Historical Events on April 21
- 1836: Mexican General Antonio López de Santa Anna is defeated by Sam Houston and his Texan forces at the Battle of San Jacinto during the Texas Revolution.
- 1898: The U.S Navy begins a blockade on Cuban ports during the Spanish American War.
- 1914: The United States Navy intercepts a German arms shipment to Mexico during the Ypiranga Incident.
- 1918: Manfred von Richthofen – German fighter ace better known as the Red Baron – is shot down and killed over France.
- 1945: Germany’s High Command HQ south of Berlin is attacked by Soviet troops during World War II.
- 1952: The holiday known as Secretary’s Day is celebrated for the first time. It’s now known as Administrative Professionals’ Day.
- 1962: The first World’s Fair in the U.S since WWII opens in Seattle on this day. It’s known as the Century 21 Exposition.
- 1985: The white supremacist group known as The Covenant, The Sword and the Arm of the Lord (CSA) gives up to federal authorities after a two-day long siege.
- 1989: Over one hundred thousand students gather in Tiananmen Square to commemorate Hu Yaobang.
- 1992: Two extra-solar planets are discovered by Dale Frail and Aleksander Wolszczan. They were found orbiting PSR 1257 +12. a pulsar star.
- 2004: Over seventy people are killed and another hundred and sixty are wounded in Basra after 5 suicide car bombers attack police stations.
Famous Birthdays on April 21
- English novelist and poet, Charlotte Bronte is born in 1816.
- Danish lieutenant and Nobel Prize laureate, Fredrik Bajer is born in 1837.
- American physicist and Nobel Prize laureate, Percy Williams Bridgman is born in 1882.
- Russian-Swiss chemist and Nobel Prize laureate, Paul Karrer is born in 1889.
- American actress and screenwriter, Nicole Sullivan is born in 1970.
- American author and illustrator, Michael Turner is born in 1971.
- Scottish actor James McAvoy is born in 1979.