1509: Henry VIII is crowned King of England. In popular culture, the monarch is known mainly for his six marriages, two of which ended.
1820: While observing a compass needle, scientist Hans Christian Ørsted discovered electromagnetism. Ørsted was setting up the apparatus during a lecture. He turned on the electricity, and a compass needle moved away from magnetic north. None of his students could see it, but he saw it clearly and knew he’d witnessed something important.
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1836: Texas militia route Mexicans in the Battle of San Jacinto. During the Texan War for Independence, the Texas militia under Sam Houston launches a surprise attack against the forces of Mexican General Santa Anna along the San Jacinto River. The Mexicans were thoroughly defeated, and hundreds were taken prisoner, including General Santa Anna himself.
1918: The Red Baron is killed
Manfred von Richthofen was a legendary German fighter pilot. He earned his renown and nickname by achieving 80 air combat victories in World War I. He was shot down and killed during combat at the age of 25.
1930: A fire broke out inside the overcrowded Ohio Penitentiary in Columbus, killing 332 inmates.
1947: Africa’s first radio broadcast to a global audience is made by Britain’s Princess Elizabeth from Cape Town, South Africa. Becoming an adult on her 21st birthday today, she uses the address to commit to working for the Commonwealth nations. In 2024, there will be 19 African nations in the Commonwealth, which Queen Elizabeth headed from 1952 until she died in 2022.
1966: The Ethiopian emperor Haile Selassie I, believed to be the Second Coming of Christ by many Rastas, arrived in Jamaica for a visit—an event since celebrated annually in Rastafari as Grounation Day.
1967: Dictator Georgios Papadopoulos assumes power in Greece. During his six-year reign, thousands of political opponents were incarcerated and tortured.
1992: The first exoplanets are discovered. Polish astronomer Aleksander Wolszczan announced that he found two planets orbiting the pulsar PSR 1257+12.
1995: Chief Abiola’s physician, Ore Faloma, is arrested upon arrival in Abuja. He had come at the government’s invitation to tend to his patient. Dr. Faloma, who had often maintained that Chief Abiola was “seriously ill” (ibid.; AI 24 Apr. 1995), is released three days later.
1995: The FBI arrested an American terrorist, Timothy McVeigh, who was responsible for the Oklahoma City bombing. The disaster happened on April 19 at 09:02 am. More than 168 people lost their lives, over 690 were injured, 324 buildings were affected, and $652 million in damage was caused.
1997: American Psychologist Timothy Leary and Star Trek creator Gene Roddenberry were launched into orbit after being cremated. Their remains orbited the Earth once every 96 minutes and eventually fell back to Earth on May 20, 2002, in an area northeast of Australia.
1998: Astronomers announced in Washington that they had discovered possible signs of a new family of planets orbiting a star 220 light-years away, the clearest evidence to date of worlds forming beyond our solar system.
1999: The Second Liberian Civil War begins when a rebel group backed by Guinea commences attacks in the country’s north. The rebels’ use of child soldiers alarms the international community.
2016: Legendary musician and megawatt star Prince dies at 57. On the morning of April 21, 2016, Prince, the polymathic musician who created more than 30 albums and won seven Grammy Awards over a 40-year career, is found dead in Paisley Park, his Minnesota home and recording studio. The cause of death was an accidental overdose of the opioid fentanyl. He was 57 years old.
BIRTHS ON THIS DAY APRIL 21
Maurice Iwu, 74 years
Maurice Mmaduakolam Iwu is a Nigerian professor of pharmacognosy who was appointed Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission in June 2005 and was removed from office in April 2010.
Kaka, 41 years
Ricardo Izecson dos Santos Leite, commonly known as Kaká or Ricardo Kaká, is a Brazilian former professional footballer who played as an attacking midfielder.
James Starley (21 April 1830 – 17 June 1881)
On April 21, 1890, James Starley was an English inventor and father of the bicycle industry. He was one of the most innovative and successful builders of bicycles and tricycles. His inventions include the differential gear, the perfection of the bicycle chain drive, and the penny-farthing. He died at the age of 51.
Queen Elizabeth II (21 April 1926 – 8 September 2022)
In 1926, Britain’s Queen Elizabeth II was born in Mayfair, London; she was the first child of The Duke and Duchess of York, who later became King George VI and the Queen Mother.
On 23rd January 2015, (following the death of Saudi Arabia’s King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz), the Queen became the oldest reigning monarch in the world, and on 21st April 2016, she became the first 90-year-old head of state of the UK and 15 other Commonwealth realms.
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