On This day April 21st

 OTD

April 21st is the One Hundred-twelfth Day of the year in the Gregorian calendar; 254 days remain until the end of the year.

 

Events

753 BC – Romulus founded Rome (traditional date).

900—The Laguna Copperplate Inscription (the earliest known written document found in what is now the Philippines): The Commander-in-Chief of the Kingdom of Tondo, as represented by the Honourable Jayadewa, Lord Minister of Pailah, pardons the Honourable Namwaran and his relations from all debt.

1509 – Henry VIII ascends the throne of England on the death of his father, Henry VII.

1615 – The Wignacourt Aqueduct is inaugurated in Malta.

1789 – John Adams was sworn in as 1st U.S. Vice President (nine days before George Washington)

1789 – George Washington's reception at Trenton is hosted by the Ladies of Trenton as he journeys to New York City for his first inauguration.

1836 – A moment of triumph for the Republic of Texas: The Battle of San Jacinto, where the Republic of Texas forces under the leadership of Sam Houston emerged victorious, defeating troops under Mexican General Antonio López de Santa Anna.

1898—Spanish–American War: The United States Navy begins a blockade of Cuban ports. On April 25, the U.S. Congress issued a declaration of war, declaring a state of war from that date.

1934—The "Surgeon's Photograph," the most famous photo allegedly showing the Loch Ness Monster, is published in the Daily Mail (in 1994, it was revealed to be a hoax).

1977 – Annie opens on Broadway

1982 – Baseball: Rollie Fingers of the Milwaukee Brewers becomes the first pitcher to record 300 saves.

 

Birthdays

1790 – Manuel Blanco Encalada, Spanish-Chilean admiral and politician, 1st President of Chile (d. 1876)

1816 – Charlotte Brontë, English novelist and poet (d. 1855)

1838 – John Muir, Scottish-American environmentalist and author (d. 1914)

1882 – Percy Williams Bridgman, American physicist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1961)

1926 – Elizabeth II, Queen of the United Kingdom, and her other realms (d. 2022)

1947 – Iggy Pop, American singer-songwriter, producer, and actor

1980 – Tony Romo, American football player, and announcer

 

Holidays And Observance

THANK YOU FOR LIBRARIES DAY

Historians believe that the birth of libraries marked the end of prehistory and the start of history. The first libraries were archives for commercial transactions or inventory records. They appeared in the Fertile Crescent, a Southwest Asian region that extended from Mesopotamia to the Nile in Africa about 5,000 years ago. This area was also the birthplace of writing, which began before 3000 B.C. The libraries comprised clay tablets stacked on edge and side by side. Similar libraries were found in other regions, such as Ugarit, China, Nippur, and Nineveh.

 

The construction of the Library of Alexandria in Egypt began in the 3rd century B.C. The project was sponsored either by Ptolemy I Soter (323 B.C. to 283 B.C.) or his son Ptolemy II (283 B.C. to 246 B.C.). The library became the most extensive and significant in the ancient world until the Roman conquest in 30 B.C. The Han Dynasty established three libraries during this period, introducing the first library classification system.

During the Greco-Roman period, libraries flourished with the support of wealthy citizens and successive Roman emperors. Asinius Pollio established the first public library in Rome, and his successors added to the number. After the fall of the Roman Empire, the Christian Church became the new power in Europe. Hellenistic texts deemed pagan were left to decay, and only those related to Christianity survived. However, that differed in Eastern Europe, where monks worked tirelessly in scriptoriums to preserve Classical Greek and Roman works. In the Muslim world, the Chinese art of papermaking was acquired, and libraries blossomed. Under the patronage of caliphs and Muslim leaders, important Islamic cities, such as Baghdad, became centers of knowledge and scholarship.

Between the Renaissance and Enlightenment eras, libraries emerged in some parts of Europe, including Italy and Hungary. These libraries were places for renowned scholars to congregate and were endowed by notable individuals, including kings, queens, and popes. At the start of the 18th century, libraries became increasingly accessible to the public, allowing people to borrow books. In 1833, the first tax-supported public library in the U.S. was established in Peterborough, New Hampshire. It was a joint effort by the Peterborough Town Meeting and state funds from the State Literary Fund.

Between the 19th and late 20th centuries, the number of public libraries surged with the support of philanthropists and businessmen, such as John Passmore Edwards, Henry Tate, Andrew Carnegie, and Bill and Melinda Gates. In the 21st century, libraries transformed from physical collections to providing access to digital resources, such as e-books and Internet services.

 

Others Include.

Big Word Day

Bulldogs are Beautiful Day

Fly a Kite Day - April 21, 2024 (Third Sunday in April)

International Hemp Day

Keep Off the Grass Day

Kindergarten Day

National Chocolate Covered Cashews Truffle Day

National Pet CBD Day

National Surprise Drug Test Day

National Tea Day

National Yellow Bat Day

San Jacinto Day

Thank You for Libraries Day

Tuna Rights Day

World Creativity and Innovation Day