TODAY IN HISTORY
TODAY IS FRIDAY, APRIL 21, the 111th day of 2017. There are 254 days left in the year.
TODAY’S HIGHLIGHT IN HISTORY: On this date in 1967, army officers in Greece staged a coup, seizing power and creating a military dictatorship that ruled the country for the next seven years.
In 1649,
the Maryland Toleration Act, providing for freedom of worship for all Christians, was passed by the Maryland assembly.
In 1789,
John Adams was sworn in as the first vice president of the United States.
In 1836,
an army of Texans led by Sam Houston defeated the Mexicans at San Jacinto, ensuring Texas independence.
In 1910,
author Samuel Langhorne Clemens, better-known as Mark Twain, died in Redding, Conn., at age 74.
In 1930,
fire broke out inside the crowded Ohio Penitentiary in Columbus, killing 332 inmates.
In 1942,
the first edition of “The Stranger” (“L’Etranger”), Albert Camus’ highly influential absurdist novel, was published in Nazi-occupied Paris by Gallimard.
In 1955,
the Jerome Lawrence-Robert Lee play “Inherit the Wind,” inspired by the Scopes trial of 1925, opened at the National Theatre in New York.
In 1960,
Brazil inaugurated its new capital, Brasilia, transferring the seat of national government from Rio de Janeiro.
In 1962,
the Century 21 Exposition, also known as the Seattle World’s Fair, began a six-month run. In 1977, the musical play “Annie,” based on the “Little Orphan Annie” comic strip, opened on Broadway, beginning a run of 2,377 performances.
In 1986, a rediscovered vault in Chicago’s Lexington Hotel that was linked to Al Capone was opened during a widely watched live TV special hosted by Geraldo Rivera; aside from a few bottles and a sign, the vault turned out to be empty.
In 1992, Robert Alton Harris became the first person to be executed by California in 25 years as he was put to death in the gas chamber for the 1978 murder of two teenage boys, John Mayeski and Michael Baker.
TODAY’S BIRTHDAYS:
Britain’s Queen Elizabeth II is 91. Actress-comedianwriter Elaine May is 85. Actor Charles Grodin is 82. Actor Reni Santoni is 79. Anti-death penalty activist Sister Helen Prejean is 78. Singer-musician Iggy Pop is 70. Actress Patti LuPone is 68. Actor Tony Danza is 66. Actor James Morrison is 63. Actress Andie MacDowell is 59. Rock singer Robert Smith (The Cure) and rock musician Michael Timmins (Cowboy Junkies) are 58. Actor John Cameron Mitchell is 54. Rapper Michael Franti (Spearhead) is 51. Actor Toby Stephens is 48. Rock singer-musician Glen Hansard (The Frames), actor Rob Riggle and comedian Nicole Sullivan are 47. Football player-turned-actor Brian White is 44. Olympic gold medal pairs figure skater Jamie Sale is 40. Rock musician David Brenner (Theory of a Deadman) is 39. Actor James McAvoy is 38. Former NFL quarterback Tony Romo is 37. Actor Terrence J is 35. Actress Gugu Mbatha-Raw is 34. Actor Christoph Sanders is 29. Actor Frank Dillane is 26. Rock singer Sydney Sierota (Echosmith) is 20.