Summary of the Day ✨ 21 April (21/04)
On this day, tragedy struck multiple locations as an Indonesian submarine sank with all 53 crew members while Sri Lanka experienced devastating Easter Sunday bombings that killed at least 269 people. The day also marked the beginning of Flint’s water crisis and the signing of a controversial Ukraine-Russia naval pact.
Historical Events 📜
- 2021: 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.
- 2014: The American city of Flint, Michigan switches its water source to the Flint River, beginning the ongoing Flint water crisis which has caused lead poisoning in up to 12,000 people, and at least 12 deaths from Legionnaires’ disease, ultimately leading to criminal indictments against 15 people, five of whom have been charged with involuntary manslaughter.
- 2012: Two trains are involved in a head-on collision near Sloterdijk, Amsterdam, in the Netherlands, killing one person and injuring 116 others.
- 2010: The controversial Kharkiv Pact (Russian Ukrainian Naval Base for Gas Treaty) is signed in Kharkiv, Ukraine, by Ukrainian president Viktor Yanukovych and Russian president Dmitry Medvedev; it was unilaterally terminated by Russia on March 31, 2014.
- 2004: Five suicide car bombers target police stations in and around Basra, killing 74 people and wounding 160.
- 1996: 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 murder, theft, fraud and violating the constitution.
- 1989: Tiananmen Square protests of 1989: In Beijing, around 100,000 students gather in Tiananmen Square to commemorate Chinese reform leader Hu Yaobang.
- 1987: 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 Arkansas after a two-day government siege.
- 1982: Baseball: Rollie Fingers of the Milwaukee Brewers becomes the first pitcher to record 300 saves.
- 1977: Annie opens on Broadway.
- 1975: Vietnam War: 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.
- 1972: Astronauts John Young and Charles Duke fly Apollo 16’s Apollo Lunar Module to the Moon’s surface, the fifth NASA Apollo Program crewed lunar landing.
Famous Births 👶
- 2008: Hyein, South Korean singer
- 2007: Princess Isabella of Denmark, daughter of King Frederik X and Queen Mary of Denmark
- 2003: Xavi Simons, Dutch footballer
- 1999: Choi Hyun-suk, South Korean rapper
- 1998: Jarrett Allen, American basketball player
- 1997: Mikel Oyarzabal, Spanish footballer
- 1996: Arianne Hartono, Dutch tennis player
- 1994: Ludwig Augustinsson, Swedish footballer
- 1992: Isco, Spanish footballer
- 1992: Joc Pederson, American baseball player
- 1989: Nikki Cross, Scottish wrestler
- 1988: Ricky Berens, American swimmer
- 1988: Jencarlos Canela, American singer-songwriter and actor
- 1983: Tarvaris Jackson, American football player (died 2020)
- 1983: Kim Wall, British sprinter
Notable Deaths 🕊️
- 2025: Pope Francis (born 1936)
- 2024: Terry A. Anderson, American journalist (born 1947)
- 2019: Polly Higgins, Scottish barrister, author and environmental lobbyist (born 1968)
- 2018: Nabi Tajima, Japanese supercentenarian (born 1900)
- 2017: Ugo Ehiogu, English footballer (born 1972)
- 2016: Prince, American singer-songwriter, guitarist, producer, and actor (born 1958)
- 2014: George H. Heilmeier, American engineer (born 1936)
- 2014: Win Tin, Burmese journalist and politician, co-founded the National League for Democracy (born 1930)
- 2013: Shakuntala Devi, Indian mathematician and astrologer (born 1929)
- 2013: Leopold Engleitner, Austrian Holocaust survivor, author, and educator (born 1905)
- 2012: Doris Betts, American author and academic (born 1932)
- 2011: Catharina Halkes, Dutch theologian and academic (born 1920)
- 2010: Gustav Lorentzen, Norwegian singer-songwriter and guitarist (born 1947)
- 2010: Juan Antonio Samaranch, Spanish businessman, seventh President of the International Olympic Committee (born 1920)
- 2010: Kanagaratnam Sriskandan, Sri Lankan-English engineer and civil servant (born 1930)
Holidays & Observances 🎉
- Christian feast day:
Abdecalas - Christian feast day:
Anastasius Sinaita - Christian feast day:
Anselm of Canterbury - Christian feast day:
Conrad of Parzham - Christian feast day:
Holy Infant of Good Health - Christian feast day:
Máel Ruba - Christian feast day:
Shemon Bar Sabbae - Christian feast day:
Wolbodo - Christian feast day:
April 21 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics) - Natale di Roma (Rome)
- Parilia (ancient Rome)
- Civil Service Day (India)
- Grounation Day (Rastafari)
- National Tea Day (United Kingdom)
- National Tree Planting Day (Kenya)