Died On This Date

April 21

Twain (Clemens), Mark (Samuel Langhorne)
b. November 30, 1835 d. April 21, 1910
Author, Humorist. He is remembered not only for authoring many books but also for his humorist maxims, quotations and opinions. Similar to many authors of his day, he had little formal education. His family moved from his birthplace Florida, Missouri to nearby Hannibal on the Mississippi where he grew up experiencing life on the waterfront. His came from the print shops and newspaper offices where he worked as a youth, and became a licensed Mississippi riverboat pilot navigating the river

Davidson, William A
b. October 14, 1870 d. April 21, 1937
Businessman. Co-founder of the Harley-Davidson Motorcycle Corperation.

May, Martin O.
d. April 21, 1945
WW II Congressional Medal of Honor recipient. Served as a Private first Class, US Army in the 307th Infantry Regiment, 77th Infantry Division. At legusuku-Yama on Ie Shima, Ryukyu Islands from April 19-21, 1945, he held his position manning a machine gun against several strong enemy attacks. On the morning 21st, he was severely wounded but continued to fight, throwing hand grenades at the enemy until mortally wounded.

von Richthofen, Manfred 'The Red Baron'
b. May 2, 1892 d. April 21, 1918
World War I German Fighter Ace. He was born into an aristocratic Prussian military family. He began World War I in the cavalry before transferring into the Air Service. He received Germany's highest military honor, the medal "Pour le Merite," after receiving 24 confirmed enemy plane "kills." His highest promotion was that of Rittmeister (Cavalry Captain). His squadron became noted for it's brightly colored planes, nicknamed "The Flying Circus." Richthofen's plane was mostly painted red.

O'Brien, Parry
b. January 28, 1932 d. April 21, 2007
Olympic Athlete. Born William Parry O'Brien Jr., in Santa Monica, California. He was pioneer of a shot-putting style that helped him win the gold medal during the 1952 and 1956 Summer Olympics and a silver medal during the 1960 Summer Olympics. While attending college at the University of Southern California, O'Brien won numerous national titles and would set and break many world records. He was inducted into the National Track and Field Hall of Fame in 1974 and the United States Olympic Hall.

Peck, John James
b. January 4, 1821 d. April 21, 1878
Civil War Union Major General. Born in Manlius, New York, he attended the United States Military Academy, graduating 8th out of 39 in 1843 (his class included future Civil War luminaries as Ulysses S. Grant, William B. Franklin, Samuel G. French and Franklin Gardner). Posted to the 2nd United States Artillery as a 2nd Lieutenant, he served in garrison duty in New York before being sent to Mexico upon the start of hostilities there in 1846.

Martini, Gary Wayne
b. September 21, 1948 d. April 21, 1967
Vietnam War Congressional Medal of Honor Recipient. He served in the United States Marine Corps as a Private First Class (Rifleman) in Company F, 2d Battalion, 1st Marines, 1st Marine Division (Rein)FMF. He was awarded the Medal of Honor for action at Binh Son, Republic of Vietnam on April 21, 1967. He was killed in action. His citation reads in part "Although he knew that one man had been killed attempting to assist the wounded, Pfc. Martini raced through the open area and dragged a comrade.

Losey, Robert Moffat
b. May 27, 1908 d. April 21, 1940
United States Army Officer. A Captain in the United States Army, was the first American killed in World War II, dying in a Nazi air raid on Dombas, Norway. A momument to Captain Losey was erected in Dombas in 1987 by the Norwegian government.

Simone, Nina
b. February 21, 1933 d. April 21, 2003
Jazz Singer/Vocalist. Simone was born Eunice Kathleen Waymon, in Tryon, North Carolina, being raised in a family of 8 children. At a young age she wanted to be a pianist so she began taking lessons, later being accepted to the Juilliard School of Music in New York. She supported her self by generating her wages while teaching piano lessons to others. Later she received a job at a nightclub in Atlantic City, New Jersey, but on one condition-that she sang as well as play the piano.

Rowe, James Nicholas 'Nick'
b. February 8, 1938 d. April 21, 1989
Colonel was the author of "Five Years to Freedom" POW Vietnam (Escaped 1968). Killed by Communist guerrillas in Manila,Philippines on April 21,1989. The Viet Cong kept James N. ''Nick'' Rowe in a bamboo cage in Vietnam's Mekong Delta for five years, but they couldn't break his spirit with a constant barrage of propaganda and daily death threats. Instead, hooded gunmen in the Philippines took the life of the 51-year-old Army colonel.