Today in History for 21st April 2024

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Historical Events

1892 - Black longshoremen strike for higher wages in St Louis, Missouri
1930 - "All Quiet on the Western Front" based on the novel by Erich Maria Remarque, directed by Lewis Milestone, starring Louis Wolheim and Lew Ayres premieres in Los Angeles (Academy Awards Outstanding Production 1930)
1976 - Swine Flu vaccine, for non-epidemic, enters testing
1982 - Dr Michael E Bakey performs 1st successful heart implant
1984 - "Nightline" reverts from 1 hour to ½ hour format
2020 - Health Secretary Matt Hancock and UK government come under criticism for lack of personal protective equipment and testing for COVID-19 (despite pledge to test 100,000 a day only 19,000 done April 20th)

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Famous Birthdays

1912 - Marcel Camus, French film director (Orfeu Negro), born in Chappes, France (d. 1982)
1959 - Michael Timmins, Canadian musician (Cowboy Junkies), born in Montreal
1966 - Judy Diduck, ice hockey defenseman (Canada, Olympics 1998)
1971 - Samantha Druce, British swimmer, youngest woman to swim English Channel
1978 - Branden Steineckert, American drummer (Rancid; The Used), born in Pocatello, Idaho
1980 - Jeff Keppinger, American baseball player

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Famous Deaths

1910 - Mark Twain [Samuel Clemens], American author (Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, The Adventures of Tom Sawyer), dies at 74
1958 - Manuel Infante, Spanish composer and conductor, dies at 74
1989 - James Kirkwood, American actor, author and playwright (A Chorus Line, P. S. Your Cat Is Dead!), dies of cancer at 64
1996 - Jimmy "the Greek" Snyder, sportscaster, LV bookmaker (The NFL Today; fired for racist remarks), dies of a heart attack at 77
2001 - David Hollestelle, Dutch baritone singer (Dutch Radio Chorus), dies at 84
2013 - Shakuntala Devi, Indian writer and mental calculator known as the "Human Computer", stops calculating at 83 due to complications from severe respiratory problems

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