junkies )
1959 - Tim Jacobus , American artist (Goosebumps )
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 - Alex Baumann , Canadian Olympic swimmer
1964 - Ludmila Engquist , Russian-born Swedish athlete
1965 - Ed Belfour , Canadian ice hockey player
1965 - Karen Foster , American model (Playboy )
1965 - Fiona Kelleghan , American academic and critic
1966 - Michael Franti , American musician
1969 - Robin Meade , American reporter
1970 - Glen Hansard , Irish songwriter and actor
1970 - Rob Riggle , American comedian
1970 - Nicole Sullivan , American actress
1971 - Alexander Kravchenko , Russian professional poker player
1971 - Hasan Akbar , American convicted murderer
1971 - Michael Turner , American comic book artist
1972 - Gwendal Peizerat , French ice dancer
1972 - Severina Vučković , Croatian singer
1973 - Jonathan Nsenga , Belgian athlete
1976 - Rommel Adducul , Filipino basketball player
1977 - Jamie Salé , Canadian figure skater
1977 - Doseone , American rapper
1978 - Jacob Burns , Australian footballer
1978 - Jukka Nevalainen , Finnish drummer (Nightwish )
1978 - Branden Steineckert , American drummer (Rancid ), (The Used )
1979 - James McAvoy , Scottish actor
1980 - Vincent Lecavalier , Canadian hockey player
1980 - Tony Romo , American football player
1980 - Jeff Keppinger , American baseball 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
1987 - Nadif Chowdhury , Bangladeshi cricketer
1988 - Robbie Amell , Canadian actor
1988 - Pedro Mosquera , Spanish footballer
2007 - Princess Isabella of Denmark
Deaths
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 Prince Alfred, Duke of Edinburgh
1910 - Mark Twain , American author and humorist (b. 1835 )
1918 - Manfred von Richthofen , German pilot (b. 1892 )
1922 - Alessandro Moreschi , Italian castrato (b. 1858 )
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 )
1974 - Charles "Chic" Harley , American football player (b. 1895 )
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 )
1998 - Jean Francois Lyotard , French philosopher and sociologist (b. 1924 )
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 )
2008 - Al Wilson , American singer (b. 1939 )
Holidays and observances
External links