April 21st in History

753 BC - Romulus founded Rome (traditional date).

571 - Prophet Muhammad was born in Makkah.

1509 - Henry VIII ascends the throne of England on the death of his father, Henry VII.

1809 - Two Austrian army corps are driven from Landshut by a First French Empire army led by Napoleon I of France as two French corps to the north hold off the main Austrian army on the first day of the Battle of Eckmühl.

1863 - Bahá'u'lláh, the founder of the Bahá'í Faith, declares his mission as "He whom God shall make manifest".

1918 - World War I: German fighter ace Manfred von Richthofen, known as "The Red Baron", is shot down and killed over Vaux-sur-Somme in France.

1945 - World War II: Soviet Union forces south of Berlin at Zossen attack the German High Command headquarters.

1960 - Brasília, Brazil's capital, is officially inaugurated. At 9:30 am the Three Powers of the Republic are simultaneously transferred from the old capital, Rio de Janeiro.

1967 - Greek military junta of 1967–1974: 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.

1975 - Vietnam War: President of South Vietnam Nguyen Van Thieu flees Saigon, as Xuan Loc, the last South Vietnamese outpost blocking a direct North Vietnamese assault on Saigon, falls.

1989 - Tiananmen Square Protests of 1989: In Beijing, around 100,000 students gather in Tiananmen Square to commemorate Chinese reform leader Hu Yaobang.

1993 - The Supreme Court in La Paz, Bolivia, sentences former dictator Luis Garcia Meza to 30 years in jail without parole for murder, theft, fraud and violating the constitution.

Famous Birthdays

1673 - Wilhelmina Amalia of Brunswick, Holy Roman Empress

1767 - Duchess Elisabeth of Württemberg

1790 - Manuel Blanco Encalada, admiral and 1st President of Chile

1816 - Charlotte Brontë, author

1870 - Edwin Stanton Porter, director

1911 - Ivan Combe, businessman and entrepreneur, invented Clearasil and founded Combe Incorporated

1926 - Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and Head of the commonwealth.

1935 - Charles Grodin, actor

1951 - Tony Danza, actor

1963 - Roy Dupuis, actor

1965 - Karen Foster, model and actress

1971 - Eric Mabius, actor

1975 - Charlie O'Connell, actor

1983 - Marco Donadel, footballer

1988 - Pedro Mosquera Parada, footballer

1989 - Drew Garrett, actor

2007 - HRH Princess Isabella of Denmark