April 21 in History
1509 — Henry VIII, 17, ascends the throne of England on the death of his father Henry VII.
1600 — The first date in James Clavell’s 1975 novel “Shogun”: pilot major John Blackthorne’s first entry in his log. Set during Japan’s late Sengoku period, it is the third in Clavell’s six-novel “Asian Saga” series, but first by internal chronology. The other five are: “Tai-Pan” (set in Hong Kong 1841; published in 1966), “Gai-Jin” (Japan 1862; 1993), “King Rat” (Japanese POW camp in Singapore 1945; 1962), “Nobel House” (Hong Kong 1963; 1981) and “Whirlwind” (Iran 1979; 1986).
1615 — The Wignacourt Aqueduct, built by the Order of Saint John to carry water from springs in Dingli and Rabat to the newly built capital city Valletta, is inaugurated in Malta. It remains in use until the early 20th century.
1782 — The city of Rattanakosin (now Bangkok) is founded by Rama I, founder of the Rattanakosin Kingdom and the first monarch of the reigning Chakri dynasty of Siam (now Thailand).
1820 — Danish physicist and chemist Hans Christian Ørsted discovers that an electric current produces a circular magnetic field as it flows through a wire. In his experiments he finds that this makes the needle on a compass deflect away from magnetic north.
1894 — Norway adopts the Krag-Jørgensen bolt-action rifle as the main arm of its armed forces. About 300 reach Boer forces of the South African Republic during the Anglo-Boer War. 1960 — Brasília, the new capital of Brazil, is inaugurated. Built in 41 months, it replaces Rio de Janeiro since resources tended to be centred in the southeastern region and most of the population concentrated near the Atlantic coast. 1977 —“Annie”, a musical with music by Charles Strouse, lyrics by Martin Charnin and a book by Thomas Meehan, opens on Broadway.
1982 — Baseball star Rollie Fingers of the Milwaukee Brewers becomes the first pitcher to record 300 saves (achieved by a relief pitcher who finishes a game for the winning team).
1993 — The Supreme Court in La Paz, Bolivia, sentences former dictator Luis García Meza (in power from July 17 1980 to August 4 1981) in absentia to 30 years in jail without parole for murder, theft, fraud and violating the constitution. He is extradited from Brazil on March 14 1995 and dies in prison on April 29 2018, aged 88.