This Day in History: April 21

753 BC: Romulus and Remus found Rome (traditional date)

According to legend, twin brothers Romulus and Remus founded the city of Rome on this date. The story goes that they were abandoned as infants and were raised by a she-wolf. As adults, they decided to build a city on the spot where they were found and ended up in a quarrel over who should be in charge. Romulus ultimately won and the city was named after him.

1509: Henry VIII is crowned King of England

Henry VIII is best known for his six marriages and his role in the English Reformation. He was crowned king at the age of 18 and ruled for 38 years. During his reign, he had two of his wives executed, broke with the Catholic Church, and established the Church of England. He is also remembered for his massive girth and his founding of the Royal Navy.

1918: World War I: German fighter ace Baron Manfred von Richthofen "The Red Baron", shot down and killed over Vaux sur Somme in France, Canadian pilot Arthur Roy Brown credited with the kill

Manfred von Richthofen, also known as the "Red Baron," was a legendary German fighter pilot during World War I. He is credited with 80 air combat victories before he was shot down and killed over France at the age of 25. His death was a significant loss for the German military, and he is remembered as one of the greatest fighter pilots of all time.

1934: The Surgeon's photo, allegedly showing the Loch Ness Monster, is published in the Daily Mail

The Surgeon's photo is one of the most famous images purporting to show the Loch Ness Monster, a mythical creature said to inhabit Scotland's Loch Ness. The photo was later revealed to be a hoax created using a toy submarine and a wooden model of the monster's head and neck. Despite the revelation, the legend of the Loch Ness Monster continues to captivate the public imagination.

1967: Dictator Georgios Papadopoulos assumes power in Greece

Georgios Papadopoulos was a Greek military officer who led a coup against the government in 1967 and established a military dictatorship. During his six-year reign, thousands of political opponents were arrested, tortured, and imprisoned. He was eventually overthrown in a counter-coup in 1973 and spent the rest of his life in exile.

1992: The first exoplanets are discovered

Polish astronomer Aleksander Wolszczan announced the discovery of the first two exoplanets orbiting a pulsar called PSR 1257+12. This discovery was significant because it provided the first concrete evidence that planets existed outside our solar system. Since then, thousands of exoplanets have been discovered, revolutionizing our understanding of the universe.

1989: Thousands of Chinese crowd into Beijing's Tiananmen Square cheering students demanding greater political freedom

The 1989 Tiananmen Square protests were a series of demonstrations led by Chinese students calling for greater political freedom and democracy. The protests were eventually suppressed by the Chinese government, with thousands of people killed or injured. The events at Tiananmen Square remain a significant moment in Chinese history and a symbol of the struggle for democracy and human rights around the world.