April 21

April 21 is the 111th day of the year (112th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar, with 254 days remaining until the end of the year.

Events

Pre-1600

• 753 BC – According to Roman tradition, the city of Rome is founded by Romulus.
• 1187 – Eleanor of Aquitaine is released from captivity after being imprisoned by her husband, Henry II of England.
• 1509 – Henry VIII becomes King of England following the death of his father, Henry VII.
• 1526 – First Battle of Panipat: Babur defeats Ibrahim Lodi, establishing the Mughal Empire in the Indian subcontinent.

1600–1900

• 1606 – The London Company is granted a royal charter by King James I to establish colonies in North America.
• 1836 – Texas Revolution: The Battle of San Jacinto is fought; Texian forces led by Sam Houston defeat the Mexican army, securing Texas's independence.
• 1865 – American Civil War: The funeral train of assassinated President Abraham Lincoln departs Washington, D.C., beginning a two-week journey to his burial place in Springfield, Illinois.
• 1889 – The North-West Mounted Police (which later became the Royal Canadian Mounted Police) is officially established in Canada.

1901–present

• 1918 – World War I: Manfred von Richthofen, the German flying ace known as the "Red Baron", is killed in action over the Western Front.
• 1926 – The British Empire Exhibition is opened by King George V at Wembley Stadium in London.
• 1960 – Brasília is officially inaugurated as the new capital of Brazil, replacing Rio de Janeiro.
• 1989 – Nintendo releases the Game Boy handheld video game console in Japan.
• 2019 – A series of coordinated terrorist bombings target churches and hotels in Sri Lanka on Easter Sunday, resulting in the deaths of over 250 people.

Births

• 1816 – Charlotte Brontë, English novelist and poet, author of Jane Eyre (d. 1855)
• 1864 – Max Weber, German sociologist, historian, jurist, and political economist (d. 1920)
• 1915 – Anthony Quinn, American actor (d. 2001)
• 1926 – Queen Elizabeth II, Queen of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms (d. 2022)
• 1947 – Iggy Pop, American singer-songwriter, musician, and actor

Deaths

• 1142 – Peter Abelard, French scholastic philosopher, theologian, and logician (b. 1079)
• 1699 – Jean de La Bruyère, French philosopher, mathematician, and moralist (b. 1645)
• 1910 – Mark Twain, American author, humorist, and lecturer (b. 1835)
• 1918 – Manfred von Richthofen, German fighter pilot and flying ace (b. 1892)
• 1945 – Walther Model, German field marshal (b. 1891)
• 2016 – Prince, American singer-songwriter, musician, and actor (b. 1958)

Holidays and observances

• Tiradentes Day (Brazil)
• Kartini Day (Indonesia)
• Christian feast day: Saint Anselm of Canterbury