April 21

April 21 in recent years

2024 (Sunday)

2023 (Friday)

2022 (Thursday)

2021 (Wednesday)

2020 (Tuesday)

2019 (Sunday)

2018 (Saturday)

2017 (Friday)

2016 (Thursday)

2015 (Tuesday)

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

Events

• 753 BC – Romulus founds Rome (traditional date).
• 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.
• 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.
• 1092 – The Diocese of Pisa is elevated to the rank of metropolitan archdiocese by Pope Urban II
• 1506 – The three-day Lisbon Massacre comes to an end with the slaughter of over 1,900 suspected Jews by Portuguese Catholics.
• 1509 – Henry VIII ascends the throne of England on the death of his father, Henry VII.
• 1526 – The last ruler of the Lodi dynasty, Ibrahim Lodi is defeated and killed by Babur in the First Battle of Panipat.
• 1615 – The Wignacourt Aqueduct is inaugurated in Malta.
• 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.
• 1792 – Tiradentes, a revolutionary leading a movement for Brazil's independence, is hanged, drawn and quartered.
• 1806 – Action of 21 April 1806: A French frigate escapes British forces off the coast of South Africa.
• 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.
• 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.
• 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.
• 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.
• 1863 – Bahá'u'lláh, the founder of the Bahá'í Faith, declares his mission as "He whom God shall make manifest".
• 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.
• 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.
• 1914 – Ypiranga incident: A German arms shipment to Mexico is intercepted by the U.S. Navy near Veracruz.
• 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.
• 1925 – The Manifesto of the Fascist Intellectuals is published in Il Mondo, establishing the political and ideological foundations of Italian Fascism.
• 1934 – The "Surgeon's Photograph", the most famous photo allegedly showing the Loch Ness Monster, is published in the Daily Mail (in 1999, it is revealed to be a hoax).
• 1941 – Emmanouil Tsouderos becomes the 132nd Prime Minister of Greece.
• 1945 – World War II: Soviet forces south of Berlin at Zossen attack the German High Command headquarters.
• 1948 – United Nations Security Council Resolution 47 is adopted.
• 1952 – Secretary's Day (now Administrative Professionals' Day) is first celebrated.
• 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.
• 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.
• 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.
• 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 – Greek military junta of 1967–74: 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 secedes from Australia as the Principality of Hutt River.
• 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.
• 1982 – Baseball: Rollie Fingers of the Milwaukee Brewers becomes the first pitcher to record 300 saves.
• 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.
• 1987 – The Tamil Tigers are blamed for a car bomb that detonates in the Sri Lankan capital city 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 – The first discoveries of extrasolar planets are announced by astronomers Aleksander Wolszczan and Dale Frail. They discovered two planets orbiting the pulsar PSR 1257+12.
• 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.
• 2004 – Five suicide car bombers target police stations in and around Basra, killing 74 people and wounding 160.
• 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 will be unilaterally terminated by Russia on March 31, 2014.
• 2012 – Two trains are involved in a head-on collision near Sloterdijk, Amsterdam, in the Netherlands, injuring 116 people.
• 2012 – United Nations Security Council Resolution 2043 is adopted.

Births

• 1555 – Ludovico Carracci, Italian painter and etcher (d. 1619)
• 1630 – Pieter Gerritsz van Roestraten, Dutch-English painter (d. 1700)
• 1642 – Simon de la Loubère, French mathematician, poet, and diplomat (d. 1729)
• 1651 – Joseph Vaz, Sri Lankan priest, missionary, and saint (d. 1711)
• 1652 – Michel Rolle, French mathematician and academic (d. 1719)
• 1671 – John Law, Scottish economist (d. 1729)
• 1673 – Wilhelmine Amalia of Brunswick-Lüneburg (d. 1742)
• 1713 – Louis de Noailles, French general (d. 1793)
• 1730 – Antonín Kammel, Czech violinist and composer (d. 1788)
• 1752 – Pierre-Alexandre-Laurent Forfait, French engineer, hydrographer, and politician, French Minister of Marine and the Colonies (d. 1807)
• 1752 – Humphry Repton, English gardener and author (d. 1818)
• 1767 – Duchess Elisabeth of Württemberg (d. 1790)
• 1774 – Jean-Baptiste Biot, French physicist, astronomer, and mathematician (d. 1862)
• 1775 – Alexander Anderson, American illustrator and engraver (d. 1870)
• 1790 – Manuel Blanco Encalada, Chilean admiral and politician, 1st President of Chile (d. 1876)
• 1810 – John Putnam Chapin, American politician, 10th Mayor of Chicago (d. 1864)
• 1811 – Alson Sherman, American merchant and politician, 8th Mayor of Chicago (d. 1903)
• 1814 – Angela Burdett-Coutts, 1st Baroness Burdett-Coutts, English art collector and philanthropist (d. 1906)
• 1816 – Charlotte Brontë, English novelist and poet (d. 1855)
• 1837 – Fredrik Bajer, Danish lieutenant and politician, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1922)
• 1838 – John Muir, Scottish-American environmentalist and author (d. 1914)
• 1851 – Charles Barrois, French geologist and palaeontologist (d. 1939)
• 1854 – William Stang, German-American bishop (d. 1907)
• 1862 – John Thayer, American cricketer (d. 1912)
• 1864 – Max Weber, German economist and sociologist (d. 1920)
• 1868 – Alfred Henry Maurer, American painter (d. 1932)
• 1870 – Edwin Stanton Porter, American director, producer, and screenwriter (d. 1941)
• 1871 – Jaro Fürth, Czech-Austrian actor (d. 1945)
• 1874 – Vincent Scotto, French actor and composer (d. 1952)
• 1879 – Kartini, Indonesian activist (d. 1904)
• 1882 – Percy Williams Bridgman, American physicist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1961)
• 1885 – Tatu Kolehmainen, Finnish runner (d. 1967)
• 1887 – Joe McCarthy, American baseball player and manager (d. 1978)
• 1889 – Marcel Boussac, French businessman (d. 1980)
• 1889 – Paul Karrer, Russian-Swiss chemist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1971)
• 1889 – Efrem Zimbalist, Sr., Russian-American violinist, composer, and conductor (d. 1985)
• 1890 – Marc Wright, American pole vaulter (d. 1975)
• 1892 – Freddie Dixon, English motorcycle racer and racing driver (d. 1956)
• 1893 – Romeo Bertini, Italian runner (d. 1973)
• 1898 – Maurice Wilson, English soldier, pilot, and mountaineer (d. 1934)
• 1899 – Randall Thompson, American composer and academic (d. 1984)
• 1903 – Issy Bonn, English actor, comedian, and singer (d. 1977)
• 1903 – Luis Saslavsky, Argentinian director, producer, and screenwriter (d. 1995)
• 1904 – Jean Hélion, French painter (d. 1987)
• 1904 – Odilo Globocnik, Italian-Austrian SS officer (d. 1945)
• 1905 – Pat Brown, American lawyer and politician, 32nd Governor of California (d. 1996)
• 1906 – Eugen Sacharias, German-Estonian architect (d. 2002)
• 1907 – Wade Mainer, American singer and banjo player (d. 2011)
• 1911 – Ivan Combe, American businessman, developed Clearasil (d. 2000)
• 1911 – Leonard Warren, American opera singer (d. 1960)
• 1911 – Kemal Satır, Turkish physician and politician (d. 1991)
• 1912 – Eve Arnold, American photojournalist (d. 2012)
• 1912 – Marcel Camus, French director and screenwriter (d. 1982)
• 1913 – Norman Parkinson, English photographer (d. 1990)
• 1914 – Norman Panama, American director and screenwriter (d. 2003)
• 1914 – Angelo Savoldi, Italian-American wrestler and promoter, co-founded International World Class Championship Wrestling (d. 2013)
• 1915 – Garrett Hardin, American ecologist, author, and academic (d. 2003)
• 1915 – Anthony Quinn, Mexican-American actor and producer (d. 2001)
• 1916 – Estella B. Diggs, American businesswoman and politician (d. 2013)
• 1916 – Eldon Rathburn, Canadian composer (d. 2008)
• 1918 – Eddy Christiani, Dutch singer-songwriter and guitarist
• 1919 – Don Cornell, American singer and trumpet player (d. 2004)
• 1919 – Roger Doucet, Canadian tenor (d. 1981)
• 1919 – Licio Gelli, Italian financer (d. 2015)
• 1920 – Edmund Adamkiewicz, German footballer (d. 1991)
• 1920 – Ronald Magill, English actor (d. 2007)
• 1922 – Nazim Al-Haqqani, Cypriot sufi leader (d. 2014)
• 1922 – Alistair MacLean, Scottish novelist and screenwriter (d. 1987)
• 1922 – Allan Watkins, Welsh-English cricketer (d. 2011)
• 1923 – John Mortimer, English lawyer and author (d. 2009)
• 1924 – Ira Louvin, American singer-songwriter and mandolin player (The Louvin Brothers) (d. 1965)
• 1925 – Anthony Mason, Australian soldier and judge, 9th Chief Justice of Australia
• 1925 – John Swinton of Kimmerghame, English general and politician, Lord Lieutenant of Berwickshire
• 1926 – Elizabeth II, Queen of The United Kingdom
• 1926 – Keith Davey, Canadian businessman and politician (d. 2011)
• 1926 – Robin Ibbs, English lawyer and banker (d. 2014)
• 1926 – Arthur Rowley, English footballer, cricketer, and manager (d. 2002)
• 1927 – Ahmed Arif, Turkish poet and author (d. 1991)
• 1927 – Robert Savoie, Canadian actor and singer (d. 2007)
• 1928 – Jack Evans, Welsh-Canadian ice hockey player and coach (d. 1996)
• 1929 – Barbara Keogh, English actress (d. 2005)
• 1930 – Hilda Hilst, Brazilian author, poet, and playwright (d. 2004)
• 1930 – Silvana Mangano, Italian actress (d. 1989)
• 1930 – Dieter Roth, German-Swiss illustrator and sculptor (d. 1998)
• 1930 – Jack Taylor, English footballer and referee (d. 2012)
• 1932 – Slide Hampton, American trombonist and composer
• 1932 – Elaine May, American actress, director, and screenwriter
• 1932 – Angela Mortimer, English tennis player
• 1933 – Edelmiro Amante, Filipino lawyer and politician (d. 2013)
• 1933 – Easley Blackwood, Jr., American pianist, composer, and educator
• 1933 – Ignatius Zakka I Iwas, Iraqi patriarch (d. 2014)
• 1935 – Robin Dixon, 3rd Baron Glentoran, Irish bobsledder and politician
• 1935 – Charles Grodin, American actor and talk show host
• 1935 – Thomas Kean, American academic and politician, 48th Governor of New Jersey
• 1936 – James Dobson, American evangelist, psychologist, and author, founded Focus on the Family
• 1936 – Reg Fleming, Canadian-American ice hockey player (d. 2009)
• 1936 – Avo Paistik, Estonian pastor, author, illustrator, and painter (d. 2013)
• 1937 – David Lucas, American rock and roll composer, singer, and music producer
• 1937 – Ben Zinn, Israeli-born American academic in engineering and former international soccer player
• 1939 – John McCabe, English pianist and composer (d. 2015)
• 1939 – Sister Helen Prejean, American nun, activist, and author
• 1939 – Reni Santoni, American actor
• 1940 – Jacques Caron, Canadian ice hockey player and coach
• 1940 – Souleymane Cissé, Malian director, producer, and screenwriter
• 1941 – David L. Boren, American lawyer and politician, 21st Governor of Oklahoma
• 1942 – Laine Kallas, Estonian runner and agronomist
• 1942 – Pierre Lorrain, Canadian lawyer and politician (d. 2004)
• 1942 – Geoffrey Palmer, New Zealand politician, 33rd Prime Minister of New Zealand
• 1943 – Alan Fersht, English chemist and academic
• 1944 – Paul Geremia, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
• 1944 – Adrian Hurley, Australian basketball player and coach
• 1945 – Ian Bruce, English author and academic
• 1945 – Philip Sidney, 2nd Viscount De L'Isle, English soldier
• 1945 – Ronnie Tober, Dutch-American singer
• 1945 – Srinivasaraghavan Venkataraghavan, Indian cricketer and umpire
• 1946 – Claire Denis, French film director and writer
• 1947 – Robert Black, Scottish serial killer (d. 2016)
• 1947 – Barbara Park, American author (d. 2013)
• 1947 – Iggy Pop, American singer-songwriter, producer, and actor (The Stooges and The Trolls)
• 1947 – John Weider, English bass player (Family, The Animals, Johnny Kidd & the Pirates, and Stud)
• 1948 – Gary Condit, American businessman and politician
• 1948 – Paul Davis, American singer-songwriter and pianist (d. 2008)
• 1948 – Dieter Fromm, German runner
• 1948 – Alan West, Baron West of Spithead, English admiral and politician, Minister for Security
• 1949 – Patti LuPone, American actress and singer
• 1950 – Bruce Duperouzel, Australian footballer and cricketer
• 1950 – Kielo Tommila, Finnish actress
• 1950 – Shivaji Satam, Indian actor
• 1951 – Tony Danza, American actor and producer
• 1951 – Michael Freedman, American mathematician and academic
• 1951 – Bob Varsha, American sportscaster
• 1951 – Steve Vickers, Canadian ice hockey player
• 1952 – Gerald Early, American author and academic
• 1952 – Cheryl Gillan, Welsh businesswoman and politician, Secretary of State for Wales
• 1953 – Forrest, American-Dutch singer (d. 2013)
• 1953 – Mike Clasper, English businessman
• 1953 – Guy Mongrain, Canadian journalist and game show host
• 1954 – Ebiet G. Ade, Indonesian singer-songwriter and guitarist
• 1954 – James Morrison, American actor, director, producer, and screenwriter
• 1955 – Murathan Mungan, Turkish author, poet, and playwright
• 1955 – Doug Soetaert, Canadian ice hockey player
• 1956 – Peter Kosminsky, English director, producer, and screenwriter
• 1956 – Phillip Longman, German-American demographer and journalist
• 1957 – Brutus Beefcake, American wrestler
• 1957 – Hervé Le Tellier, French linguist and author
• 1957 – Jesse Orosco, American baseball player
• 1957 – Herbert Wetterauer, German painter, sculptor, and author
• 1958 – Andie MacDowell, American actress and producer
• 1958 – Yoshito Usui, Japanese illustrator (d. 2009)
• 1958 – Michael Zarnock, American author
• 1959 – Tim Jacobus, American illustrator and painter
• 1959 – Olga Kuragina, Russian pentathlete
• 1959 – Jerry Only, American Musician (Misfits)
• 1959 – Arno Pijpers, Dutch footballer and coach
• 1959 – Robert Smith, English singer-songwriter and guitarist (The Cure, Siouxsie and the Banshees, and The Glove)
• 1960 – Michel Goulet, Canadian ice hockey player and scout
• 1960 – Julius Korir, Kenyan runner
• 1961 – Cathy Cavadini, American voice actress and singer
• 1961 – Ronald Florijn, Dutch rower
• 1961 – Carey Hayes, American screenwriter and producer
• 1961 – Chad Hayes, American actor, producer, and screenwriter
• 1961 – Neale Marmon, English-German footballer, coach, and manager
• 1961 – David Servan-Schreiber, French physician, neuroscientist, and author (d. 2011)
• 1962 – Les Lancaster, American baseball player and coach
• 1962 – Craig Robinson, American basketball player and coach
• 1962 – Aavo Sarap, Estonian footballer and coach
• 1963 – Ken Caminiti, American baseball player (d. 2004)
• 1963 – Roy Dupuis, Canadian actor
• 1963 – John Cameron Mitchell, American actor, director, and screenwriter
• 1964 – Alex Baumann, Czech-Canadian swimmer
• 1964 – Ludmila Engquist, Russian-Swedish hurdler
• 1965 – Ed Belfour, Canadian ice hockey player
• 1965 – Karen Foster, American model and actress
• 1965 – Gary Grant, American basketball player
• 1965 – Thomas Helmer, German footballer
• 1965 – Fiona Kelleghan, American academic, critic and librarian
• 1965 – Oliver McCall, American boxer
• 1965 – Teri Sue Wood, American illustrator
• 1967 – Emilio Valle, Cuban hurdler
• 1968 – Peter van Vossen, Dutch footballer and coach
• 1969 – John Kibowen, Kenyan runner
• 1969 – Robin Meade, American model, singer, and journalist
• 1969 – Toby Stephens, English actor
• 1970 – Jeff Anderson, American actor, director, and screenwriter
• 1970 – Glen Hansard, Irish singer-songwriter, guitarist, and actor (The Frames and The Swell Season)
• 1970 – Rob Riggle, American Marine Corps officer and actor
• 1970 – Nicole Sullivan, American actress and screenwriter
• 1971 – Anwar al-Awlaki, American-Yemeni terrorist (d. 2011)
• 1971 – Alexander Kravchenko, Russian poker player
• 1971 – Martin Kuuskmann, Estonian bassoon player
• 1971 – Indrek Pertelson, Estonian martial artist
• 1971 – Axl Rotten, American wrestler (d. 2016)
• 1971 – Michael Turner, American author and illustrator (d. 2008)
• 1972 – Richard Chelimo, Kenyan runner (d. 2001)
• 1972 – Gwendal Peizerat, French ice dancer
• 1973 – Jonathan Nsenga, Belgian hurdler and coach
• 1974 – Maksim Gruznov, Estonian footballer
• 1974 – Orlando Jordan, American wrestler
• 1974 – David Peachey, Australian rugby league player
• 1975 – Danyon Loader, New Zealand swimmer
• 1976 – Rommel Adducul, Filipino basketball player
• 1976 – Petero Civoniceva, Fijian-Australian rugby league player
• 1977 – Doseone, American rapper and producer (Deep Puddle Dynamics, Greenthink, Clouddead, Themselves, Subtle, and 13 & God)
• 1977 – Gyula Koi, Hungarian scholar and educator
• 1977 – Jamie Salé, Canadian figure skater
• 1978 – Jacob Burns, Australian footballer
• 1978 – Yuliya Pechonkina, Russian hurdler
• 1978 – Branden Steineckert, American drummer (The Used and Rancid)
• 1979 – Cindy Kurleto, Austrian-Filipino model and actress
• 1979 – Tobias Linderoth, French-Swedish footballer and coach
• 1979 – James McAvoy, Scottish actor
• 1980 – Jeff Keppinger, American baseball player
• 1980 – Hiro Shimono, Japanese voice actor
• 1980 – Vincent Lecavalier, Canadian ice hockey player
• 1980 – Tony Romo, American football player
• 1981 – Mads Junker, Danish footballer
• 1982 – Khalif Barnes, American football player
• 1982 – Brianne Davis, American model, actress, and producer
• 1982 – Terrence J, American television host and actor
• 1982 – Micheal Luck, Australian rugby league player
• 1982 – Carnell Williams, American football player
• 1983 – Paweł Brożek, Polish footballer
• 1983 – Marco Donadel, Italian footballer
• 1983 – Tarvaris Jackson, American football player
• 1984 – Shayna Fox, American voice actress
• 1984 – Michael Tinsley, American hurdler
• 1985 – Andy Jones, American high diver
• 1986 – Audra Cohen, American tennis player
• 1986 – Alexander Edler, Swedish ice hockey player
• 1986 – Tina Obrez, Slovenian tennis player
• 1986 – Rodney Stuckey, American basketball player
• 1986 – Mirko Valdifiori, Italian footballer
• 1987 – Nadif Chowdhury, Bangladeshi cricketer
• 1987 – Eric Devendorf, American basketball player
• 1987 – Leroy George, Dutch footballer
• 1987 – Anastasia Prikhodko, Ukrainian singer
• 1987 – Lenira Santos, Cape Verdean sprinter
• 1987 – Ryan Adams American baseball player
• 1988 – Robbie Amell, Canadian actor
• 1988 – Jencarlos Canela, American singer-songwriter and actor
• 1988 – Pedro Mosquera, Spanish footballer
• 1988 – Mia Permanto, Finnish singer and radio host (d. 2008)
• 1988 – Adam Rooney, Irish footballer
• 1988 – Christoph Sanders, American actor
• 1989 – Jayson Bukuya, Australian-Fijian rugby league player
• 1989 – Tatyana McFadden, Russian-American sprinter and skier
• 1989 – Carlos Muñoz, Chilean footballer
• 1990 – Aleksandar Prijović, Swiss footballer
• 1992 – George Burgess, English rugby league player
• 1992 – Tom Burgess, English rugby league player
• 1992 – Isco, Spanish footballer
• 1992 – Rene Santos, Brazilian footballer
• 1994 – Mitchell Weiser, German footballer

Deaths

• 234 – Emperor Xian of Han, Chinese emperor (b. 181)
• 866 – Bardas, Byzantine general
• 941 – Bajkam, Turkish commander
• 1073 – Pope Alexander II
• 1109 – Anselm of Canterbury, Italian-English archbishop and saint (b. 1033)
• 1136 – Stephen, Count of Tréguier Breton noblemen (b. c. 1058/62)
• 1142 – Peter Abelard, French philosopher and theologian (b. 1079)
• 1509 – Henry VII of England (b. 1457)
• 1557 – Petrus Apianus, German mathematician and astronomer (b. 1495)
• 1574 – Cosimo I de' Medici, Grand Duke of Tuscany (b. 1519)
• 1699 – Jean Racine, French playwright and poet (b. 1639)
• 1701 – Asano Naganori, Japanese daimyo (b. 1667)
• 1719 – Philippe de La Hire, French mathematician and astronomer (b. 1640)
• 1720 – Antoine Hamilton, Irish-French soldier and author (b. 1646)
• 1722 – Robert Beverley, Jr., English-American historian and author (b. 1673)
• 1736 – Prince Eugene of Savoy (b. 1663)
• 1740 – Thomas Tickell, English poet and author (b. 1685)
• 1792 – Tiradentes, Brazilian activist (b. 1746)
• 1815 – Joseph Winston, American soldier and politician (b. 1746)
• 1825 – Johann Friedrich Pfaff, German mathematician and academic (b. 1765)
• 1852 – Ivan Nabokov, Russian general (b. 1787)
• 1863 – Sir Robert Bateson, 1st Baronet, Irish politician (b. 1782)
• 1868 – Henry James O'Farrell, Australian attempted assassin of Alfred, Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha (b. 1833)
• 1900 – Vikramatji Khimojiraj, Indian ruler (b. 1819)
• 1910 – Mark Twain, American novelist, humorist, and critic (b. 1835)
• 1918 – Antonio Pini-Corsi, Italian actor and singer (b. 1858)
• 1918 – Manfred von Richthofen, German captain and pilot (b. 1892)
• 1922 – Alessandro Moreschi, Italian singer (b. 1858)
• 1924 – Eleonora Duse, Italian actress (b. 1858)
• 1930 – Robert Bridges, English poet and author (b. 1844)
• 1932 – Friedrich Gustav Piffl, Bohemian cardinal (b. 1864)
• 1938 – Muhammad Iqbal, Indian-Pakistani philosopher and poet (b. 1877)
• 1941 – Fritz Manteuffel, German gymnast (b. 1875)
• 1945 – Walter Model, German field marshal (b. 1891)
• 1946 – John Maynard Keynes, English economist and philosopher (b. 1883)
• 1948 – Aldo Leopold, American ecologist and author (b. 1887)
• 1952 – Leslie Banks, American actor, director and producer (b. 1890)
• 1956 – Charles MacArthur, American playwright and screenwriter (b. 1895)
• 1963 – Elmar Reimann, Estonian runner (b. 1893)
• 1964 – Bharathidasan, Indian poet and educator (b. 1891)
• 1965 – Edward Victor Appleton, English-Scottish physicist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1892)
• 1971 – François Duvalier, Haitian physician and politician, 40th President of Haiti (b. 1907)
• 1971 – Edmund Lowe, American actor (b. 1890)
• 1973 – Arthur Fadden, Australian accountant and politician, 13th Prime Minister of Australia (b. 1894)
• 1973 – Kemal Tahir, Turkish journalist and author (b. 1910)
• 1974 – Chic Harley, American football player (b. 1894)
• 1977 – Gummo Marx, American vaudeville performer and agent (b. 1893)
• 1978 – Sandy Denny, English singer-songwriter (Fairport Convention, Strawbs, and Fotheringay) (b. 1947)
• 1978 – Thomas Wyatt Turner, American biologist and academic (b. 1877)
• 1980 – Alexander Oparin, Russian biochemist and academic (b. 1894)
• 1980 – Sohrab Sepehri, Iranian poet and painter (b. 1928)
• 1983 – Walter Slezak, Austrian-American actor and singer (b. 1902)
• 1984 – Marcel Janco, Romanian-Israeli artist (b. 1895)
• 1984 – Hristo Prodanov, Bulgarian engineer and mountaineer (b. 1943)
• 1985 – Rudi Gernreich, Austrian-American fashion designer, created the monokini (b. 1922)
• 1985 – Foster Hewitt, Canadian sportscaster (b. 1902)
• 1985 – Tancredo Neves, Brazilian banker and politician, Prime Minister of Brazil (b. 1910)
• 1986 – Marjorie Eaton, American painter and actress (b. 1901)
• 1986 – Salah Jahin, Egyptian poet, playwright, and composer (b. 1930)
• 1988 – Stanisław Czabański, Polish murderer (b. 1959)
• 1989 – Princess Deokhye of Korea (b. 1912)
• 1989 – James Kirkwood, Jr., American actor, playwright, and author (b. 1924)
• 1990 – Erté, Russian-French illustrator (b. 1892)
• 1991 – Willi Boskovsky, Austrian violinist and conductor (b. 1909)
• 1996 – Zora Arkus-Duntov, Belgian-born American engineer and racing driver (b. 1909)
• 1996 – Dzhokhar Dudayev, Chechen general and politician, 1st President of Ichkeria (b. 1944)
• 1996 – Abdul Hafeez Kardar, Pakistani cricketer (b. 1925)
• 1996 – Jimmy Snyder, American sportscaster (b. 1919)
• 1998 – Jean-François Lyotard, French sociologist and philosopher (b. 1924)
• 1999 – Buddy Rogers, American actor (b. 1904)
• 1999 – Tim Forster, English racehorse trainer (b. 1934)
• 2000 – Neal Matthews, Jr., American singer (The Jordanaires) (b. 1929)
• 2003 – Nina Simone, American singer-songwriter, pianist, and activist (b. 1933)
• 2004 – Mary McGrory, American journalist (b. 1918)
• 2005 – Gerry Marshall, English race car driver and journalist (b. 1941)
• 2006 – Johnny Checketts, New Zealand commander and pilot (b. 1912)
• 2006 – T. K. Ramakrishnan, Indian politician (b. 1922)
• 2006 – Telê Santana, Brazilian footballer and manager (b. 1931)
• 2007 – Lobby Loyde, Australian guitarist, songwriter, and producer (Purple Hearts, Wild Cherries, and Rose Tattoo) (b. 1941)
• 2010 – Mr. Hito, Japanese wrestler and trainer (b. 1942)
• 2010 – Gustav Lorentzen, Norwegian singer-songwriter and guitarist (Knutsen & Ludvigsen) (b. 1947)
• 2010 – Juan Antonio Samaranch, Spanish businessman (b. 1920)
• 2010 – Kanagaratnam Sriskandan, Sri Lankan-English engineer and civil servant (b. 1930)
• 2011 – Catharina Halkes, Dutch theologian and academic (b. 1920)
• 2012 – Doris Betts, American author and academic (b. 1932)
• 2012 – Charles Colson, American lawyer and activist, founded Prison Fellowship (b. 1931)
• 2012 – Albert Falco, French captain and diver (b. 1927)
• 2012 – Charles Higham, English-American author and poet (b. 1931)
• 2012 – Jerry Toppazzini, Canadian ice hockey player and coach (b. 1931)
• 2013 – Kriyananda, Romanian-American spiritual leader (b. 1926)
• 2013 – Chrissy Amphlett, Australian singer-songwriter and actress (Divinyls) (b. 1959)
• 2013 – Shakuntala Devi, Indian mathematician and astrologer (b. 1929)
• 2013 – Leopold Engleitner, Austrian holocaust survivor, author, and educator (b. 1905)
• 2013 – Gordon D. Gayle, American general and historian (b. 1917)
• 2014 – Herb Gray, Canadian lawyer and politician, 7th Deputy Prime Minister of Canada (b. 1931)
• 2014 – Janet Gray Hayes, American politician, 60th Mayor of San Jose (b. 1926)
• 2014 – George H. Heilmeier, American engineer (b. 1936)
• 2014 – Win Tin, Burmese journalist and politician, co-founded the National League for Democracy (b. 1930)
• 2015 – M. H. Abrams, American author, critic, and academic (b. 1912)
• 2015 – Steve Byrnes, American sportscaster and producer (b. 1959)
• 2015 – John Moshoeu, South African footballer and manager (b. 1965)
• 2015 – Janaki Ballabh Patnaik, Indian politician, Governor of Assam (b. 1927)
• 2015 – Sydney Valpy Radley-Walters, Canadian general (b. 1920)
• 2015 – Betsy von Furstenberg, German-American actress (b. 1931)
• 2016 – Lonnie Mack, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (b. 1941)
• 2016 – Prince, American singer-songwriter, guitarist, producer, and actor (b. 1958)

Holidays and observances

• Christian feast day:
  • Abdecalas
  • Anastasius Sinaita
  • Anselm of Canterbury
  • Beuno
  • Conrad of Parzham
  • Holy Infant of Good Health
  • Shemon Bar Sabbae
  • Wolbodo
  • April 21 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
• A&M Day (Texas A&M University)
• Civil Service Day (India)
• Day of Local Self-Government (Russia)
• Grounation Day (Rastafari movement)
• Heroic Defense of Veracruz (Mexico)
• Kang Pan-sok’s Birthday (North Korea)
• Kartini Day (Indonesia)
• Local Self Government Day (Russia)
• National Tree Planting Day (Kenya)
• San Jacinto Day (Texas)
• Queen's Official Birthday (Falkland Islands)
• Tiradentes' Day (Brazil)
• Vietnam Book Day (Vietnam)

External links

• BBC: On This Day
• The New York Times: On This Day
• On This Day in Canada