April 21

753 BC – URBS CONDITA EST Descended from Aeneas, a hero of Troy, Romulus founds Rome. ROMA SUMMUS AMOR

1509 – Henry VIII ascends the throne of England on the death of his father King Henry VII.

1789 – John Adams sworn in as 1st U.S. Vice President, 9 days before George Washington, who is still en route to New York City after being received and feted by the Ladies of Trenton.

1792 – Joaquim José da Silva Xavier Tiradentes, leader of the Inconfidência Mineira revolutionary movement for Brazil’s independence, is hanged, drawn and quartered.

1836 – In less than 18 minutes of battle, Republic of Texas forces under General Sam Houston defeat Mexican troops under General Antonio López de Santa Anna at San Jacinto.

1898 – During the Spanish–American War,  the U.S. Navy begins a blockade of Cuban ports.

1918 – German fighter ace, Manfred, Baron von Richthofen, called the Red Baron, is shot down, and killed over Vaux-sur-Somme in France.

1945 – Soviet forces attack the German High Command headquarters at Zossen, 20 miles south of Berlin.

1946 – The U.S. Weather Bureau publish a paper which states the width of a tornado which struck the city of Timber Lake, South Dakota was 4 miles, making it the widest tornado ever documented in history.

1958 – United Airlines Flight 736, a Douglas DC-7, collides with a U.S. Air Force F-100 Super Saber fighter jet near Arden, Nevada killing all 47 passengers and crew aboard, along with the 2 Air Force pilots

1960 – The new capital of Brazil, Brasília is officially inaugurated.  At 09:30, the Three Powers of the Republic are simultaneously transferred from the old capital, Rio de Janeiro.

1962 – The first World’s Fair in the United States since World War II opens in Seattle, Washington.

1975 – President of South Vietnam Nguyễn Văn Thiệu flees Saigon, as Xuân Lộc, the last South Vietnamese outpost blocking a direct North Vietnamese assault on Saigon, falls.

1982 – Rollie Fingers of the Milwaukee Brewers becomes the first Major League relief pitcher to record 300 saves.

1985 – Members of the group The Covenant, The Sword, and the Arm of the Lord in northern Arkansas, surrender to federal authorities after a 2 day siege of the compound.

2014 – During a budget crisis, the city of Flint, Michigan switches its water source from water supplied by the Detroit Water and Sewerage Department water to the Flint River. Residents almost immediately being filing complaints about the taste, smell, and appearance of the water.