What happened on 21 April?

19 events from the Ever-When timeline, ranked by how much they mattered.

1. 1526 Mughal Empire Early-modern empire in the Indian subcontinent, founded by Babur and reaching its height under Akbar, Shah Jahan and Aurangzeb. Patrons of the Taj Mahal.
2. 753 BCE Founding of Rome (traditional) Romulus and Remus traditionally found the city.
3. 1175 BCE The slaughter of the suitors Odyssey 22: he strips off the rags, tips the arrows at his feet and shoots Antinous through the throat — the doors are barred, and none of the 108 leave the hall.
4. 1526 Babur founds the Mughal Empire Babur defeats Ibrahim Lodi at the First Battle of Panipat.
5. 1926 Born: Elizabeth II Longest-reigning British monarch; on the throne from 1952 to 2022.
6. 1175 BCE The contest of the bow Odyssey 21: on Apollo's feast day Penelope brings out the great bow no suitor can string — the beggar strings it sitting down, and sends the arrow through twelve axes.
7. 2025 Death of Pope Francis Pope Francis dies.
8. 1898 Spanish-American War US war with Spain; America gains Puerto Rico, Guam, Philippines.
9. 1960 Niemeyer designs Brasilia Modernist purpose-built capital opens in the Brazilian interior.
10. 1944 French women win the vote Provisional France finally enfranchises women, a generation after most of its neighbours.
11. 1967 Greek military junta Military coup imposes seven-year dictatorship in Greece.
12. 1483 Boabdil captured — and turned Granada's young emir Boabdil — already at war with his own father for the throne — is captured raiding at Lucena, and Ferdinand releases him on remarkable terms: rule your half of
13. 1944 French women finally win the vote The homeland of the Rights of Man is among the last major democracies to enfranchise women — granted by de Gaulle's provisional government in the middle of the war, first exercised
14. 1591 Sen no Rikyū is ordered to die Japan's greatest tea master — arbiter of taste to the realm, and closer to Hideyoshi than any general — is ordered by his master to commit seppuku, for reasons still argued over. B
15. 1526 Delhi Sultanate ends Conventional end of Delhi Sultanate.
16. 1782 Founding of Bangkok Rama I founds the Chakri dynasty and a new capital at Bangkok, the seat of the Thai monarchy ever since.
17. 1816 Born: Charlotte Brontë English novelist; author of Jane Eyre.
18. 1967 Greek junta of the Colonels Colonels seize Greece and rule by tank and torture for seven years; their Cyprus adventure collapses the regime and restores democracy — and abolishes the monarchy.
19. 1966 Haile Selassie visits Jamaica Over 100,000 Rastafarians mob Kingston airport to greet the man they hail as God incarnate — the day still celebrated as Grounation Day.