Today is Wednesday, April 21, the 111th day of 2021. There are 254 days left in the year.
Today’s Highlight in History:
On April 21, 1836, an army of Texans led by Sam Houston defeated the Mexicans at San Jacinto, assuring Texas independence.
On this date:
In 1649, the Maryland Toleration Act, providing for freedom of worship for all Christians, was passed by the Maryland assembly.
In 1789, John Adams was sworn in as the first vice president of the United States.
In 1816, Charlotte Bronte, author of “Jane Eyre,” was born in Thornton, England.
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 1975, with Communist forces closing in, South Vietnamese President Nguyen Van Thieu resigned after nearly 10 years in office and fled the country.
In 1976, clinical trials of the swine flu vaccine began in Washington, D.C.
In 1977, the musical play “Annie,” based on the “Little Orphan Annie” comic strip, opened on Broadway, beginning a run of 2,377 performances.
In 1980, Rosie Ruiz was the first woman to cross the finish line at the Boston Marathon; however, she was later exposed as a fraud. (Canadian Jacqueline Gareau was named the actual winner of the women’s race.)
Today’s Birthdays: Britain’s Queen Elizabeth II is 95. Actor-comedian-writer Elaine May is 89. Actor Charles Grodin is 86. Singer-musician Iggy Pop is 74. Actor Patti LuPone is 72. Actor Tony Danza is 70. Actor James Morrison is 67. Actor Andie MacDowell is 63. Actor Rob Riggle is 51. Former NFL quarterback Tony Romo is 41.
