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On this day: April 21

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

 

April 21 in one line

Headline entries for April 21, from Wikipedia: in 1526, Ibrahim Khan Lodi, the last ruler of the Lodi dynasty, was defeated and killed by Babur at the First Battle of Panipat, marking the beginning of Mughal rule in India; born 1926: Elizabeth II, Queen of the United Kingdom and her other realms (died 2022); died 1910: Mark Twain, American novelist, humorist, and critic (born 1835). In 2026 it is a Tuesday, in 2027 a Wednesday.

Events on April 21

  • 753 BC According to the calculations of the ancient Roman scholar Varro Reatinus, Romulus and Remus legendarily founded the city of Rome. Wikipedia
  • 43 BC Forces led by Mark Antony fought the Battle of Mutina against those of Decimus Brutus, one of Julius Caesar's assassins. Wikipedia
  • 900 A debt was pardoned by the chief of Tondo on the island of Luzon and recorded on the Laguna Copperplate Inscription, the earliest known calendar-dated document found in the Philippines. Wikipedia
  • 995 Ælfric of Abingdon was appointed Archbishop of Canterbury. Wikipedia
  • 1509 Henry VIII ascends the throne of England on the death of his father, Henry VII. Wikipedia
  • 1526 Ibrahim Khan Lodi, the last ruler of the Lodi dynasty, was defeated and killed by Babur at the First Battle of Panipat, marking the beginning of Mughal rule in India. Wikipedia
  • 1615 The Wignacourt Aqueduct in Malta was inaugurated, and was used to carry water to Valletta for about 300 years. Wikipedia
  • 1725 J. S. Bach's cantata Bleib bei uns, denn es will Abend werden, was first performed on Easter Monday. Wikipedia
  • 1789 The Ladies of Trenton social club hosted a reception for President-elect George Washington as he journeyed to New York City for his first inauguration. Wikipedia
  • 1789 John Adams sworn in as first US Vice President (nine days before George Washington). Wikipedia
  • 1836 Forces of the Republic of Texas led by Sam Houston defeated the Mexican troops of Antonio López de Santa Anna in the Battle of San Jacinto, the decisive and final battle of the Texas Revolution. Wikipedia
  • 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
  • 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
  • 1948 United Nations Security Council Resolution 47 relating to Kashmir conflict is adopted. Wikipedia
  • 1958 United Airlines Flight 736 collided with a U.S. Air Force fighter jet over southern Nevada, resulting in the deaths of all 49 people on board both aircraft. Wikipedia
  • 1960 Brasília, a planned city primarily designed by architect and urban planner Lúcio Costa, was officially inaugurated, replacing Rio de Janeiro as the capital of Brazil. Wikipedia
  • 1962 The Century 21 Exposition, the first world's fair in the United States since World War II, opened in Seattle. Wikipedia
  • 1967 A violent tornado strikes multiple schools and destroys houses in Belvidere, Illinois, United States, causing over 450 casualties. Wikipedia
  • 1970 In response to a dispute over wheat production quotas, Leonard Casley declared his 75 km2 (29 sq mi) farm in Western Australia to be an independent country as the Hutt River Province. Wikipedia
  • 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
  • 1975 South Vietnamese president Nguyễn Văn Thiệu resigned on hearing of the fall of Xuân Lộc, the last battle of the Vietnam War. Wikipedia
  • 1989 Tiananmen Square protests of 1989: In Beijing, around 100,000 students gather in Tiananmen Square to commemorate Chinese reform leader Hu Yaobang. Wikipedia
  • 2010 Ukraine and Russia signed the Kharkiv Pact, extending the Russian lease on naval facilities in Crimea. Wikipedia
  • 2014 The city of Flint, Michigan, U.S., changed its water source to the Flint River, which exposed residents to lead poisoning.a Wikipedia
  • 2019 Eight bombs explode at churches, hotels, and other locations in Sri Lanka on Easter Sunday, killing at least 269. Wikipedia
  • 2021 The Indonesian Navy submarine Nanggala imploded and sank in the Bali Sea, resulting in the deaths of all 53 people on board. Wikipedia

Born on April 21

  • 1488 Ulrich von Hutten, German religious reformer (died 1523) Wikipedia
  • 1619 Jan van Riebeeck, Dutch founder of Cape Town (died 1677) Wikipedia
  • 1671 John Law, Scottish economist (died 1729) Wikipedia
  • 1774 Jean-Baptiste Biot, French physicist, astronomer, and mathematician (died 1862) Wikipedia
  • 1816 Charlotte Brontë, English novelist and poet (died 1855) Wikipedia
  • 1837 Fredrik Bajer, Danish lieutenant and politician, Nobel Prize laureate (died 1922) Wikipedia
  • 1838 John Muir, Scottish-American environmentalist and author (died 1914) Wikipedia
  • 1864 Max Weber, German economist and sociologist (died 1920) Wikipedia
  • 1882 Percy Williams Bridgman, American physicist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (died 1961) Wikipedia
  • 1889 Paul Karrer, Russian-Swiss chemist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (died 1971) Wikipedia
  • 1915 Anthony Quinn, Mexican-American actor (died 2001) Wikipedia
  • 1922 Alistair MacLean, Scottish novelist and screenwriter (died 1987) Wikipedia
  • 1926 Elizabeth II, Queen of the United Kingdom and her other realms (died 2022) Wikipedia
  • 1930 Silvana Mangano, Italian actress (died 1989) Wikipedia
  • 1947 Iggy Pop, American singer-songwriter, producer, and actor Wikipedia
  • 1958 Andie MacDowell, American model, actress, and producer Wikipedia
  • 1959 Robert Smith, English singer-songwriter and guitarist Wikipedia
  • 1979 James McAvoy, Scottish actor Wikipedia
  • 1992 Isco, Spanish footballer Wikipedia
  • 1997 Mikel Oyarzabal, Spanish footballer Wikipedia
  • 2003 Xavi Simons, Dutch footballer Wikipedia
  • 2007 Princess Isabella of Denmark, daughter of King Frederik X and Queen Mary of Denmark Wikipedia

Died on April 21

  • 1073 Pope Alexander II Wikipedia
  • 1109 Anselm of Canterbury, Italian-English archbishop and saint (born 1033) Wikipedia
  • 1142 Peter Abelard, French philosopher and theologian (born 1079) Wikipedia
  • 1509 Henry VII of England (born 1457) Wikipedia
  • 1699 Jean Racine, French playwright and poet (born 1639) Wikipedia
  • 1736 Prince Eugene of Savoy (born 1663) Wikipedia
  • 1910 Mark Twain, American novelist, humorist, and critic (born 1835) Wikipedia
  • 1938 Allama Muhammad Iqbal, Pakistani National philosopher and poet (born 1877) Wikipedia
  • 1946 John Maynard Keynes, English economist and philosopher (born 1883) Wikipedia
  • 1965 Edward Victor Appleton, English-Scottish physicist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (born 1892) Wikipedia
  • 2003 Nina Simone, American singer-songwriter, pianist, and activist (born 1933) Wikipedia
  • 2010 Juan Antonio Samaranch, Spanish businessman, seventh President of the International Olympic Committee (born 1920) Wikipedia
  • 2016 Prince, American singer-songwriter, guitarist, producer, and actor (born 1958) Wikipedia
  • 2025 Pope Francis (born 1936) Wikipedia

Holidays and observances

Sources

The events, births, deaths and observances above are from the English Wikipedia article “April 21” and the articles it links to (authors and history), retrieved 2026-10-15 through the Wikimedia “On this day” feed. They are licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0; this selection is shared under the same licence. Every anniversary that Wikipedia's editors selected for April 21 stays on the list; the remaining places, up to 26 events, 22 births and 14 deaths, go to the entries whose own article — about the event itself, or else the person or thing it is about — appears in the most language editions (counted from Wikidata); an article about a person or thing, which covers far more than one day, counts half. An entry with no article of its own counts, also at half, by the least covered article it links, and one that links only places counts for nothing. Each list runs by year, and the wording is unchanged apart from removing references to pictures, audio and video.

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