July 21

Today in History
• 365 - Alexandria hit by Earthquake; about 50,000 die
• 1542 - Pope Paul III begins inquisition against Protestants (Sactum Officium)
• 1545 - The first landing of French troops onto the coast of the Isle of Wight
• 1595 - Álvaro de Mendaña is the first European to discover the Marquesas Island
• 1773 - Pope Clemens XIV bans Jesuits
• 1825 - Java princess Dipo Negoro/Mangkubumi declare war on all non-islamics
• 1836 - 1st Canadian RR opens, between Laprairie and St John, Quebec
• 1846 - Mormons found 1st English settlement in California (San Joaquin Valley)


Holidays - Traditional and Obscure
• Belgium Independence Day
• Comic Con
• Drukpa Tsheshi
• First Sermon Of Lord Buddha
• Guam Liberation Day
• National Be Someone Day
• National Lamington Day
• Pflasterspektakel Linz

Birthdays
• 1693 - Thomas Pelham-Holles 1st duke of Newcastle, English minister of finance
• 1762 - William G.F. Bentinck, 3rd Count Bentinck and Lord of Rhoon and Pendrecht
• 1810 - Henri V. Regnault, French physicist and chemist
• 1816 - Paul Julius Baron von Reuter, German-born founder of Reuters news service
• 1856 - Louise Blanchard Bethune, 1st American woman architect
• 1858 - Maria Christina of Austria, queen of Spain
• 1864 - Frances Cleveland, American 1st lady (1885-89, 93-97)
• 1911 - Jozef Cyrankiewicz, premier Poland, 1947..70