Today is Tuesday, April 21, the 112th day of 2020. There are 254 days left in the year.

Today’s Highlight in History:

On April 21, 1976, clinical trials of the swine flu vaccine began in Washington, D.C.

On this date:

In 1509, England’s King Henry VII died; he was succeeded by his 17-year-old son, Henry VIII.

In 1789, John Adams was sworn in as the first vice president of the United States.

In 1836, an army of Texans led by Sam Houston defeated the Mexicans at San Jacinto, assuring Texas independence.

In 1910, author Samuel Langhorne Clemens, better known as Mark Twain, died in Redding, Connecticut, at age 74.

In 1918, Manfred von Richthofen, 25, the German ace known as the “Red Baron” who was believed to have downed 80 enemy aircraft during World War I, was himself shot down and killed while in action over France.

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.

In 1930, fire broke out inside the overcrowded Ohio Penitentiary in Columbus, killing 332 inmates.

In 1989, the baseball fantasy “Field of Dreams,” starring Kevin Costner, was released by Universal Pictures.

In 2016, Prince, one of the most inventive and influential musicians of modern times, was found dead at his home in suburban Minneapolis; he was 57.

Today’s Birthdays: Britain’s Queen Elizabeth II is 94. Actress-comedian-writer Elaine May is 88. Actor Charles Grodin is 85. Actor Reni Santoni is 82. Anti-death penalty activist Sister Helen Prejean is 81. Singer-musician Iggy Pop is 73. Actress Patti LuPone is 71. Actor Tony Danza is 69. Actor James Morrison is 66. Actress Andie MacDowell is 62. Rock singer Robert Smith (The Cure) is 61. Rock musician Michael Timmins (Cowboy Junkies) is 61. Actor-director John Cameron Mitchell is 57.

Thought for Today: “I try to avoid looking forward or backward, and try to keep looking upward.” — Charlotte Bronte (1816-1855).