# What happened on April 21 in history?

**Date:** April 21  
**Events recorded:** 53  
**Years spanned:** 753 BC – 2021  
**Full page:** https://thisday.info/events/april/21/

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## Featured Event

**2019** — Eight bombs explode at churches, hotels, and other locations in Sri Lanka on Easter Sunday, killing at least 269.

[Read more on Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2019_Sri_Lanka_Easter_bombings)

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## Events on this date

- **753 BC** — Romulus founds Rome (traditional date). ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Romulus))
- **43 BC** — Battle of Mutina: Mark Antony is again defeated in battle by Aulus Hirtius, who is killed. Antony fails to capture Mutina and Decimus Brutus is murdered shortly after. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Mutina))
- **900** — The Laguna Copperplate Inscription (the earliest known written document found in what is now the Philippines): the Commander-in-Chief of the Kingdom of Tondo, as represented by the Honourable Jayadewa, Lord Minister of Pailah, pardons from all debt the Honourable Namwaran and his relations. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Laguna_Copperplate_Inscription))
- **1092** — The Diocese of Pisa is elevated to the rank of metropolitan archdiocese by Pope Urban II. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Archdiocese_of_Pisa))
- **1506** — The three-day Lisbon Massacre comes to an end with the slaughter of over 1,900 suspected Jews by Portuguese Catholics. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lisbon_massacre))
- **1509** — Henry VIII ascends the throne of England on the death of his father, Henry VII. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henry_VIII))
- **1526** — The last ruler of the Lodi dynasty, Ibrahim Lodi, is defeated and killed by Babur in the First Battle of Panipat. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lodi_dynasty))
- **1615** — The Wignacourt Aqueduct is inaugurated in Malta. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wignacourt_Aqueduct))
- **1782** — The city of Rattanakosin, now known internationally as Bangkok, is founded on the eastern bank of the Chao Phraya River by King Buddha Yodfa Chulaloke. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bangkok))
- **1789** — John Adams sworn in as first US Vice President (nine days before George Washington). ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Adams))
- **1789** — George Washington's reception at Trenton is hosted by the Ladies of Trenton as he journeys to New York City for his first inauguration. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Washington's_reception_at_Trenton))
- **1792** — Tiradentes, a revolutionary leading a movement for Brazil's independence, is hanged, drawn and quartered. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tiradentes))
- **1796** — War of the First Coalition: In the climax of the Montenotte Campaign, Napoleon Bonaparte decisively defeats the army of Piedmont at the Battle of Mondovi, leading to Piedmont's surrender a week later and decisively turning the Italian campaign in France's favor. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/War_of_the_First_Coalition))
- **1802** — Twelve thousand Wahhabis sack Karbala, killing over three thousand inhabitants. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wahhabi_sack_of_Karbala))
- **1806** — Action of 21 April 1806: A French frigate escapes British forces off the coast of South Africa. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Action_of_21_April_1806))
- **1809** — Two Austrian army corps are driven from Landshut by a First French Empire army led by Napoleon as two French corps to the north hold off the main Austrian army on the first day of the Battle of Eckmühl. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Landshut))
- **1821** — Benderli Ali Pasha arrives in Constantinople as the new Grand Vizier of the Ottoman Empire; he remains in power for only nine days before being sent into exile. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Benderli_Ali_Pasha))
- **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. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Texas_Revolution))
- **1856** — Australian labour movement: Stonemasons and building workers on building sites around Melbourne march from the University of Melbourne to Parliament House to achieve an eight-hour day. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Australian_labour_movement))
- **1894** — Norway formally adopts the Krag–Jørgensen bolt-action rifle as the main arm of its armed forces, a weapon that would remain in service for almost 50 years. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Krag%E2%80%93J%C3%B8rgensen))
- **1898** — Spanish–American War: The United States Navy begins a blockade of Cuban ports. When the U.S. Congress issued a declaration of war on April 25, it declared that a state of war had existed from this date. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spanish%E2%80%93American_War))
- **1914** — Ypiranga incident: A German arms shipment to Mexico is intercepted by the U.S. Navy near Veracruz. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ypiranga_incident))
- **1918** — World War I: German fighter ace Manfred von Richthofen, better known as "The Red Baron", is shot down and killed over Vaux-sur-Somme in France. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_War_I))
- **1926** — Al-Baqi cemetery, former site of the mausoleum of four Shi'a Imams, is leveled to the ground by Wahhabis. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Al-Baqi_Cemetery))
- **1934** — The "Surgeon's Photograph", the most famous photo allegedly showing the Loch Ness Monster, is published in the Daily Mail (in 1994, it is revealed to be a hoax). ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Loch_Ness_Monster))
- **1945** — World War II: Soviet forces south of Berlin at Zossen attack the German High Command headquarters. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_War_II))
- **1946** — The U.S. Weather Bureau records that a tornado which struck Timber Lake, South Dakota was 4 miles (6.4 km), among the widest tornadoes on record. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Weather_Service))
- **1948** — United Nations Security Council Resolution 47 relating to Kashmir conflict is adopted. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_Nations_Security_Council_Resolution_47))
- **1950** — The Nainital wedding massacre occurs, killing 22 members of the Harijan caste. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_mass_stabbing_incidents_(before_2010)))
- **1952** — Secretary's Day (now Administrative Professionals' Day) is first celebrated. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Administrative_Professionals_Day))
- **1958** — United Air Lines Flight 736 collides with a United States Air Force fighter jet near Arden, Nevada in what is now Enterprise, Nevada. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_Air_Lines_Flight_736))
- **1960** — Brasília, Brazil's capital, is officially inaugurated. At 09:30, the Three Powers of the Republic are simultaneously transferred from the old capital, Rio de Janeiro. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bras%C3%ADlia))
- **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. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Century_21_Exposition))
- **1963** — The first election of the Universal House of Justice is held, marking its establishment as the supreme governing institution of the Baháʼí Faith. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Universal_House_of_Justice))
- **1964** — A Transit-5bn satellite fails to reach orbit after launch; as it re-enters the atmosphere, 2.1 pounds (0.95 kg) of radioactive plutonium in its SNAP RTG power source is widely dispersed. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Transit_(satellite_navigation_system)))
- **1965** — The 1964–1965 New York World's Fair opens for its second and final season. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1964_New_York_World's_Fair))
- **1966** — Rastafari movement: Haile Selassie of Ethiopia visits Jamaica, an event now celebrated as Grounation Day. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rastafari))
- **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. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/General_election))
- **1967** — A tornado outbreak in Illinois, United States, kills over 50 and injures over 1,000. Belvidere sustains over 500 casualties as a violent tornado strikes the high school. Another tornado near Chicago causes another 500 casualties, devastating Oak Lawn. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tornado_outbreak_of_April_21%2C_1967))
- **1972** — Astronauts John Young and Charles Duke fly Apollo 16's Apollo Lunar Module to the Moon's surface, the fifth NASA Apollo Program crewed lunar landing. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Young_(astronaut)))
- **1975** — Vietnam War: President of South Vietnam Nguyễn Văn Thiệu flees Saigon, as Xuân Lộc, the last South Vietnamese outpost blocking a direct North Vietnamese assault on Saigon, falls. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vietnam_War))
- **1977** — Annie opens on Broadway. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Annie_(musical)))
- **1982** — Baseball: Rollie Fingers of the Milwaukee Brewers becomes the first pitcher to record 300 saves. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baseball))
- **1985** — The compound of the militant group The Covenant, The Sword, and the Arm of the Lord surrenders to federal authorities in Arkansas after a two-day government siege. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Covenant%2C_the_Sword%2C_and_the_Arm_of_the_Lord))
- **1987** — The Tamil Tigers are blamed for a car bomb that detonates in the Sri Lankan capital city of Colombo, killing 106 people. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Liberation_Tigers_of_Tamil_Eelam))
- **1989** — Tiananmen Square protests of 1989: In Beijing, around 100,000 students gather in Tiananmen Square to commemorate Chinese reform leader Hu Yaobang. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1989_Tiananmen_Square_protests_and_massacre))
- **1993** — The Supreme Court in La Paz, Bolivia, sentences former dictator Luis García Meza to 30 years in jail without parole for murder, theft, fraud and violating the constitution. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/La_Paz))
- **1996** — Four people are killed and 75 are injured in a train accident in Jokela, Finland. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jokela_rail_accident))
- **2004** — Five suicide car bombers target police stations in and around Basra, killing 74 people and wounding 160. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2004_Basra_police_station_bombings))
- **2010** — The controversial Kharkiv Pact (Russian Ukrainian Naval Base for Gas Treaty) is signed in Kharkiv, Ukraine, by Ukrainian president Viktor Yanukovych and Russian president Dmitry Medvedev; it was unilaterally terminated by Russia on March 31, 2014. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kharkiv_Pact))
- **2012** — Two trains are involved in a head-on collision near Sloterdijk, Amsterdam, in the Netherlands, killing one person and injuring 116 others. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amsterdam_Westerpark_train_collision))
- **2019** — Eight bombs explode at churches, hotels, and other locations in Sri Lanka on Easter Sunday, killing at least 269. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2019_Sri_Lanka_Easter_bombings))
- **2021** — Indonesian Navy submarine KRI Nanggala (402) sinks in the Bali Sea during a military drill, killing all 53 on board. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indonesian_Navy))

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## Notable births on April 21

- **2008** — **Hyein** — South Korean singer ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hyein))
- **2007** — **Princess Isabella of Denmark** — daughter of King Frederik X and Queen Mary of Denmark ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Princess_Isabella_of_Denmark))
- **2003** — **Xavi Simons** — Dutch footballer ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Xavi_Simons))
- **1999** — **Choi Hyun-suk** — South Korean rapper ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Choi_Hyun-suk))
- **1998** — **Jarrett Allen** — American basketball player ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jarrett_Allen))
- **1997** — **Mikel Oyarzabal** — Spanish footballer ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mikel_Oyarzabal))
- **1996** — **Arianne Hartono** — Dutch tennis player ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arianne_Hartono))
- **1994** — **Ludwig Augustinsson** — Swedish footballer ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ludwig_Augustinsson))
- **1992** — **Isco** — Spanish footballer ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Isco))
- **1992** — **Joc Pederson** — American baseball player ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joc_Pederson))

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## Notable deaths on April 21

- **2025** — **Pope Francis (born 1936)** ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pope_Francis))
- **2024** — **Terry A. Anderson** — American journalist (born 1947) ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Terry_A._Anderson))
- **2019** — **Polly Higgins** — Scottish barrister, author and environmental lobbyist (born 1968) ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polly_Higgins))
- **2018** — **Nabi Tajima** — Japanese supercentenarian (born 1900) ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nabi_Tajima))
- **2017** — **Ugo Ehiogu** — English footballer (born 1972) ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ugo_Ehiogu))
- **2016** — **Prince** — American singer-songwriter, guitarist, producer, and actor (born 1958) ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prince_(musician)))
- **2014** — **George H. Heilmeier** — American engineer (born 1936) ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_H._Heilmeier))
- **2014** — **Win Tin** — Burmese journalist and politician, co-founded the National League for Democracy (born 1930) ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Win_Tin))
- **2013** — **Shakuntala Devi** — Indian mathematician and astrologer (born 1929) ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shakuntala_Devi))
- **2013** — **Leopold Engleitner** — Austrian Holocaust survivor, author, and educator (born 1905) ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leopold_Engleitner))

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## About this page

This is a machine-readable Markdown summary of [thisday.info/events/april/21/](https://thisday.info/events/april/21/).  
Historical data is sourced from [Wikipedia/Wikimedia](https://www.wikipedia.org) under [CC BY-SA](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/).  
Editorial framing and site content © thisday.info.