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April 20CalendarApril 22
This Day
21April

23 indexed achievements across recorded history.


1702
Maria Kirch
Science

Discovery of the Comet of 1702

Kirch discovered the comet of 1702, becoming the first woman known to discover a comet.

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Maria Kirch·MacTutor: Maria Kirch
1785
Catherine the Great
Law

Charter to the Nobility promulgated

Catherine issues the Charter to the Nobility on 21 April 1785, formally codifying the rights and privileges of Russia's aristocracy.

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Catherine the Great·Catherine the Great - Britannica
1785
Catherine the Great
Law

Charter to the Towns promulgated

Catherine issues the Charter to the Towns on 21 April 1785, organizing urban governance and defining the rights of city dwellers.

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Catherine the Great·Catherine the Great - Britannica
1807
Ann Moore
Activism

Formal surveillance begins on Ann Moore's claimed fast in Tutbury

A public 16-day watch over Ann Moore's claimed total abstinence from food and drink began at her Tutbury home, supervised by physicians and local gentlemen.

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Ann Moore·Dictionary of National Biography, Volume 38
1814
Angel Burdett-Coutts
Science

Birth of Angela Georgina Burdett-Coutts

Born in London, later to become one of the wealthiest women in Victorian Britain and a pioneering philanthropist.

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Angel Burdett-Coutts·Angela Burdett-Coutts, 1st Baroness Burdett-Coutts - Wikipedia
1814
Angela Burdett-Coutts
Activism

Birth of Angela Georgina Burdett-Coutts

Angela Burdett-Coutts was born in London on April 21, 1814.

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Angela Burdett-Coutts·Encyclopedia.com - Burdett-Coutts, Angela (1814–1906)
1879
Raden Ajeng Kartini
Activism

Born in Jepara, Indonesia

Raden Ajeng Kartini was born on April 21, 1879, in Jepara, Central Java, Indonesia.

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Raden Ajeng Kartini·Encyclopedia Britannica
1896
Geertruida Wijsmuller
Activism

Birth of Geertruida Wijsmuller

Geertruida Wijsmuller was born on April 21, 1896, in Alkmaar, Netherlands.

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Geertruida Wijsmuller·Geertruida Wijsmuller-Meijer - Wikipedia
1896
May Irwin
Arts

First onscreen kiss in film history

Edison's film The Kiss captured May Irwin kissing John C. Rice.

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May Irwin·May Irwin - IMDb
1926
Quenn Elizabeth II
Politics

Birth of Elizabeth Alexandra Mary Windsor

Elizabeth Alexandra Mary Windsor was born in Mayfair, London.

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Quenn Elizabeth II·Wikipedia: Elizabeth II
1930
Hilda Hilst
Literature

Birth of Hilda Hilst

Hilda Hilst was born on April 21, 1930, in Jaú, São Paulo, Brazil.

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Hilda Hilst·Hilda Hilst - Wikipedia
1952
Marguerite Higgins
Literature

Receives the George Polk Award for Foreign Reporting

Higgins was honored with the George Polk Award for Foreign Reporting for her behind-enemy-lines coverage in Korea and elsewhere.

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Marguerite Higgins·Marguerite Higgins - Wikipedia
1956
Mae Boren Axton
Arts

Co-writes 'Heartbreak Hotel,' Elvis Presley's first No. 1 hit

Axton co-wrote 'Heartbreak Hotel,' which Elvis Presley released and which reached No. 1 on the Billboard charts on April 21, 1956, launching his national stardom.

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Mae Boren Axton·Mae Boren Axton - Wikipedia
1959
Mary Agnes Chase
Science

Honorary Fellow of the Smithsonian Institution

The Smithsonian Institution named Mary Agnes Chase an Honorary Fellow, honoring her decades of work on its grass collections.

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Mary Agnes Chase·Smithsonian Institution Archives – Mary Agnes Chase and Latin American Research
1972
Narges Mohammadi
Activism

Birth of Narges Mohammadi

Narges Mohammadi was born in Zanjan, Iran, on April 21, 1972.

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Narges Mohammadi·Nobel Prize: Facts about Narges Mohammadi
1980
Rosie Ruiz
Sports

Initial declaration as 1980 Boston Marathon women’s winner

Ruiz deceptively crosses first at Boston Marathon on April 21, 1980.

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Rosie Ruiz·Rosie Ruiz's Unforgettable Boston Marathon Win
1987
Edith Green
Politics

Death of Edith Green

Edith Green passed away on April 21, 1987, in Washington, D.C.

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Edith Green·The New York Times: Ex-Rep. Edith Green, 77, Is Dead
1989
Tatyana McFadden
Sports

Birth in Leningrad, Russia

Birth of Tatyana McFadden in Leningrad, Russia, with spina bifida, later becoming a leading Paralympic wheelchair racer and advocate.

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Tatyana McFadden·Tatyana McFadden – Wikipedia
2009
Vivian Maier
Arts

Death of Vivian Maier in Illinois

Vivian Maier died on April 21, 2009, in Oak Park, Illinois, just months before her photographic genius was posthumously discovered.

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Vivian Maier·Vivian Maier - Wikipedia
2011
Madelyn Pugh
Arts

Death in Indianapolis, Indiana

Madelyn Pugh died on April 21, 2011, in Indianapolis, Indiana, at age 90, remembered as a pioneering woman in television comedy writing.

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Madelyn Pugh·NYT: Madelyn Pugh Davis, Writer for 'I Love Lucy,' Dies at 90
2015
Laura van‘t Veer
Science

Featured in European Patent Office Press Release on Predictive Breast Cancer Gene Test

The EPO issued a press release from Munich and Amsterdam spotlighting van 't Veer's predictive breast cancer gene test.

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Laura van‘t Veer·EPO Media Centre – van't Veer NL press release
2016
Lori Robinson
Aviation

Named to the 2016 TIME 100 list

TIME included Robinson in its 2016 TIME 100 list of most influential people ahead of her historic NORAD/USNORTHCOM confirmation.

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Lori Robinson·TIME 100: Lori Robinson (2016)
2016
Yayoi Kusama
Arts

Named one of Time magazine’s 100 Most Influential People

On 21 April 2016, Time magazine names Kusama one of the "100 Most Influential People," recognizing her global impact as a contemporary artist.

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Yayoi Kusama·Yayoi Kusama: Infinity Mirrors – Hirshhorn Museum