April 21 in History

2021 5 years ago

Indonesian Navy submarine KRI Nanggala (402) sinks in the Bali Sea during a military drill, killing all 53 on board

The Indonesian Navy is the naval branch of the Indonesian National Armed Forces. It was founded on 10 September 1945 and has a role to patrol Indonesia's lengthy coastline, to enf…

Indonesian Navy submarine KRI Nanggala (402) sinks in the Bali Sea during a military drill, killing all 53 on board

2019

Eight bombs explode at churches, hotels, and other locations in Sri Lanka on Easter Sunday, killing at least 269

On 21 April 2019, Easter Sunday, three churches in Sri Lanka and three luxury hotels in the commercial capital, Colombo, were targeted in a series of coordinated ISIS-related terr…

Eight bombs explode at churches, hotels, and other locations in Sri Lanka on Easter Sunday, killing at least 269

2014

The American city of Flint, Michigan switches its water source to the Flint River, beginning the ongoing Flint water cri

Flint is a city in and the county seat of Genesee County, Michigan, United States. The city's population was 81,252 at the 2020 census, and was estimated to be 79,735 in 2024, mak…

The American city of Flint, Michigan switches its water source to the Flint River, beginning the ongoing Flint water cri

2012

Two trains are involved in a head-on collision near Sloterdijk, Amsterdam, in the Netherlands, killing one person and in

On 21 April 2012 at 18:30 local time, two trains were involved in a head-on collision at Westerpark, near Sloterdijk, in the west of Amsterdam, Netherlands. Approximately 117 peop…

Two trains are involved in a head-on collision near Sloterdijk, Amsterdam, in the Netherlands, killing one person and in

2010

The controversial Kharkiv Pact (Russian Ukrainian Naval Base for Gas Treaty) is signed in Kharkiv, Ukraine, by Ukrainian

The Agreement between Ukraine and Russia on the Black Sea Fleet in Ukraine, widely referred to as the Kharkiv Pact or Kharkov Accords, was a treaty between Ukraine and Russia wher…

The controversial Kharkiv Pact (Russian Ukrainian Naval Base for Gas Treaty) is signed in Kharkiv, Ukraine, by Ukrainian

2004

Five suicide car bombers target police stations in and around Basra, killing 74 people and wounding 160

On 21 April 2004, a series of large car bomb explosions ripped through Basra, Iraq. Seventy-four people died and more than 100 were injured. The attacks were some of the deadliest…

Five suicide car bombers target police stations in and around Basra, killing 74 people and wounding 160

1996 30 years ago

Four people are killed and 75 are injured in a train accident in Jokela, Finland

The Jokela rail accident occurred on 21 April 1996, at 07:08 local time in Tuusula, Finland, approximately 50 kilometres (30 mi) north of Helsinki. Four people were killed and 75 …

Four people are killed and 75 are injured in a train accident in Jokela, Finland

1993

The Supreme Court in La Paz, Bolivia, sentences former dictator Luis García Meza to 30 years in jail without parole for

La Paz, officially Nuestra Señora de La Paz is the seat of government of Bolivia. With 755,732 residents as of 2024, it is the third-most populous city in Bolivia. Its metropolita…

The Supreme Court in La Paz, Bolivia, sentences former dictator Luis García Meza to 30 years in jail without parole for

1989

Tiananmen Square protests of 1989: In Beijing, around 100,000 students gather in Tiananmen Square to commemorate Chinese

Protests led by students and workers, known in China as the June Fourth Incident, were held in Tiananmen Square in Beijing, China, from 15 April to 4 June 1989. After weeks of uns…

Tiananmen Square protests of 1989: In Beijing, around 100,000 students gather in Tiananmen Square to commemorate Chinese

1987

The Tamil Tigers are blamed for a car bomb that detonates in the Sri Lankan capital city of Colombo, killing 106 people

The Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam was a Tamil militant organization, that was based in northern and eastern Sri Lanka. The LTTE fought to create an independent Tamil state call…

The Tamil Tigers are blamed for a car bomb that detonates in the Sri Lankan capital city of Colombo, killing 106 people

1985

The compound of the militant group The Covenant, The Sword, and the Arm of the Lord surrenders to federal authorities in

The Covenant, the Sword, and the Arm of the Lord (CSA) was a far-right survivalist anti-government militia which advocated Christian Identity and was active in the United States d…

The compound of the militant group The Covenant, The Sword, and the Arm of the Lord surrenders to federal authorities in

1982

Baseball: Rollie Fingers of the Milwaukee Brewers becomes the first pitcher to record 300 saves

Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each, taking turns batting and fielding. The game occurs over the course of several plays, with each play…

Baseball: Rollie Fingers of the Milwaukee Brewers becomes the first pitcher to record 300 saves

1977

Annie opens on Broadway

Annie is a musical with music by Charles Strouse, lyrics by Martin Charnin, and a book by Thomas Meehan. It is based on the 1924 comic strip Little Orphan Annie by Harold Gray. Th…

Annie opens on Broadway

1975

Vietnam War: President of South Vietnam Nguyễn Văn Thiệu flees Saigon, as Xuân Lộc, the last South Vietnamese outpost bl

The Vietnam War was an armed conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia fought between North Vietnam and South Vietnam and their allies. North Vietnam was supported by the Soviet Uni…

Vietnam War: President of South Vietnam Nguyễn Văn Thiệu flees Saigon, as Xuân Lộc, the last South Vietnamese outpost bl

1972

Astronauts John Young and Charles Duke fly Apollo 16's Apollo Lunar Module to the Moon's surface, the fifth NASA Apollo

John Watts Young was an American astronaut, naval officer and aviator, test pilot, and aeronautical engineer. He became the ninth person to walk on the Moon as commander of the Ap…

Astronauts John Young and Charles Duke fly Apollo 16's Apollo Lunar Module to the Moon's surface, the fifth NASA Apollo

1967

A few days before the general election in Greece, Colonel George Papadopoulos leads a coup d'état, establishing a milita

A general election is an electoral process to choose most or all members of a governing body at the same time. They are distinct from by-elections, which fill individual seats tha…

A few days before the general election in Greece, Colonel George Papadopoulos leads a coup d'état, establishing a milita

1967

A tornado outbreak in Illinois, United States, kills over 50 and injures over 1,000

A destructive tornado outbreak affected much of the Midwestern United States on April 21, 1967, in particular the towns of Belvidere and Oak Lawn, Illinois, United States. It was …

A tornado outbreak in Illinois, United States, kills over 50 and injures over 1,000

1966 60 years ago

Rastafari movement: Haile Selassie of Ethiopia visits Jamaica, an event now celebrated as Grounation Day

Rastafari is an Abrahamic religion that developed in Jamaica during the 1930s. It is classified as both a new religious movement and a social movement by scholars of religion. The…

Rastafari movement: Haile Selassie of Ethiopia visits Jamaica, an event now celebrated as Grounation Day

1965

The 1964–1965 New York World's Fair opens for its second and final season

The 1964 New York World's Fair was an international exposition at Flushing Meadows–Corona Park in Queens, New York City, United States. The fair included exhibitions, activities, …

The 1964–1965 New York World's Fair opens for its second and final season

1964

A Transit-5bn satellite fails to reach orbit after launch; as it re-enters the atmosphere, 2

The Transit system, also known as NAVSAT or NNSS, was the first satellite navigation system to be used operationally. The radio navigation system was primarily used by the U.S. Na…

A Transit-5bn satellite fails to reach orbit after launch; as it re-enters the atmosphere, 2