History of Today in India – 21 April

Explore the history of today 21 April in India, including important events, famous personalities, and milestones for UPSC SSC,Banking & PSC exams.

Last updated on 21 April 2026, 04:21 AM

📜 Important Events on 21 April in World History

21 Apr 2021: Indonesian Navy submarine KRI Nanggala (402) sinks in the Bali Sea during a military drill, killing all 53 on board. Read more
21 Apr 2019: Eight bombs explode at churches, hotels, and other locations in Sri Lanka on Easter Sunday, killing at least 269. Read more
21 Apr 2014: The American city of Flint, Michigan switches its water source to the Flint River, beginning the ongoing Flint water crisis which has caused lead poisoning in up to 12,000 people, and at least 12 deaths from Legionnaires' disease, ultimately leading to criminal indictments against 15 people, five of whom have been charged with involuntary manslaughter. Read more
21 Apr 2012: Two trains are involved in a head-on collision near Sloterdijk, Amsterdam, in the Netherlands, killing one person and injuring 116 others. Read more
21 Apr 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. Read more
21 Apr 2004: Five suicide car bombers target police stations in and around Basra, killing 74 people and wounding 160. Read more
21 Apr 1996: Four people are killed and 75 are injured in a train accident in Jokela, Finland. Read more
21 Apr 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. Read more
21 Apr 1989: Tiananmen Square protests of 1989: In Beijing, around 100,000 students gather in Tiananmen Square to commemorate Chinese reform leader Hu Yaobang. Read more
21 Apr 1987: The Tamil Tigers are blamed for a car bomb that detonates in the Sri Lankan capital city of Colombo, killing 106 people. Read more
21 Apr 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. Read more
21 Apr 1982: Baseball: Rollie Fingers of the Milwaukee Brewers becomes the first pitcher to record 300 saves. Read more
21 Apr 1977: Annie opens on Broadway. Read more
21 Apr 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. Read more
21 Apr 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. Read more
21 Apr 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. Read more
21 Apr 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. Read more
21 Apr 1966: Rastafari movement: Haile Selassie of Ethiopia visits Jamaica, an event now celebrated as Grounation Day. Read more
21 Apr 1965: The 1964–1965 New York World's Fair opens for its second and final season. Read more
21 Apr 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. Read more
21 Apr 1963: The first election of the Universal House of Justice is held, marking its establishment as the supreme governing institution of the Baháʼí Faith. Read more
21 Apr 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. Read more
21 Apr 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. Read more
21 Apr 1958: United Air Lines Flight 736 collides with a United States Air Force fighter jet near Arden, Nevada in what is now Enterprise, Nevada. Read more
21 Apr 1952: Secretary's Day (now Administrative Professionals' Day) is first celebrated. Read more
21 Apr 1950: The Nainital wedding massacre occurs, killing 22 members of the Harijan caste. Read more
21 Apr 1948: United Nations Security Council Resolution 47 relating to Kashmir conflict is adopted. Read more
21 Apr 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. Read more
21 Apr 1945: World War II: Soviet forces south of Berlin at Zossen attack the German High Command headquarters. Read more
21 Apr 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). Read more
21 Apr 1926: Al-Baqi cemetery, former site of the mausoleum of four Shi'a Imams, is leveled to the ground by Wahhabis. Read more
21 Apr 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. Read more
21 Apr 1914: Ypiranga incident: A German arms shipment to Mexico is intercepted by the U.S. Navy near Veracruz. Read more
21 Apr 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. Read more
21 Apr 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. Read more
21 Apr 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. Read more
21 Apr 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. Read more
21 Apr 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. Read more
21 Apr 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. Read more
21 Apr 1806: Action of 21 April 1806: A French frigate escapes British forces off the coast of South Africa. Read more
21 Apr 1802: Twelve thousand Wahhabis sack Karbala, killing over three thousand inhabitants. Read more

🎂 Important Births on 21 April in World History

21 Apr 2008: Hyein, South Korean singer Lee Hye-in, known mononymously as Hyein, is a South Korean singer and former child model. She began her musical career at nine years old as a member of the South Korean children's groups U.sso Girl and Play with Me Club. She later debuted as a member of South Korean girl group NewJeans, formed by ADOR in July 2022. Read more
21 Apr 2007: Princess Isabella of Denmark, daughter of King Frederik X and Queen Mary of Denmark Princess Isabella of Denmark, Countess of Monpezat, is a member of the Danish royal family. She is the second child and elder daughter of King Frederik X and Queen Mary. Read more
21 Apr 2003: Xavi Simons, Dutch footballer Xavi Quentin Shay Simons is a Dutch professional footballer who plays as an attacking midfielder or winger for Premier League club Tottenham Hotspur and the Netherlands national team. Read more
21 Apr 1999: Choi Hyun-suk, South Korean rapper Choi Hyun-suk is a South Korean rapper, singer and dancer under YG Entertainment. As a member of boy band Treasure, Choi debuted on August 7, 2020, with the single album entitled The First Step: Chapter One. He is also known for his television appearance as a contestant on Mix Nine (2017–2018). Read more
21 Apr 1998: Jarrett Allen, American basketball player Jarrett Allen is an American professional basketball player for the Cleveland Cavaliers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played college basketball for the Texas Longhorns and was selected 22nd overall by the Brooklyn Nets in the 2017 NBA draft. In January 2021, he was traded to the Cleveland Cavaliers as part of the four-team blockbuster James Harden trade. In February 2022, Allen was named to his first NBA All-Star Game. Read more
21 Apr 1997: Mikel Oyarzabal, Spanish footballer Mikel Oyarzabal Ugarte is a Spanish professional footballer who plays as a forward for La Liga club Real Sociedad, which he captains, and the Spain national team. Read more
21 Apr 1996: Arianne Hartono, Dutch tennis player Arianne Hartono is a Dutch former professional tennis player.
On 8 April 2024, she reached her career-high singles WTA ranking of No. 135, and on 11 July 2022, she achieved No. 123 in doubles. Hartono has won three singles titles and 20 doubles titles on the ITF Circuit. Read more
21 Apr 1994: Ludwig Augustinsson, Swedish footballer Hans Carl Ludwig Augustinsson is a Swedish professional footballer who plays as a left-back for Pro League club Anderlecht and the Sweden national team. Read more
21 Apr 1992: Isco, Spanish footballer Francisco Román Alarcón Suárez, commonly known as Isco, is a Spanish professional footballer who plays as an attacking midfielder or left winger for La Liga club Real Betis, which he captains and the Spain national team. Read more
21 Apr 1992: Joc Pederson, American baseball player Joc Russell Pederson is an American professional baseball outfielder and first baseman for the Texas Rangers of Major League Baseball (MLB). He has previously played in MLB for the Los Angeles Dodgers, Chicago Cubs, Atlanta Braves, San Francisco Giants, and Arizona Diamondbacks. He is a two-time World Series champion and a two-time All-Star. Read more
21 Apr 1989: Nikki Cross, Scottish wrestler Nicola Glencross is a Scottish professional wrestler. She is signed to WWE, where she performs on the SmackDown brand under the ring name Nikki Cross, and is a member of The Wyatt Sicks faction. Read more
21 Apr 1988: Ricky Berens, American swimmer Richard Berens is an American former competition swimmer, two-time Olympic gold medalist, world champion, and current world record-holder. As a member of the U.S. national team, he holds the world record in the 4×200-meter freestyle relay. He competed in the 4×100-meter and 4×200-meter freestyle relay events, as well as the individual 200-meter freestyle at the 2012 Summer Olympics. Read more
21 Apr 1988: Jencarlos Canela, American singer-songwriter and actor Jencarlos Canela is an American actor and singer. Canela starred in the telenovela Mi corazón insiste en Lola Volcán, and two other telenovelas. Read more
21 Apr 1983: Tarvaris Jackson, American football player (died 2020) Tarvaris D'Andre Jackson was an American professional football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL). Jackson played college football for the Arkansas Razorbacks and the Alabama State Hornets. He was selected by the Minnesota Vikings in the second round of the 2006 NFL draft. Read more
21 Apr 1983: Kim Wall, British sprinter Kimberly Wall is an English former sprinter specializing in the 400 metres and the 2010 World Athletics Indoor Championships bronze medalist in the 4 × 400 m relay. She also won eight continental medals throughout her career, mostly as a member of the British 4 × 400 m relay team which spanned from the 1990s through her retirement in 2012. She was controversially not selected for the four-woman British 4 × 400 m team at the 2008 Summer Olympics despite finishing 4th at that year's national championships. Read more
21 Apr 1980: Tony Romo, American football player and announcer Antonio Ramiro Romo is an American former professional football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 13 seasons with the Dallas Cowboys. He played college football for the Eastern Illinois Panthers, where he made an Ohio Valley Conference championship appearance in 2001 and won the Walter Payton Award the following year. Romo signed with the Cowboys as an undrafted free agent in 2003. Read more
21 Apr 1979: Virginie Basselot, French chef Virginie Basselot is a French chef de cuisine who held one Michelin star at the restaurant within the Saint James Paris hotel. She became the second woman to be named to the title of Meilleur Ouvrier de France. In 2017, after moving to become executive chef at La Réserve Genève during the previous year, she was named Chef of the Year by the restaurant guide Gault Millau. At the moment she is working in the Hotel Negresco in Nice. Read more
21 Apr 1979: James McAvoy, Scottish actor James McAvoy is a Scottish actor and director. He made his acting debut as a teen in The Near Room (1995) and appeared mostly on television until 2003, when his film career began. His television work includes the thriller State of Play (2003), the science fiction miniseries Frank Herbert's Children of Dune (2003), and the drama series Shameless (2004–2005). Read more
21 Apr 1977: Gyula Koi, Hungarian scholar and educator Gyula Koi is a Hungarian legal scholar and lecturer. His main research fields are administrative law, and theory of public administration. His Chinese name is Guo Yi. Read more
21 Apr 1977: Jamie Salé, Canadian figure skater Jamie Rae Salé is a Canadian former competitive pair skater. With her former husband David Pelletier, she is the 2002 Olympic Champion and 2001 World Champion. The Olympic gold medals of Salé and Pelletier were shared with the Russian pair Elena Berezhnaya and Anton Sikharulidze after the 2002 Winter Olympics figure skating scandal. Read more
21 Apr 1976: Petero Civoniceva, Fijian-Australian rugby league player Petero Civoniceva, is a Fijian-Australian former professional rugby league footballer who played in the 1990s, 2000s and 2010s. A Queensland State of Origin and Australian international representative prop forward, in 2009 he broke the record for most international matches for Australia of any forward in history. Civoniceva played his club football for the Brisbane Broncos, with whom he won the 1998, 2000 and 2006 NRL Premierships, as well as for the Penrith Panthers, whom he captained. Late in his career whilst playing for the Redcliffe Dolphins in the Queensland Cup, Civoniceva captained the Fiji national team in their 2013 Rugby League World Cup campaign. The Petero Civoniceva Medal is awarded to the Australian Fijian rugby league footballer of the year, while the Civoniceva Medal is awarded to the Queensland Cup player voted as the best and fairest. Read more
21 Apr 1974: David Peachey, Australian rugby league player David Peachey is an Australian former professional rugby league footballer who played in the 1990s and 2000s. An Australian international and New South Wales representative fullback, he played the majority of his club football in the National Rugby League for the Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks. During his career, Peachey also played for the South Sydney Rabbitohs of the NRL and the Widnes Vikings in the National League One. Peachey also played representative rugby league for Country Origin. He is an Indigenous Australian. His nephew Tyrone Peachey debuted for the Cronulla Sharks but currently plays for the Penrith Panthers. Read more
21 Apr 1973: Steve Backshall, English naturalist, writer, and television presenter Stephen James Backshall is an English naturalist, explorer, presenter and writer, best known for BBC TV's Deadly… franchise. Read more
21 Apr 1971: Michael Turner, American author and illustrator (died 2008) Michael Layne Turner was an American comics artist known for his work on Witchblade, Fathom, Superman/Batman, Soulfire, and various covers for DC Comics and Marvel Comics. He was also the president of the entertainment company Aspen MLT. Read more
21 Apr 1970: Rob Riggle, American actor and comedian Robert Allen Riggle Jr. is an American actor, stand-up comedian, and retired United States Marine officer. He was born in Louisville, Kentucky, joining the Marines in 1990 and later attaining the rank of lieutenant colonel. Read more
21 Apr 1969: Toby Stephens, English actor Toby Stephens is an English actor who has appeared in films in the United Kingdom, United States, and India. He is known for the roles of Bond villain Gustav Graves in the 2002 James Bond film Die Another Day, for which he was nominated for the Saturn Award for Best Supporting Actor; William Gordon in the 2005 Bollywood film Mangal Pandey: The Rising; and Edward Fairfax Rochester in the 2006 BBC television adaptation of Jane Eyre. From 2014 to 2017, he starred as Captain Flint in the Starz television series Black Sails, followed by one of the lead roles in the Netflix science fiction series Lost in Space from 2018 to 2021. He portrays the Greek god Poseidon in Percy Jackson and the Olympians. Read more
21 Apr 1965: Fiona Kelleghan, American academic, critic and librarian Fiona Kelleghan is an American academic and critic specializing in science fiction and fantasy. She was a metadata librarian and a cataloguer at the University of Miami's Otto G. Richter Library. She left the university in 2011. Read more
21 Apr 1963: Ken Caminiti, American baseball player (died 2004) Kenneth Gene Caminiti was an American professional baseball third baseman who spent 15 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) with the Houston Astros, San Diego Padres (1995–1998), Texas Rangers (2001) and Atlanta Braves (2001). Read more
21 Apr 1961: David Servan-Schreiber, French physician, neuroscientist, and author (died 2011) David Servan-Schreiber was a French physician, neuroscientist and author. He was a clinical professor of psychiatry at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine. He was also a lecturer in the Faculty of Medicine of Université Claude Bernard Lyon 1. Read more
21 Apr 1959: Tim Jacobus, American illustrator and painter Tim Jacobus is an American artist best known for illustrating the covers for nearly one hundred books in R. L. Stine's Goosebumps series. He has done over three hundred book covers and paintings for various different series, novels and video games. He currently resides in New Jersey, doing most of his art digitally. Read more
21 Apr 1959: Robert Smith, English singer-songwriter and guitarist Robert James Smith is an English musician who is the co-founder, lead vocalist, guitarist, primary songwriter, and only continuous member of the Cure, a post-punk band formed in 1976. His guitar-playing style, distinctive singing voice, and fashion sense were highly influential on the goth subculture that rose to prominence in the 1980s. Read more
21 Apr 1958: Andie MacDowell, American model, actress, and producer Rosalie Anderson MacDowell is an American actress and former fashion model. MacDowell is known for her starring film roles in romantic comedies and dramas. She has modeled for Calvin Klein and has been a spokeswoman for L'Oréal since 1986. Read more
21 Apr 1958: Yoshito Usui, Japanese illustrator (died 2009) Yoshito Usui was a Japanese manga artist known for the popular Crayon Shin-chan series. He was born in Shizuoka City, Shizuoka Prefecture, Japan. Read more
21 Apr 1958: Michael Zarnock, American author Michael Zarnock is an American writer of collector guides and articles about Hot Wheels toy cars and accessories. Zarnock is known for a massive Hot Wheels collection that earned him a Guinness World Record title in 2003 and 2007 for owning the largest collection of different model cars (8,128) and is featured in the 2008 "Ripley's Believe It or Not!" book Prepare to Be Shocked. And the 2011 "Ripley's Believe It or Not!" book "Utterly Crazy!" By his own account he has collected more than 20,000 toy cars; From 2004 to 2010 some had been on display at the Children's Museum of Utica, New York. The local Utica newspaper reported Zarnock as saying: "I’ve been in love with Hot Wheels since 1968." Read more
21 Apr 1957: Hervé Le Tellier, French linguist and author Hervé Le Tellier is a French writer and linguist, and a member of the international literary group Oulipo. He is its fourth president. Other notable members have included Raymond Queneau, Georges Perec, Italo Calvino, Jacques Roubaud, Jean Lescure and Harry Mathews. He won the 2020 Prix Goncourt for The Anomaly. Read more
21 Apr 1957: Herbert Wetterauer, German painter, sculptor, and author Herbert Wetterauer is a German painter, sculptor and author. He is known for his paintings in ink and life-sized figures made of paperboard, for which he developed his own technique. Read more
21 Apr 1956: Peter Kosminsky, English director, producer, and screenwriter Peter Kosminsky is a British writer, director and producer. He has directed Hollywood movies such as White Oleander and television films like Warriors, The Government Inspector, The Promise, Wolf Hall and The State. Read more
21 Apr 1956: Phillip Longman, German-American demographer and journalist Phillip Longman is an American demographer. Presently he is a Schwartz Senior Fellow at the New America Foundation, and he formerly worked as a senior writer and deputy assistant managing editor at U.S. News & World Report. Read more
21 Apr 1955: Murathan Mungan, Turkish author, poet, and playwright Murathan Mungan is a Turkish author, short story writer, playwright, and poet. Read more
21 Apr 1954: Ebiet G. Ade, Indonesian singer-songwriter and guitarist Abid Ghoffar bin Aboe Dja’far, better known as Ebiet G. Ade, is an Indonesian singer-songwriter and guitarist of Javanese descent. Read more
21 Apr 1954: James Morrison, American actor, director, producer, and screenwriter James Paige Morrison is an American actor best known for his portrayal of CTU Director Bill Buchanan on 24. Read more
21 Apr 1954: Mike Wingfield, South African academic and scientist Michael John Wingfield is a South African academic and scientist who studies plant pathology and biological control. He was the founding director of the Forestry and Agricultural Biotechnology Institute, University of Pretoria. Wingfield has authored or co-authored over 1,000 scientific publications and is considered a leading expert in the field of forest health and invasive species. He has received numerous awards and honours throughout his career, including Harry Oppenheimer Fellowship Award and John Herschel Medal, the highest accolade from the Royal Society of South Africa. He is also a Fellow of the Royal Society of South Africa and the African Academy of Sciences. Wingfield has had several fungi named after him. Read more
21 Apr 1953: John Brumby, Australian politician, 45th Premier of Victoria John Mansfield Brumby is the current Chancellor of La Trobe University and former Victorian Labor Party politician who was Premier of Victoria from 2007 to 2010. He became leader of the Victorian Labor Party and premier after the resignation of Steve Bracks. He also served as the Minister for Veterans' Affairs and the Minister for Multicultural Affairs. He contested his first election as premier at the November 2010 Victorian state election. His government was defeated by the Liberal/National Coalition led by Ted Baillieu. Brumby resigned as Labor leader after the election, on 30 November, to be replaced by Daniel Andrews. Within weeks of this leadership change, Brumby left parliament, with a Broadmeadows by-election taking place on 19 February 2011. Read more
21 Apr 1952: Gerald Early, American author and academic Gerald Lyn Early is an American essayist and American culture critic. He is currently the Merle Kling Professor of Modern letters, of English, African studies, African-American studies, American culture studies, and Director, Center for Joint Projects in the Humanities and Social Sciences at Washington University in St. Louis. Read more
21 Apr 1952: Cheryl Gillan, British businesswoman and politician, Secretary of State for Wales (died 2021) Dame Cheryl Elise Kendall Gillan was a British politician who served as Member of Parliament (MP) for Chesham and Amersham from 1992 until her death in 2021. A member of the Conservative Party, she served as Secretary of State for Wales from 2010 to 2012. Read more
21 Apr 1951: Tony Danza, American actor and producer Tony Danza is an American actor and retired professional boxer. He is known for co-starring in the television series Taxi (1978–1983) and Who's the Boss? (1984–1992), for which he was nominated for an Emmy Award and four Golden Globe Awards. In 1998, Danza won the People's Choice Award for Favorite Male Performer in a New Television Series for his work on the 1997 sitcom The Tony Danza Show. He has also appeared in films such as The Hollywood Knights (1980), Going Ape! (1981), She's Out of Control (1989), Angels in the Outfield (1994), Crash (2004), and Don Jon (2013). Read more
21 Apr 1951: Michael Freedman, American mathematician and academic Michael Hartley Freedman is an American mathematician at Microsoft Station Q, a research group at the University of California, Santa Barbara. In 1986, he was awarded a Fields Medal for his work on the 4-dimensional generalized Poincaré conjecture. Freedman and Robion Kirby showed that an exotic R4 manifold exists. Read more
21 Apr 1951: Bob Varsha, American sportscaster Robert August Varsha is an American broadcast journalist who specializes in covering motorsports. He is best known for being the lap-by-lap commentator for Formula 1 and CART series races for ESPN, ABC Sports, and Speed Channel among others. Read more
21 Apr 1951: Steve Vickers, Canadian ice hockey player Stephen James Vickers is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player. He played ten seasons in the National Hockey League (NHL) with the New York Rangers from 1972 to 1982. He won the Calder Memorial Trophy in 1973. Read more
21 Apr 1950: Shivaji Satam, Indian actor Shivaji Satam is an Indian television and film actor. He is best known for his role as ACP Pradyuman in the detective television series CID. He is recipient of two Maharashtra State Film Awards. He is honoured with the V. Shantaram Lifetime Achievement Award, Maharashtra's highest award in the field of Marathi cinema. Read more
21 Apr 1949: Patti LuPone, American actress and singer Patti Ann LuPone is an American actress and singer. After starting her professional career with The Acting Company in 1972, she soon gained acclaim for her leading performances on the Broadway and West End stage. Known for playing bold, resilient women in musical theater, she has received numerous accolades, including three Tony Awards, two Olivier Awards and two Grammy Awards. She was inducted to the American Theater Hall of Fame in 2006. Read more
21 Apr 1948: Gary Condit, American businessman and politician Gary Adrian Condit is an American former politician from California. A Democrat, Condit represented California's 18th congressional district in the United States House of Representatives from 1989 to 2003. He gained significant national attention after the May 2001 disappearance of Chandra Levy, an intern with the Federal Bureau of Prisons. Condit and Levy were having an affair, and she was subsequently found to have been murdered. Read more
21 Apr 1948: Paul Davis, American singer-songwriter and musician (died 2008) Paul Lavon Davis was an American singer and songwriter, best known for his radio hits and solo career that started worldwide in 1970. His career encompassed soul, country, and pop. His most successful songs are 1977's "I Go Crazy", a No. 7 pop hit that once held the record for the longest chart run on the Billboard Hot 100, and 1982's "'65 Love Affair", which at No. 6 is his highest-charting single. Another pop hit, "Cool Night", was released in 1981. In the mid-1980s, he also had two No. 1 country hits as a guest vocalist on songs by Marie Osmond and Tanya Tucker. Read more
21 Apr 1948: Josef Flammer, Swiss ophthalmologist Josef Flammer is a Swiss ophthalmologist and long-time director of the Eye Clinic at Basel University Hospital. Flammer is a glaucoma specialist who developed a new pathogenetic concept of glaucomatous damage according to which unstable blood supply leads to oxidative stress, which in turn plays a major role in apoptosis of cells in the optic nerve and retina in glaucoma patients. Read more
21 Apr 1948: Dieter Fromm, German runner Dieter Fromm is a retired East German middle-distance runner who specialized in the 800 metres. He held the indoor 800 m world record for over ten years. Read more
21 Apr 1947: Al Bumbry, American baseball player Alonza Benjamin Bumbry is an American former Major League Baseball (MLB) outfielder who played for the Baltimore Orioles and San Diego Padres from 1972 through 1985. Bumbry was the 1973 American League Rookie of the Year, and went on to be an All-Star and World Series champion. He is an inductee of the Baltimore Orioles Hall of Fame and the Virginia Sports Hall of Fame. Prior to his major league career, Bumbry served in the US Army during the Vietnam War and was awarded a Bronze Star. Read more
21 Apr 1947: Iggy Pop, American singer-songwriter, producer, and actor James Newell Osterberg Jr., known professionally as Iggy Pop, is an American singer, songwriter, musician, and actor who was the lead vocalist of the proto-punk band the Stooges. Regarded as the "Godfather of Punk", he is noted for his outrageous and unpredictable stage antics, poetic lyrics, and unique voice. He was named one of the 50 Great Voices by NPR, inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a member of the Stooges in 2010, and received a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award in 2020 for his solo career. Read more
21 Apr 1947: John Weider, English bass player John Weider was an English rock musician who played guitar, bass guitar and violin. He is best remembered as the guitarist for The Animals from 1966 to 1968. He was also the bass player for Family from 1969 to 1971. Read more
21 Apr 1945: Srinivasaraghavan Venkataraghavan, Indian cricketer and umpire Srinivasaraghavan Venkataraghavan, also known as Venkat, is an Indian former international cricketer and umpire. He was a right arm off break bowler and a lower order batter. He captained the Indian cricket team in test cricket and also at the first two ICC Cricket World Cups in 1975 and 1979. He represented Tamil Nadu and South zone in domestic cricket while also playing for Derbyshire in English county cricket from 1973 to 1975. Read more
21 Apr 1945: Mark Wainberg, Canadian researcher and HIV/AIDS activist (died 2017) Mark Arnold Wainberg, was a Canadian HIV/AIDS researcher and HIV/AIDS activist. He was the director of the McGill University AIDS Centre at the Montreal Jewish General Hospital and Professor of Medicine and of Microbiology at McGill University. His laboratory primarily studies HIV reverse transcriptase, the molecular basis for drug resistance, and gene therapy. He received a B.Sc. from McGill University in 1966, a Ph.D. from Columbia University in 1972, and did his post-doctoral research at Hadassah Medical School of the Hebrew University. Read more
21 Apr 1945: Diana Darvey, English actress, singer and dancer (died 2000) Diana Magdalene Roloff, known professionally as Diana Darvey, was a British actress, singer and dancer, best known for her appearances on The Benny Hill Show. Read more
21 Apr 1942: Geoffrey Palmer, New Zealand politician, 33rd Prime Minister of New Zealand Sir Geoffrey Winston Russell Palmer is a New Zealand lawyer, political scientist and former politician, who served as the 33rd prime minister of New Zealand for a little over a year from August 1989 until September 1990. A member of Parliament from 1979 to 1990, he spent six years as a senior member of the Fourth Labour Government. Read more
21 Apr 1941: David Boren, American lawyer and politician, 21st Governor of Oklahoma (died 2025) David Lyle Boren was an American lawyer and politician from Oklahoma. A member of the Democratic Party, he served as the 21st governor of Oklahoma from 1975 to 1979 and three terms in the United States Senate from 1979 to 1994. A conservative Democrat, to date, he is the last in his party to have served as U.S. Senator from Oklahoma. He was the 13th and second-longest serving president of the University of Oklahoma from 1994 to 2018. He was the longest serving chairman of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence. On September 20, 2017, Boren officially announced his retirement as president of the University of Oklahoma, effective June 30, 2018. Read more
21 Apr 1940: Jacques Caron, Canadian ice hockey player and coach Jacques Joseph Caron is a Canadian former ice hockey player and coach. He played 72 games in the National Hockey League with the Los Angeles Kings, St. Louis Blues, and Vancouver Canucks between 1967 and 1974, and 26 games in the World Hockey Association with the Cleveland Crusaders and Cincinnati Stingers between 1975 and 1977. After his playing career, he worked as an assistant coach with the Hartford Whalers, and then as the goaltending coach and special assignment coach with the New Jersey Devils from 1993 to 2017. With New Jersey, he won the Stanley Cup three times. Read more
21 Apr 1940: Souleymane Cissé, Malian director, producer, and screenwriter (died 2025) Souleymane Cissé was a Malian film director, regarded as one of the first generation of African filmmakers. He was called "Africa's greatest living filmmaker" while his film Yeelen has been called "conceivably the greatest African film ever made". Read more
21 Apr 1939: John McCabe, English pianist and composer (died 2015) John McCabe was a British composer and pianist. He created works in many different forms, including symphonies, ballets, and solo works for the piano. He served as director of the London College of Music from 1983 to 1990. Guy Rickards praised him as "one of Britain's finest composers in the past half-century" and "a pianist of formidable gifts and wide-ranging sympathies". Read more
21 Apr 1939: Sister Helen Prejean, American nun, activist, and author Helen Prejean is an American Catholic religious sister and a leading advocate for the abolition of the death penalty. Read more
21 Apr 1939: Reni Santoni, American actor (died 2020) Renaldo Santoni was an American film, television and voice actor. He was noted for playing Poppie on the television sitcom Seinfeld, Tony Gonzales in Cobra, and Chico González in Dirty Harry. Read more
21 Apr 1937: Gary Peters, American baseball player (died 2023) Gary Charles Peters was an American professional baseball player. He was a left-handed Major League Baseball pitcher who played on two major league teams for 14 seasons, from 1959 through 1972. He was one of the best-hitting pitchers of his era. Read more
21 Apr 1937: Ben Zinn, Israeli-born American academic and former international soccer player Ben T. Zinn is an American academic in engineering and former international soccer player. He is the David S. Lewis Jr., Chair and Regents' Professor at the Georgia Institute of Technology. Read more
21 Apr 1936: James Dobson, American evangelist, psychologist, and author, founded Focus on the Family (died 2025) James Clayton Dobson Jr. was an American evangelical Christian author, psychologist and founder of Focus on the Family (FotF), which he led from 1977 until 2010. In the 1980s, he was ranked as one of the most influential spokesmen for conservative social positions in American public life. Although never an ordained minister, he was called "the nation's most influential evangelical leader" by The New York Times while Slate portrayed him as being a successor to evangelical leaders Jerry Falwell and Pat Robertson. Read more
21 Apr 1936: Reg Fleming, Canadian-American ice hockey player (died 2009) Reginald Stephen "Reggie, the Ruffian" Fleming was a professional hockey player in the National Hockey League with the Montreal Canadiens, Chicago Black Hawks, Boston Bruins, New York Rangers, Philadelphia Flyers and Buffalo Sabres. He also played for the Chicago Cougars of the World Hockey Association, as well as with a number of minor league teams in other professional leagues. His professional career spanned over 20 years. He was known as an aggressive and combative player who could play both forward and defence, as well as kill penalties. Read more
21 Apr 1935: Charles Grodin, American actor and talk show host (died 2021) Charles Sidney Grodin was an American actor, comedian, author, and television talk show host. Known for his deadpan delivery and often cast as a put-upon straight man, Grodin became familiar as a supporting actor in many Hollywood comedies. After a small part in Rosemary's Baby in 1968, he played the lead in Elaine May's The Heartbreak Kid (1972) where he received a nomination for the Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Motion Picture Musical or Comedy. Grodin also starred in 11 Harrowhouse (1974), for which he also wrote the adaptation. Read more
21 Apr 1935: Thomas Kean, American academic and politician, 48th Governor of New Jersey Thomas Howard Kean is an American statesman and academic administrator who served as the 48th governor of New Jersey from 1982 to 1990. A member of the Republican Party, he served in the New Jersey General Assembly and was chair of the 9/11 Commission from 2002 to 2004. Read more
21 Apr 1933: Edelmiro Amante, Filipino lawyer and politician (died 2013) Edelmiro Atega Amante Sr., was a Filipino politician. Read more
21 Apr 1933: Easley Blackwood, Jr., American pianist, composer, and educator (died 2023) Easley Rutland Blackwood Jr. was an American professor of music, concert pianist, composer, and the author of books on music theory, including his research into the properties of microtonal tunings and traditional harmony. Read more
21 Apr 1933: Ignatius Zakka I Iwas, Iraqi patriarch (died 2014) Mor Ignatius Zakka I Iwas was the 122nd reigning Syriac Orthodox Patriarch of Antioch and All the East and, as such, Supreme Head of the Universal Syriac Orthodox Church. Also known by his traditional episcopal name, Severios, he was enthroned as patriarch on 14 September 1980 in St. George's Patriarchal Cathedral in Damascus. He succeeded Ignatius Ya`qub III. As is traditional for the head of the church, Mor Severios adopted the name Ignatius. Read more
21 Apr 1932: Slide Hampton, African-American trombonist and composer (died 2021) Locksley Wellington Hampton was an American jazz trombonist, composer and arranger. As his nickname implies, Hampton's main instrument was slide trombone, but he also occasionally played tuba and flugelhorn. Read more
21 Apr 1932: Elaine May, American actress, comedian, director, and screenwriter Elaine Iva May is an American actress, comedian, writer, and director. She first gained fame in the 1950s for her improvisational comedy routines with Mike Nichols before going on to write and direct several critically acclaimed films. She has received numerous awards, including a BAFTA Award, a Grammy Award, and a Tony Award. She was honored with the National Medal of Arts from President Barack Obama in 2013, and an Honorary Academy Award in 2022. Read more
21 Apr 1932: Angela Mortimer, English tennis player (died 2025) Florence Angela Margaret Mortimer-Barrett was a British world No. 1 tennis player. Mortimer won three major singles titles: the 1955 French Championships, the 1958 Australian Championships and 1961 Wimbledon Championships, the last won when she was partially deaf. Read more
21 Apr 1931: Morgan Wootten, American high school basketball coach (died 2020) Morgan Bayard Wootten was an American high school basketball coach for 46 seasons at DeMatha Catholic High School in Hyattsville, Maryland. He led the Stags to five national championships and 33 Washington Catholic Athletic Conference (WCAC) titles. In 2000, he was the third high school coach to be inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame and the first high school only coach to be inducted. Read more
21 Apr 1930: Hilda Hilst, Brazilian author, poet, and playwright (died 2004) Hilda de Almeida Prado Hilst was a Brazilian poet, novelist, and playwright. Her work touches on the themes of mysticism, insanity, the body, eroticism, and female sexual liberation. Hilst greatly revered the work of James Joyce and Samuel Beckett, and the influence of their styles—like stream of consciousness and fractured reality—is evident in her own work. Read more
21 Apr 1930: Silvana Mangano, Italian actress (died 1989) Silvana Mangano was an Italian film actress. She was one of a generation of thespians who arose from the neorealist movement, and went on to become a major female star, regarded as a sex symbol for the 1950s and '60s. She won the David di Donatello for Best Actress three times – for The Verona Trial (1963), The Witches (1967), and The Scientific Cardplayer (1972) – and the Nastro d'Argento for Best Actress twice. Read more
21 Apr 1930: Dieter Roth, German-Swiss illustrator and sculptor (died 1998) Dieter Roth was a Swiss artist known for his artist's books, editioned prints, sculptures, and works made of found materials, including rotting food stuffs. He was also known as Dieter Rot and Diter Rot. Read more
21 Apr 1930: Jack Taylor, English footballer and referee (died 2012) John Keith Taylor was an English football referee. Later described by the Football League as "perhaps the finest English referee of all time", Taylor was famous for officiating in the 1974 FIFA World Cup Final during which he awarded two penalties in the first 30 minutes. The first of these penalties, awarded after just a minute of play, was the first penalty kick awarded in a World Cup final. Read more
21 Apr 1928: Jack Evans, Welsh-Canadian ice hockey player and coach (died 1996) William John Trevor "Jack" Evans was a Canadian professional ice hockey defenceman and coach who played 14 seasons in the National Hockey League for the New York Rangers and Chicago Black Hawks between 1949 and 1963. With Chicago, he won the Stanley Cup in 1961. After his playing career, he worked as a coach, and coached the California Golden Seals, Cleveland Barons, and Hartford Whalers between 1975 and 1988. Read more
21 Apr 1927: Ahmed Arif, Turkish poet and author (died 1991) Ahmed Arif was a Turkish-Kurdish poet. Read more
21 Apr 1926: Elizabeth II, Queen of the United Kingdom and her other realms (died 2022) Elizabeth II was Queen of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms from 6 February 1952 until her death in 2022. She was queen regnant of 32 sovereign states during her lifetime and was the monarch of 15 realms at her death. Her reign of 70 years and 214 days is the longest of any British monarch, the second-longest of any sovereign state, and the longest of any queen regnant in history. Read more
21 Apr 1926: Arthur Rowley, English footballer, manager, and cricketer (died 2002) George Arthur Rowley Jr., nicknamed "The Gunner" because of his explosive left-foot shot, was an English football player and cricketer. He holds the record for the most goals in the history of English league football, scoring 434 from 619 league games. He was the younger brother of Manchester United footballer Jack Rowley. He was shortlisted for inclusion into the English Football Hall of Fame in 2008. Read more
21 Apr 1925: Anthony Mason, Australian soldier and judge, 9th Chief Justice of Australia (died 2026) Sir Anthony Frank Mason was an Australian judge who served as the ninth Chief Justice of Australia, in office from 1987 to 1995. He was first appointed to the High Court in 1972, having previously served on the Supreme Court of New South Wales. He had also served as a non-permanent judge of the Court of Final Appeal of Hong Kong from 1997 to 2015. Read more
21 Apr 1925: John Swinton of Kimmerghame, English general and politician, Lord Lieutenant of Berwickshire (died 2018) Major-General Sir John Swinton of Kimmerghame, was a British Army officer who served as Major-General commanding the Household Division and General Officer Commanding London District from 1976 until his retirement in 1979. He was the father of actress Tilda Swinton. Read more
21 Apr 1924: Ira Louvin, American singer-songwriter and mandolin player (died 1965) Ira Lonnie Loudermilk, known professionally as Ira Louvin, was an American country music singer, mandolinist and songwriter. He was a cousin of songwriter John D. Loudermilk. Read more
21 Apr 1923: John Mortimer, English lawyer and author (died 2009) Sir John Clifford Mortimer was a British barrister, dramatist, screenwriter and author. He is best known for short stories about a barrister named Horace Rumpole, adapted from episodes of the TV series Rumpole of the Bailey also written by Mortimer. Read more
21 Apr 1922: Alistair MacLean, Scottish novelist and screenwriter (died 1987) Alistair Stuart MacLean was a Scottish novelist, who wrote popular thrillers and adventure stories. His books are estimated to have sold over 150 million copies, making him one of the best-selling fiction authors of all time. Read more
21 Apr 1922: Allan Watkins, Welsh-English cricketer (died 2011) Albert John "Allan" Watkins was a Welsh cricketer, who played for England in fifteen Tests from 1948 to 1952. Read more
21 Apr 1919: Don Cornell, American singer (died 2004) Don Cornell was an American singer and guitarist. Read more
21 Apr 1919: Roger Doucet, Canadian tenor (died 1981) Roger Doucet was a Canadian tenor best known for singing the Canadian national anthem, "O Canada", at televised games of the Montreal Canadiens, Montreal Alouettes, and Montreal Expos during the 1970s. He was particularly known for his bilingual version of the anthem, which began in French and ended in English, in recognition of the two languages of Canada. Read more
21 Apr 1919: Licio Gelli, Italian financer (died 2015) Licio Gelli was an Italian Freemason, businessman, and terrorist. A fascist volunteer in his youth, he is chiefly known for his role in the Banco Ambrosiano scandal and in the Bologna massacre. He was revealed in 1981 as being the Venerable Master of the clandestine Masonic lodge Propaganda Due (P2). This would lead to him getting arrested in Switzerland in 1982. He managed to escape from prison the next year, but eventually agreed to surrender him back into the custody of Swiss authorities for a short period of time in 1987. From 1996 until his death in 2015, Gelli remained mostly under house arrest at his home in Arezzo, Italy. Read more
21 Apr 1918: Eddy Christiani, Dutch singer-songwriter and guitarist (died 2016) Eduard "Eddy" Christiani was a Dutch guitarist, singer, and composer. He was best known for songs like Zonnig Madeira (1938), Ouwe Taaie (1943), Op De Woelige Baren (1948), Kleine Greetje Uit De Polder (1950), Spring Maar Achterop (1952), Daar Bij De Waterkant and Rosemarie Polka (1953). In 1961 he reached the 82nd position with his Spanish-language song Sucu Sucu (1961) Read more
21 Apr 1916: Estella B. Diggs, American businesswoman and politician (died 2013)
Estella B. Diggs was an American businesswoman, writer and politician from New York. Read more
21 Apr 1915: Garrett Hardin, American ecologist, author, and academic (died 2003) Garrett James Hardin was an American ecologist and microbiologist. He focused his career on the issue of human overpopulation, and is best known for his exposition of the tragedy of the commons in a 1968 paper of the same title in Science, which called attention to "the damage that innocent actions by individuals can inflict on the environment". He is also known for Hardin's First Law of Human Ecology: "We can never do merely one thing. Any intrusion into nature has numerous effects, many of which are unpredictable." Read more
21 Apr 1915: Anthony Quinn, Mexican-American actor (died 2001) Manuel Antonio Rodolfo Quinn Oaxaca, known as Anthony Quinn, was a Mexican and American actor. He was known for his portrayal of earthy, passionate characters "marked by a brutal and elemental virility" in over 100 film, television and stage roles between 1936 and 2002. He was a two-time Academy Award winner, and was also nominated for five Golden Globe Awards, two BAFTA Awards and a Tony Award. Read more
21 Apr 1914: Angelo Savoldi, Italian-American wrestler and promoter, co-founded International World Class Championship Wrestling (died 2013) Mario Louis Fornini was an Italian/American professional wrestler and wrestling promoter, better known professionally as Angelo Savoldi. At the time of his death, he was known as the world's oldest retired wrestler at the age of 99. Read more
21 Apr 1913: Norman Parkinson, English photographer (died 1990) Norman Parkinson was an English portrait and fashion photographer. His work revolutionised British fashion photography, as he moved his subjects out of the studio and used outdoor settings. While serving as a Royal Air Force photographer in World War II, he started with Vogue magazine, discovering several famous models. He became an official royal photographer in 1969, taking photographs for Princess Anne's 19th birthday and the Investiture portrait of Charles III as Prince of Wales. Many other royal portraits included official portraits of Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother for her 75th birthday. He was known for using elements of humour in his photographs. Parkinson received many honours during his life including the Royal Photographic Society's Progress Medal, the Lifetime Achievement Award of the American Society of Magazine Photographers, a Google Doodle, and a British postage stamp. Read more
21 Apr 1912: Eve Arnold, Russian-American photojournalist (died 2012) Eve Arnold, OBE (honorary), FRPS (honorary) was an American photojournalist, long-resident in the UK. She joined Magnum Photos agency in 1951, and became a full member in 1957. She was the first woman to join the agency. She frequently photographed Marilyn Monroe, including candid-style photos on the set of The Misfits (1961). Read more
21 Apr 1912: Marcel Camus, French director and screenwriter (died 1982) Marcel Camus was a French film director. He is best known for Orfeu Negro, which won the Palme d'Or at the 1959 Cannes Film Festival and the 1960 Oscar for Best Foreign Language Film. Read more
21 Apr 1911: Ivan Combe, American businessman, developed Clearasil (died 2000) Ivan DeBlois Combe was the American inventor of personal-care products, most notably Clearasil and Odor Eaters. In 1949 he established his eponymous company Combe Incorporated in White Plains, New York. Read more
21 Apr 1911: Kemal Satır, Turkish physician and politician (died 1991) Kemal Satır was a Turkish physician and politician. Read more
21 Apr 1905: Pat Brown, American lawyer and politician, 32nd Governor of California (died 1996) Edmund Gerald "Pat" Brown was an American lawyer and politician who served as the 32nd governor of California from 1959 to 1967. His first elected office was as district attorney for San Francisco, and he was later elected attorney general of California in 1950, before becoming the state's governor after the 1958 election. Read more
21 Apr 1904: Jean Hélion, French painter (died 1987) Jean Hélion was a French painter whose abstract work of the 1930s established him as a leading modernist. His midcareer rejection of abstraction was followed by nearly five decades as a figurative painter. He was also the author of several books and an extensive body of critical writing. Read more
21 Apr 1904: Odilo Globocnik, Italian-Austrian SS officer (died 1945) Odilo Lothar Ludwig Globočnik was an Austrian Nazi Party official of Slovene-Croatian descent and a perpetrator of the Holocaust. A high-ranking member of the SS, Globočnik was the leader of Operation Reinhard, the organized murder of around one and a half million Jews, mostly of Polish origin, during the Holocaust in the Majdanek, Treblinka, Sobibór and Bełżec extermination camps. Historian Michael Allen described him as "the vilest individual in the vilest organization ever known". Globočnik killed himself shortly after his capture and detention by British soldiers. Read more
21 Apr 1903: Luis Saslavsky, Argentinian director, producer, and screenwriter (died 1995) Luis Saslavsky was an Argentine film director, screenwriter and film producer, notable for his work during the classical era of Argentine cinema. Read more
21 Apr 1899: Randall Thompson, American composer and academic (died 1984) Ira Randall Thompson was an American composer, particularly noted for his choral works, and educator. Read more
21 Apr 1898: Maurice Wilson, English soldier, pilot, and mountaineer (died 1934) Maurice Wilson MC was a British soldier, mystic, and aviator who is known for his ill-fated attempt to climb Mount Everest alone in 1934. Read more
21 Apr 1897: Odd Lindbäck-Larsen, Norwegian Army general and war historian (died 1975) Odd Lindbäck-Larsen was a Norwegian military officer and war historian. He participated in the Norwegian Campaign in Northern Norway during the Second World War as the chief-of-staff, under general Fleischer. He spent most of the war in Norwegian and German concentration camps. He continued his military career after the war, eventually with the rank of major general and military attaché in Stockholm. He wrote several books on Norwegian military history. Read more
21 Apr 1893: Romeo Bertini, Italian runner (died 1973) Romeo Bertini was an Italian athlete who competed mainly in the marathon. Read more
21 Apr 1892: Freddie Dixon, English motorcycle racer and racing driver (died 1956) Frederick William Dixon was an English motorcycle racer and racing car driver. The designer of the motorcycle and banking sidecar system, he was also one of the few motorsport competitors to have been successful on two, three and four wheels. He was twice awarded the BRDC Gold Star for car racing. Dixon, who had the nickname "Flying Freddie", was born at Stockton-on-Tees, County Durham, England, one of eight children of John and Martha Dixon. Read more
21 Apr 1889: Marcel Boussac, French businessman (died 1980) Marcel Boussac was a French entrepreneur best known for his ownership of the Maison Dior and one of the most successful thoroughbred race horse breeding farms in European history. Read more
21 Apr 1889: Paul Karrer, Russian-Swiss chemist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (died 1971) Paul Karrer was a Swiss organic chemist best known for his research on vitamins. He and British chemist Norman Haworth won the Nobel Prize for Chemistry in 1937. Read more
21 Apr 1889: Efrem Zimbalist, Sr., Russian-American violinist, composer, and conductor (died 1985) Efrem Zimbalist was a Russian and American concert violinist, composer, conductor and director of the Curtis Institute of Music. Read more
21 Apr 1887: Joe McCarthy, American baseball manager (died 1978) Joseph Vincent McCarthy was an American manager in Major League Baseball (MLB), most renowned for his leadership of the "Bronx Bombers" teams of the New York Yankees from 1931 to 1946. The first manager to win pennants with both National and American League teams, he won a total nine league pennants and seven World Series championships – the latter is a record tied only by Casey Stengel. McCarthy was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1957. He recorded a 100-win season six times, a record matched only by Bobby Cox. McCarthy's career winning percentages in both the regular season (.615) and postseason are the highest in major league history. His 2,125 career victories rank ninth all-time in major league history for managerial wins, and he ranks first all-time for the Yankees with 1,460 wins. Read more
21 Apr 1885: Tatu Kolehmainen, Finnish runner (died 1967) Tatu Kolehmainen was a Finnish long-distance runner who competed at the 1912 and 1920 Summer Olympics. In 1912, he reached the finals of 10,000 m and marathon races, but failed to finish due to a strong heat. In 1920, he placed 10th in the marathon. His younger brother Hannes competed alongside at the 1912 and 1920 Games. Read more
21 Apr 1882: Percy Williams Bridgman, American physicist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (died 1961) Percy Williams Bridgman was an American physicist who received the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1946 for his work on the physics of high pressures. He also wrote extensively on the scientific method and on other aspects of the philosophy of science. The Bridgman effect, the Bridgman–Stockbarger technique, and the high-pressure mineral bridgmanite are named after him. Read more
21 Apr 1874: Vincent Scotto, French composer and actor (died 1952) Vincent Scotto was a French composer. Read more
21 Apr 1870: Edwin Stanton Porter, American director, producer, and screenwriter (died 1941) Edwin Stanton Porter was an American film pioneer, most famous as a producer, director, studio manager and cinematographer with the Edison Manufacturing Company and the Famous Players Film Company. Of over 250 films created by Porter, his most important include What Happened on Twenty-third Street, New York City (1901), Jack and the Beanstalk (1902), Life of an American Fireman (1903), The Great Train Robbery (1903), The European Rest Cure (1904), The Kleptomaniac (1905), Life of a Cowboy (1906), Rescued from an Eagle's Nest (1908), The Prisoner of Zenda (1913), and Tess of the Storm Country (1914). Read more
21 Apr 1868: Alfred Henry Maurer, American painter (died 1932) Alfred Henry Maurer was an American modernist painter. He exhibited his work in avant-garde circles internationally and in New York City during the early twentieth century. Highly respected today, his work met with little critical or commercial success in his lifetime, and he died, a suicide, at the age of sixty-four. Read more
21 Apr 1868: Mary Rogers Miller, American author and educator (died 1971) Mary Farrand Rogers Miller was an American writer, naturalist, and educator. She authored The Brook Book (1902) and Outdoor Work (1911), as well as magazine articles and educational pamphlets. Read more
21 Apr 1864: Max Weber, German economist and sociologist (died 1920) Maximilian Carl Emil Weber was a German sociologist, historian, jurist, and political economist who was one of the central figures in the development of sociology and the social sciences more generally. His ideas continue to influence social theory and research. Read more
21 Apr 1854: William Stang, German-American bishop (died 1907) William Stang was a German Catholic prelate who served as the first Bishop of Fall River from 1904 until his death in 1907. Read more
21 Apr 1838: John Muir, Scottish-American environmentalist and author (died 1914) John Muir, also known as "John of the Mountains" and "Father of the National Parks", was a Scottish-born American naturalist, author, environmental philosopher, botanist, zoologist, glaciologist, and early advocate for the preservation of wilderness in the United States. Read more
21 Apr 1837: Fredrik Bajer, Danish lieutenant and politician, Nobel Prize laureate (died 1922) Fredrik Bajer was a Danish writer, teacher, and pacifist politician who received the Nobel Peace Prize in 1908 together with Klas Pontus Arnoldson. Read more
21 Apr 1816: Charlotte Brontë, English novelist and poet (died 1855) Charlotte Nicholls, commonly known by her maiden name Charlotte Brontë, was an English novelist and poet, and was the elder sister of Emily, Anne and Branwell Brontë. She is best known for her novel Jane Eyre, which was first published under the pseudonym Currer Bell. Jane Eyre was a great success on publication, and has since been acknowledged as a classic of English literature. Read more
21 Apr 1814: Angela Burdett-Coutts, 1st Baroness Burdett-Coutts, English art collector and philanthropist (died 1906) Angela Georgina Burdett-Coutts, 1st Baroness Burdett-Coutts was a British philanthropist, the daughter of Sir Francis Burdett, 5th Baronet and Sophia, formerly Coutts, daughter of banker Thomas Coutts. In 1837 she became one of the wealthiest women in England when she inherited her grandfather's fortune of around £1.8 million following the death of her stepgrandmother, Harriot Beauclerk, Duchess of St Albans. She joined the surnames of her father and grandfather, by royal licence, to become Burdett-Coutts. Edward VII is reported to have described her as "[a]fter my mother, the most remarkable woman in the kingdom". Read more
21 Apr 1811: Alson Sherman, American merchant and politician, 8th Mayor of Chicago (died 1903) Alson Smith Sherman served as Mayor of Chicago, Illinois (1844–1845) as an Independent Democrat. Read more
21 Apr 1810: John Putnam Chapin, American politician, 10th Mayor of Chicago (died 1864) John Putnam Chapin served as the 10th Mayor of Chicago, Illinois (1846–1847) for the Whig Party. Read more

🕊️ Important Deaths on 21 April in World History

21 Apr 2025: Pope Francis (born 1936) Pope Francis was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of Vatican City from 13 March 2013 until his death in 2025. He was the first Jesuit pope, the first Latin American, and the first pope born or raised outside Europe since the 8th-century Syrian pope Gregory III. Read more
21 Apr 2024: Terry A. Anderson, American journalist (born 1947) Terry Alan Anderson was an American journalist and combat veteran. He reported for the Associated Press. In 1985, he was taken hostage by Shia Hezbollah militants of the Islamic Jihad Organization in Lebanon and held until 1991. In 2004, he ran unsuccessfully for the Ohio State Senate. Read more
21 Apr 2019: Polly Higgins, Scottish barrister, author and environmental lobbyist (born 1968) Pauline Hélène "Polly" Higgins was a Scottish barrister, author, and environmental lobbyist, described by Jonathan Watts in her obituary in The Guardian as, "one of the most inspiring figures in the green movement". She left her career as a lawyer to focus on environmental advocacy, and unsuccessfully lobbied the United Nations Law Commission to recognise ecocide as an international crime. Higgins wrote three books, including Eradicating Ecocide, and started the Earth Protectors group to raise funds to support the cause. Read more
21 Apr 2018: Nabi Tajima, Japanese supercentenarian (born 1900) Nabi Tajima was a Japanese supercentenarian who was the world's oldest living person from 16 September 2017, until her own death, and the last surviving person to have been born in the 19th century. Read more
21 Apr 2017: Ugo Ehiogu, English footballer (born 1972) Ugochukwu Ehiogu was an English professional football coach and player who played as a centre-back. After retiring, he became a record executive, jointly founding the successful record label, Dirty Hit. Ehiogu was the head coach of the Tottenham Hotspur Under-21s from 2014 until his death in 2017. Read more
21 Apr 2016: Prince, American singer-songwriter, guitarist, producer, and actor (born 1958) Prince Rogers Nelson, known mononymously as Prince, was an American singer, songwriter, musician, dancer, actor, and filmmaker. Often being credited as one of the greatest musicians of his generation, he pioneered the Minneapolis sound and was influential in the evolution of various other genres. Read more
21 Apr 2014: George H. Heilmeier, American engineer (born 1936) George Harry Heilmeier was an American engineer, manager, and a pioneering contributor to liquid crystal displays (LCDs), for which he was inducted into the National Inventors Hall of Fame. Heilmeier's work is an IEEE Milestone. Read more
21 Apr 2014: Win Tin, Burmese journalist and politician, co-founded the National League for Democracy (born 1930) Win Tin was a Burmese journalist, politician and political prisoner. He co-founded the National League for Democracy (NLD). He was imprisoned by the military government for 19 years (1989–2008) for his writings and his leadership position in the NLD. Read more
21 Apr 2013: Shakuntala Devi, Indian mathematician and astrologer (born 1929) Shakuntala Devi was an Indian mental calculator, astrologer, and writer, popularly known as the "Human Computer". Her talent earned her a place in the 1982 edition of The Guinness Book of World Records. However, the certificate for the record was given posthumously on 30 July 2020, despite Devi achieving her world record on 18 June 1980 at Imperial College, London. Devi was a precocious child, and she demonstrated her arithmetic abilities at the University of Mysore without any formal education. Read more
21 Apr 2013: Leopold Engleitner, Austrian Holocaust survivor, author, and educator (born 1905) Leopold Engleitner was an Austrian conscientious objector, as one of Jehovah's Witnesses, and a concentration camp survivor who spoke publicly and with students about his experiences. He was the subject of the documentary Unbroken Will. Before his death, Engleitner was the world's oldest known male Buchenwald, Niederhagen and Ravensbrück concentration camp survivor and the oldest male Austrian. Read more
21 Apr 2012: Doris Betts, American author and academic (born 1932) Doris Betts was a short story writer, novelist, essayist and Alumni Distinguished Professor Emerita at University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. She was the author of three short story collections and six novels. Read more
21 Apr 2011: Catharina Halkes, Dutch theologian and academic (born 1920) Catharina Joanna Maria Halkes was a Dutch theologian and feminist, notable for having been the first Dutch professor of feminism and Christianity, at the Radboud University Nijmegen from 1983 to 1986. A Roman Catholic who was originally schooled in Dutch language and literature, she became active in the women's movement within the church, and gained a measure of notoriety when she was forbidden to address Pope John Paul II during his visit to the Netherlands in 1985. She is considered the founding mother of feminist theology in the Netherlands. Read more
21 Apr 2010: Gustav Lorentzen, Norwegian singer-songwriter and guitarist (born 1947) Gustav Lorentzen, also known by his stage name Ludvigsen, was a Norwegian singer-songwriter, best known from being half of the successful duo Knutsen & Ludvigsen, alongside Øystein "Knutsen" Dolmen. He went solo in 1986, winning four Spellemann awards and one nomination for his 5 albums. Read more
21 Apr 2010: Juan Antonio Samaranch, Spanish businessman, seventh President of the International Olympic Committee (born 1920) Juan Antonio Samaranch y Torelló, 1st Marquess of Samaranch was a Spanish sports administrator under the Franco regime (1973–1977) who served as the seventh president of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) from 1980 to 2001. Read more
21 Apr 2010: Kanagaratnam Sriskandan, Sri Lankan-English engineer and civil servant (born 1930)

Kanagaratnam Sriskandan was a Sri Lankan born British engineer and civil servant. He was the former Chief Highway Engineer, of Under Secretary Grade at the British Department for Transport Read more
21 Apr 2005: Zhang Chunqiao, Chinese writer and politician, member of the Gang of Four (born 1917) Zhang Chunqiao was a Chinese political theorist, writer, and politician. He came to the national spotlight during the late stages of the Cultural Revolution, and was a member of the ultra-Maoist group dubbed the "Gang of Four". Read more
21 Apr 2003: Nina Simone, American singer-songwriter, pianist, and activist (born 1933) Nina Simone was an American pianist, singer, songwriter, and civil rights activist. Simone's bearing and stage presence earned her the title the High Priestess of Soul. Her music spanned styles including classical, folk, gospel, blues, jazz, R&B, and pop. Her piano playing was strongly influenced by baroque and classical music, especially Johann Sebastian Bach, and accompanied expressive, jazz-like singing in her contralto voice. Rolling Stone named Simone one of the greatest singers on various lists. Read more
21 Apr 1999: Buddy Rogers, American actor (born 1904) Charles Edward "Buddy" Rogers was an American film actor and musician. During the peak of his popularity in the late 1920s and early 1930s, he was publicized as "America's Boyfriend". Read more
21 Apr 1998: Jean-François Lyotard, French sociologist and philosopher (born 1924) Jean-François Lyotard was a French philosopher, sociologist, and literary theorist. His interdisciplinary discourse spans such topics as epistemology and communication, the human body, modern art and postmodern art, literature and critical theory, music, film, time and memory, space, the city and landscape, the sublime, and the relation between aesthetics and politics. He is best known for his articulation of postmodernism after the late 1970s and the analysis of the impact of postmodernity on the human condition. Lyotard was a key personality in contemporary continental philosophy and authored 26 books and many articles. He was a director of the International College of Philosophy founded by Jacques Derrida, François Châtelet, Jean-Pierre Faye, and Dominique Lecourt. Read more
21 Apr 1997: Diosdado Macapagal, Filipino lawyer and politician, 9th President of the Philippines (born 1910) Diosdado Pangan Macapagal Sr. was the ninth president of the Philippines, serving from 1961 to 1965. He served as the 5th vice president from 1957 to 1961 under Carlos P. Garcia. He also served as a member of the House of Representatives, and headed the Constitutional Convention of 1970. He was the father of Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, who followed his path as President of the Philippines from 2001 to 2010. Diosdado Macapagal Sr is one of the few presidents with doctoral degrees, earning a Doctors of Civil Law degree and a PHD in Economics degree from University of Santo Tomas. Read more
21 Apr 1996: Abdul Hafeez Kardar, Pakistani cricketer (born 1925) Abdul Hafeez Kardar PP, HI was a Pakistani cricketer, politician, and diplomat. He was the first captain of the Pakistan cricket team and one of only three players to have played Test cricket for both India and Pakistan. Known as "The Skipper," Kardar led the Pakistan cricket team in its first 23 Test matches, spanning from 1952 to 1958, and later became the nation's foremost cricket administrator. Read more
21 Apr 1996: Jimmy Snyder, American sportscaster (born 1919) James George Snyder Sr., better known as Jimmy the Greek, was an American sports commentator and Las Vegas bookmaker. A regular contributor to the CBS program The NFL Today, Snyder predicted the scores of NFL games, which sports bettors used to determine the point spread. In January 1988, Snyder was fired by CBS after he made comments suggesting that breeding practices during slavery had led blacks to become superior athletes. Read more
21 Apr 1992: Väinö Linna, Finnish author (born 1920) Väinö Valtteri Linna was a Finnish author and a former soldier who fought in the Continuation War (1941–44). Linna gained literary fame with his third novel, Tuntematon sotilas, and consolidated his position with the trilogy Täällä Pohjantähden alla. Both have been adapted to a film format on several occasions; The Unknown Soldier was first adapted into a film in 1955 and Under the North Star in 1968 as Here, Beneath the North Star, both directed by Edvin Laine. Read more
21 Apr 1991: Willi Boskovsky, Austrian violinist and conductor (born 1909) Willibald Karl Boskovsky was an Austrian violinist and conductor, best known as the long-standing conductor of the Vienna New Year's Concert from 1955 to 1979. Read more
21 Apr 1990: Erté, Russian-French illustrator (born 1892) Romain de Tirtoff, known by the pseudonym Erté, was a Russian-born French artist and designer. He worked in several fields, including fashion, jewellery, graphic arts, costume, set design for film, theatre, and opera, and interior decor. Read more
21 Apr 1987: Gustav Bergmann, Austrian-American philosopher from the Vienna Circle (born 1906) Gustav Bergmann was an Austrian-American philosopher. He studied at the University of Vienna and was a member of the Vienna Circle. Bergmann was influenced by the philosophers Moritz Schlick, Friedrich Waismann, and Rudolf Carnap, who were members of the Circle. In the United States, he was a professor of philosophy and psychology at the University of Iowa. Read more
21 Apr 1986: Marjorie Eaton, American painter and actress (born 1901) Marjorie Lee Eaton was an American painter, photographer and character actress. Read more
21 Apr 1986: Salah Jahin, Egyptian poet, playwright, and composer (born 1930) Muhammad Salah Eldin Bahgat Ahmad Helmy, known as Salah Jaheen was a leading Egyptian poet, lyricist, playwright and cartoonist. Read more
21 Apr 1985: Rudi Gernreich, Austrian-American fashion designer, created the monokini (born 1922) Rudolf "Rudi" Gernreich was an Austrian-born American fashion designer whose avant-garde clothing designs are generally regarded as the most innovative and dynamic fashion of the 1960s. He purposefully used fashion design as a social statement to advance sexual freedom, producing clothes that followed the natural form of the female body, freeing them from the constraints of high fashion. Read more
21 Apr 1985: Tancredo Neves, Brazilian banker and politician, Prime Minister of Brazil (born 1910) Tancredo de Almeida Neves was a Brazilian politician, lawyer, and entrepreneur. He served as Minister of Justice and Internal Affairs from 1953 to 1954, President of the Council of Ministers from 1961 to 1962, Minister of Finance in 1962, and as Governor of Minas Gerais from 1983 to 1984. He was elected President of the Republic in 1985, but he died before had the chance to take office, and was replaced by vice-president elect, José Sarney as president. Read more
21 Apr 1984: Marcel Janco, Romanian-Israeli artist (born 1895) Marcel Janco was a Romanian and Israeli visual artist, architect and art theorist. He was the co-inventor of Dadaism and a leading exponent of Constructivism in Eastern Europe. In the 1910s, he co-edited, with Ion Vinea and Tristan Tzara, the Romanian art magazine Simbolul. Janco was a practitioner of Art Nouveau, Futurism and Expressionism before contributing his painting and stage design to Tzara's literary Dadaism. He parted with Dada in 1919, when he and painter Hans Arp founded a Constructivist circle, Das Neue Leben. Read more
21 Apr 1984: Hristo Prodanov, Bulgarian engineer and mountaineer (born 1943) Hristo Ivanov Prodanov, also known as Christo Prodanov was a Bulgarian mountaineer. Prodanov was the first Bulgarian to climb Mount Everest, doing it via the most difficult way—the West Ridge—as well as alone and without oxygen. Prodanov was the first person to climb Everest in April, when the weather conditions are generally too bad for an expedition, and also the thirteenth person to climb Everest without using bottled oxygen. Climbing the summit at 18:15 local time, he had to descend overnight and got lost shortly after that. On the next afternoon, he reported he had lost his gloves and soon would be unable to hold the radio button long enough to talk. His body was never found. Read more
21 Apr 1983: Walter Slezak, Austrian-American actor and singer (born 1902) Walter Slezak was an Austrian-born film and stage actor active between 1922 and 1976. He mainly appeared in German films before migrating to the United States in 1930 and performing in numerous Hollywood productions. Read more
21 Apr 1980: Alexander Oparin, Russian biochemist and academic (born 1894) Alexander Ivanovich Oparin was a Soviet biochemist notable for his theories about the origin of life and for his book The Origin of Life. Read more
21 Apr 1980: Sohrab Sepehri, Iranian poet and painter (born 1928) Sohrab Sepehri was an Iranian poet and painter, considered to be one of the five most famous Iranian poets who have practiced modern poetry alongside Nima Youshij, Ahmad Shamlou, Mehdi Akhavan-Sales, and Forough Farrokhzad. Sepehri's poems have been translated into several languages, including English, French, Spanish, Italian, Lithuanian and Kurdish. Read more
21 Apr 1978: Sandy Denny, English singer-songwriter (born 1947) Alexandra Elene MacLean Denny was an English singer-songwriter who was lead singer of the British folk rock band Fairport Convention. She has been described as "arguably the pre-eminent British folk-rock singer/songwriter of her time". Read more
21 Apr 1978: Thomas Wyatt Turner, American biologist and academic (born 1877) Thomas Wyatt Turner was an American civil rights activist, biologist, and educator. He was the first Black American to receive a Ph.D. in botany, and helped found both the NAACP and the Federated Colored Catholics. Read more
21 Apr 1977: Gummo Marx, American vaudevillian and talent agent (born 1892) Milton "Gummo" Marx was an American vaudeville performer, theatrical agent and businessman. He was the fourth-born of the five Marx Brothers. Born in Manhattan, he worked with his brothers on the vaudeville circuit, leaving the act when he was drafted into the US Army in 1918 during World War I and replaced by his brother Zeppo. He had no taste for the theatre, never appeared in any of his brothers' films, and became a successful businessman. Read more
21 Apr 1973: Arthur Fadden, Australian accountant and politician, 13th Prime Minister of Australia (born 1894) Sir Arthur William Fadden was an Australian politician and accountant who served as the 13th prime minister of Australia from 29 August to 7 October 1941. He held office as the leader of the Country Party from 1940 to 1958 and served as treasurer of Australia from 1940 to 1941 and 1949 to 1958. Read more
21 Apr 1973: Kemal Tahir, Turkish journalist and author (born 1910) Kemal Tahir was a prominent Turkish novelist and intellectual. Tahir spent 13 years of his life imprisoned for political reasons and wrote some of his best known novels during this time. Read more
21 Apr 1971: François Duvalier, Haitian physician and politician, 40th President of Haiti (born 1907) François Duvalier, also known as Papa Doc, was a Haitian politician and physician who served as president of Haiti from 1957 until his death in 1971. Read more
21 Apr 1965: Edward Victor Appleton, English-Scottish physicist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (born 1892) Sir Edward Victor Appleton was a British physicist who received the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1947 for his contributions to the knowledge of the ionosphere, which led to the development of radar and shortwave radio. Read more
21 Apr 1956: Charles MacArthur, American playwright and screenwriter (born 1895) Charles Gordon MacArthur was an American playwright, screenwriter, and 1935 winner of the Academy Award for Best Story. Read more
21 Apr 1954: Emil Leon Post, Polish-American mathematician and logician (born 1897) Emil Leon Post was an American mathematician and logician. He is best known for his work in the field that eventually became known as computability theory. Read more
21 Apr 1952: Leslie Banks, American actor, director and producer (born 1890) Leslie James Banks CBE was an English stage and screen actor, director and producer, now best remembered for playing gruff, menacing characters in black-and-white films of the 1930s and 1940s, but also the Chorus in Laurence Olivier's wartime version of Henry V. Read more
21 Apr 1948: Aldo Leopold, American ecologist and author (born 1887) Aldo Leopold was an American writer, philosopher, naturalist, scientist, ecologist, forester, professor, conservationist, and environmentalist. He taught at the University of Wisconsin and is best known for his book A Sand County Almanac (1949), which has been translated into fifteen languages and has sold more than two million copies. Read more
21 Apr 1947: Meir Feinstein (born 1929, disputed) with Moshe Barazani (born c. 1927), suicide militants. Meir Feinstein was an Irgun member in Mandatory Palestine, during the Jewish insurgency in Mandatory Palestine. Feinstein, who was sentenced to death by the British authorities, is remembered for his suicide together with Moshe Barazani, a member of the group Lehi, under sentence of death; the two killed themselves embracing each other with a live grenade lodged between them hours before their scheduled hangings. He is memorialized in Israel today as one of 12 Olei Hagardom. Read more
21 Apr 1946: John Maynard Keynes, English economist and philosopher (born 1883) John Maynard Keynes, 1st Baron Keynes, was an English economist whose writings are the basis for the school of thought known as Keynesian economics, as well as its various offshoots. Originally trained in mathematics, he built on and greatly refined earlier work on the causes of business cycles. His ideas, later reformulated as New Keynesianism, are fundamental to mainstream macroeconomics. He is known as the "father of macroeconomics" and is one of the most influential economists of the 20th century. Read more
21 Apr 1945: Walter Model, German field marshal (born 1891) Otto Moritz Walter Model was a German Generalfeldmarschall during World War II. Although he was a hard-driving, aggressive panzer commander early in the war, Model became best known as a practitioner of defensive warfare. His relative success as commander of the Ninth Army in the battles of 1941–1942 determined his future career path. Read more
21 Apr 1941: Fritz Manteuffel, German gymnast (born 1875) Julius Carl Fritz Manteuffel was a German gymnast. He competed at the 1896 Summer Olympics in Athens. Read more
21 Apr 1938: Allama Muhammad Iqbal, Pakistani National philosopher and poet (born 1877) Sir Muhammad Iqbal was an Islamic philosopher and poet. His poetry in Urdu is considered to be among the greatest of the 20th century, and his vision of a cultural and political ideal for the Muslims of British India is widely regarded as having animated the impulse for the Pakistan Movement. He is commonly referred to by the honorific Allamah and widely considered one of the most important and influential Muslim thinkers and Islamic religious philosophers of the 20th century. Read more
21 Apr 1932: Friedrich Gustav Piffl, Bohemian cardinal (born 1864) Friedrich Gustav Piffl was a Cardinal of the Catholic Church and Archbishop of Vienna. Read more
21 Apr 1930: Robert Bridges, English poet and author (born 1844) Robert Seymour Bridges was a British poet who was Poet Laureate from 1913 to 1930. A doctor by training, he achieved literary fame only late in life. His poems reflect a deep Christian faith, and he is the author of many well-known hymns. It was through Bridges's efforts that the poet Gerard Manley Hopkins achieved posthumous fame. Read more
21 Apr 1924: Eleonora Duse, Italian actress (born 1858) Eleonora Giulia Amalia Duse, often known simply as Duse, was an Italian actress, rated by many as the greatest of her time. She performed in many countries, notably in the plays of Gabriele D'Annunzio and Henrik Ibsen. Duse achieved a unique power of conviction and verity on the stage through intense absorption in the character, "eliminating the self" as she put it, and letting the qualities emerge from within, not imposed through artifice. Read more
21 Apr 1918: Manfred von Richthofen, German captain and pilot (born 1892) Rittmeister Manfred Albrecht Freiherr von Richthofen, known in English as Baron von Richthofen or the Red Baron, was a German fighter pilot with the German Air Force during World War I. He is considered the ace-of-aces of the war, being officially credited with 80 air combat victories. Read more
21 Apr 1910: Mark Twain, American novelist, humorist, and critic (born 1835) Samuel Langhorne Clemens, known by the pen name Mark Twain, was an American writer, humorist, and essayist. He has been praised as the "greatest humorist the United States has produced", with William Faulkner calling him "the father of American literature". Twain's novels include The Adventures of Tom Sawyer (1876) and its sequel, Adventures of Huckleberry Finn (1884), with the latter often called the "Great American Novel". He also wrote A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court (1889) and Pudd'nhead Wilson (1894) and cowrote The Gilded Age: A Tale of Today (1873) with Charles Dudley Warner. The novelist Ernest Hemingway claimed that "All modern American literature comes from one book by Mark Twain called Huckleberry Finn." Read more
21 Apr 1900: Vikramatji Khimojiraj, Indian ruler (born 1819) Maharaja RanaShri Vikramatji Khimojiraj Sahib was the ruler of Princely State of Porbandar belonging to Jethwa Rajput dynasty. Read more
21 Apr 1863: Sir Robert Bateson, 1st Baronet, Irish politician (born 1782) Sir Robert Bateson, 1st Baronet DL was an Irish baronet, landowner and Conservative politician. Read more
21 Apr 1852: Ivan Nabokov, Russian general (born 1787) Ivan Aleksandrovich Nabokov was a Russian adjutant general and general of the infantry prominent during the Napoleonic Wars. Read more
21 Apr 1825: Johann Friedrich Pfaff, German mathematician and academic (born 1765) Johann Friedrich Pfaff was a German mathematician. He is best known for his work on differential equations and as Carl Friedrich Gauss's doctoral advisor. Read more
21 Apr 1815: Joseph Winston, American soldier and politician (born 1746) Lieutenant Colonel Joseph Winston was an American pioneer, politician and American Revolutionary War hero from Surry County, North Carolina, and the first cousin of statesman and Virginia governor Patrick Henry. He also served in the United States House of Representatives and North Carolina Senate. In 1766, Winston moved to the northern part of Rowan County, North Carolina, the area which subsequently became the current Stokes County, North Carolina. Read more

Why is 21 April Important in World History?

Several significant political, cultural, educational, and sporting events took place on 21 April, making it an important topic for general knowledge and competitive examinations.

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What happened on 21 April in World history?

On 21 April, several important historical events, notable births, and major milestones occurred in World history.

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