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What happened in history on this day: April 21?
On April 21 in ...
- 1789 - John Adams is sworn in as first US Vice President (9 days before Washington).
- 1794 - New York City formally declares coast of Ellis Island publically owned, so they can build forts to protect New York City from British.
- 1828 - Noah Webster publishes first American dictionary.
- 1838 - The Dahlonega Branch Mint in Georgia, USA begins striking its first coins, 1838 Classic Head half eagles, first US coins with a "D" mint mark.
- 1856 - First railroad bridge across Mississippi River, from Rock Island, Illinois to Davenport, Iowa.
- 1862 - US Congress establishes the Denver Assay Office in Colorado.
- 1874 - President Ulysses Grant vetoes a bill to increase greenbacks in circulation by $100 million.
- 1878 - The ship Azor leaves Charleston, South Carolina, with 206 blacks for Liberia.
- 1892 - Black longshoremen strike for higher wages in Saint Louis, Missouri.
- 1914 - US marines occupy Vera Cruz, México (they stay six months).
- 1919 - The US Victory Liberty Loan offers $4.5 billion in bonds.
- 1930 - Fire (set as part of an escape attempt) at Ohio State Penitentiary kills 320.
- 1945 - US 7th Army occupies Neurenberg, Germany.
- 1954 - US Air Force flies French battalion to Vietnam.
- 1954 - In the Foley Square U.S. Courthouse in New York, a congressional subcommittee begins a three-day televised investigation of the causes of juvenile delinquency. The comic-book industry is vilified, leading to laws in several states restricting comic sales, and industry self-censorship.
- 1962 - (to October 12) The Century 21 Exposition is held in Seattle, Washington, USA.
- 1965 - New York World's Fair re-opens for second and final season.
- 1968 - 22nd Tony Awards: Rosencranz and Guilderstern and Hallelujah Baby! win.
- 1976 - Swine Flu vaccine, for non-epidemic, enters testing.
- 1981 - US furnishes US$1 billion in arms to Saudi Arabia.
- 1982 - Dutch Queen Beatrice addresses US Congress.
- 1983 - Scandal-plagued Jackie Presser is elected president of the Teamsters.
- 1984 - Centers for Disease Control says virus discovered in France causes AIDS (Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome).
- 1986 - Geraldo Rivera opens Al Capone's secret vault on live TV show The Mystery of Al Capone's Vault and finds nothing inside.
- 1987 - Dow Jones Industrial Average soars 664.7; second biggest one-day gain in history.
- 1992 - Robert Harris, murderer, executed in California's gas chamber at age 39.
- 1995 - FBI arrests Timothy McVeigh and charges him with Oklahoma City bombing.
- 2008 - Bank of America, the largest American retail bank, reports a 77 percent decline in the quarter ending March 31, the third straight quarterly loss. The loss included over US$5 billion in write-downs and credit-related costs.
Births on April 21
- 1899 - Birth of Randall Thompson in New York City, New York, USA; composer (Trip to Nahant).
- 1907 - Birth of Beatrice Kay in New York City, New York, USA; singer/actress (Sister Sue - Calvin and the Colonel).
- 1911 - Birth of Leonard Warren in New York City, New York, USA; baritone (Metropolitan Opera 1939-60), died on stage.
- 1916 - Birth of Sidney Clute in Brooklyn, New York, USA; actor (Lou Grant, Cagney and Lacey).
- 1919 - Birth of Don Cornell in New York City, New York, USA; singer (sold over 50 million records, "It Isn't Fair", "I'm Yours", "I'll Walk Alone", "Hold My Hand").
- 1920 - Birth of Christopher Dark in New York City, New York, USA; actor (Suddenly, Tenderfoot).
- 1921 - Birth of Jack Fletcher in Forrest Hills, New York, USA; actor (Grady, Bob Crane Show).
- 1924 - Birth of Daniel Melnick in New York City, New York, USA; producer (Get Smart).
- 1924 - Birth of Ira Louvin in Rainesville, Alabama; USA; gospel and bluegrass singer (The Louvin Brothers, "Satan Is Real", "Make Him a Soldier", "When I Stop Dreaming", "I Don't Believe You've Met My Baby").
- 1927 - Birth of Robert Brustein in New York City, New York, USA; dean (Yale School of Drama).
- 1932 - Birth of Elaine May in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; comedienne/writer/actress (New Leaf).
- 1933 - Birth of Easley Blackwood in Indianapolis, Indiana, USA; composer (Un Voyage á Cythere).
- 1935 - Birth of Charles Grodin in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; actor (Beethoven, Woman in Red, Lonely Guy, Heartbreak Kid, 60 Minutes II, Charles Grodin Show, Fresno).
- 1937 - Birth of Charles Lee Herron in Kentucky, USA; FBI most wanted fugitive (January 1, 1986).
- 1947 - Birth of Iggy Pop AKA James Newell Osterberg in Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA; new wave performer (Iggy Pop and the Stooges, Zombie Birdhouse).
- 1948 - Birth of Paul Davis in Meridian, Michigan, USA; country/rock vocalist ("I Go Crazy").
- 1949 - Birth of Patti LuPone in Northport, New York, USA; stage/screen actress/singer (Evita, Life Goes On, Oz).
- 1951 - Birth of Tony Danza in Brooklyn, New York, USA; actor (Tony Banta - Taxi, Tony Micelli - Who's The Boss?, Tony Danza Show).
- 1953 - Birth of Edward Ray Fiori in Lynwood, California, USA; PGA golfer (1979 Southern Open).
- 1954 - Birth of Dale Eggeling in Statesboro, Georgia, USA; LPGA golfer (1995 Oldsmobile Classic).
- 1957 - Birth of Jesse Orosco in Santa Barbara, California, USA; baseball relief pitcher (New York Mets, Baltimore Orioles, Los Angeles Dodgers).
- 1958 - Birth of Andie [Rosalie Anderson] MacDowell in Gaffney, South Carolina, USA; actress (Groundhog Day, Multiplicity, Greystoke).
- 1963 - Birth of John Cameron Mitchell in El Paso, Texas, USA; actor (Misplaced, Band of the Hand).
- 1963 - Birth of Ken Caminiti in Hanford, California, USA; infielder (San Diego Padres).
- 1971 - Birth of Jennifer Reed; Miss Michigan-USA (1997).
- 1972 - Birth of David Williams in Bedford, Pennsylvania, USA; outfielder (San Francisco Giants).
- 1972 - Birth of Lori Flick in Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Miss Massachusetts-America (1997).
- 1975 - Birth of Angela Michelle Hughes in Anderson, South Carolina; Miss South Carolina-America (1997).
- 1978 - Birth of Aimee Delatte; Miss Arkansas Teen-USA (1996).
- 1978 - Birth of Melissa Coish; Miss New Hampshire Teen-USA (1996).
- 1984 - Birth of Ashley Peldon in Staten Island, New York; actress (Marah Lewis - Guilding Light, Deceived).
Deaths on April 21
- 1910 - Mark Twain [Samuel Langhorne Clemens], author (Tom Sawyer, Huckleberry Finn), dies in Redding, Connecticut, USA at age 74.
- 1961 - Death of James Melton at age 56 of pneumonia; American operatic tenor (The Ziegfield Follies of the Air, The Intimate Review, Bell Telephone Hour, Harvest of Stars, The Texaco Star Theatre).
- 1977 - Gummo [Milton] Marx, US comic (Marx Brothers), dies at age 84.
- 1983 - Walter Slezak, actor (Bedtime For Bonzo), commits suicide in New York at age 80.
- 1985 - Rudi Gernreich, US designer (unisex look, invisible underwear, miniskirt), dies at age 62.
- 1987 - Edith S Green, American politician (Representative-Democrat-Oregon), dies at age 77.
- 1991 - Richard Bolling, American politician (Representative-Democrat-Missouri), dies at age 74.
- 1992 - Robert Harris, murderer, executed in California's gas chamber at age 39.
- 1996 - Zora Arkus-Duntov, chief engineer of Covrette, dies at age 86, in Grosse Pointe, Michigan.
- 1998 - Death of Helen Ward at age 82 in Arlington, Virginia, USA; singer ("These Foolish Things", "Goody Goody").
- 2008 - Death of Al Wilson at age 68 of kidney failure in Fontana, California, USA; soul singer and songwriter ("The Snake" (1968), "Show and Tell" (1974), Count the Days).
- 2010 - Death of Dorothy Height, pioneering voice of the US civil rights movement, at age 98 of natural causes in Washington, D.C. Height was leader of the National Council of Negro Women for 40 years, an advocate for gender equality and the desegregation of the US armed forces.
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