This Day in History: April 21

• 753 BC -  Brothers, Romulus and Remus found Rome

Romulus and Remus Suckle

Romulus and Remus were twin brothers and, in mythology, were the sons of the god Mars. Romulus became the first king of Rome by slaying his own brother, Remus. They both claimed the favor of the deities to be the ruler of Rome. This lead to a battle to the death. Much of the story of Romulus and Remus has slipped into mythology making it difficult to separate fact from fiction.

• 1509 - Henry VIII claims the throne of England due to the death of his father, King John

King John /  Henry VIII

Born in 1207, Henry VIII took the throne as king of England at nine years old in 1216. Her ruled for 56 years until his death. During his reign, he did well to improve industry and commerce, education at Oxford and architectural wonders such as Westminster Abbey. Aside from that, he was largely unsuccessful militarily and is better known for his laziness and many wives.

• 1689 - William III and Mary II are crowned joint king and queen of England, Ireland and Scotland

William III and Mary II

William III and Mary II were the only two people granted equal power of England at the same time. They signed the English Bill of Rights creating a cooperation between Parliament and the English monarchs ending the Glorious Revolution. This action also paved the way for a more democratic process for the people of England.

• 1789 - John Adams is sworn in as the first vice president of the United States

John Adams

John Adams was sworn in as the first vice president of the United States on April 21, 1789. He maintained a distant relationship from president George Washington only seeking his counsel on occasion. During his time as vice president, he made it a point to stay out of executive matters and presided over the Senate. He had his share of critics for his involvement in the Senate. He cast 29 tie-breaking votes in the Senate which raised his popularity. He went on to become the second president of the United States.

• 1836 - Battle of San Jacinto: Texas Revolution, Sam Houston and 910 Texans defeat Mexican troops changing the map of Texas

Battle of San Jacinto / Sam Houston

Following the loss of the Alamo, Texas revolutionaries lead by Sam Houston, attacked troops of Mexican General Santa Anna. The Mexicans were not ready for the attack because of their complacency after their success at the Alamo. Sam Houston and the Texas revolutionaries took control of the Mexican camp within 18 minutes securing the western coastline for Texas.

• 1865 - Abraham Lincoln's funeral train departs Washington.

Abraham Lincoln /  The Lincoln Special

On April 21, 1865 Abraham Lincoln's funeral train, The Lincoln Special, departed Washington carrying over 300 mourners. His assassination shook the nation and tens of thousands showed up to pay their respect along the entire 1,654 mile route to Columbus.

• 1918 - WWI German pilot, Manfred Von Richthofen, "The Red Baron," was shot down over France

Manfred Von Richthofen

Credited with 80 confirmed air combat victories, he was known as the most successful fighter ace in WWI. He was killed by a single .303 bullet fired from a Canadian pilot over Morlancourt Ridge while attacking another Canadian pilot.

• 1977 - Broadway musical "Annie" opens

"Annie" Cast

The Broadway musical "Annie" ran for six years from it's debut on April 21, 1977. The musical was based off of the popular comic by Harold Gray, "Little Orphan Annie." Winning seven Tonys out of 11 nominations, it ran for 2,377 performances.

• 1995 - Timothy McVeigh is arrested for the Oklahoma City bombing of the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building

Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building / Timothy McVeigh

The attack on the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City left 168 people dead and over 800 injured. Timothy McVeigh was arrested for this heinous crime along with Terry Terry Nichols. They were known as militia movement supporters and carried out the bombing as revenge against the U.S. government for the Waco, Texas and Ruby Ridge incidents.

• 1997 - The ashes of Timothy leary and Gene Roddenberry are launched into space marking the first space funeral

Leary / Roddenberry

Marking the beginning of the space funeral industry, 24 individual's ashes were launched into orbit over the Canary Islands carried by a modified Pegasus Rocket. Six subsequent launches have taken place since then carrying 319 ash remains into space.