April 21

735 B.C. - According to Roman historian Varro, Romulus founded the city of Rome.

Of course this date is mythology, but who cares...The story is great, and the Republic/Empire centered on this city was the greatest in the history of the Western world.

The U.S. has done more good than any nation (by a large margin), and is a very close second to Rome in Western history, but must exist and be great for a few more hundred years before it can jump ahead of Rome in overall greatness and importance...This is hard to admit, but is true.

43 B.C. - The Battle of Mutina:  Mark Antony was defeated by Octavian's Republican forces.

From a tactical perspective, Antony didn't lose the battle because he was able to escape encirclement and fight another day...From a strategic perspective, Octavian won the battle because from this point forward he was the acknowledged leader of the Republic - even though the civil war was nowhere near over.

1526 - The Battle of Panipat.

Zahir-ud-din Muhammad Babur crushed the Lodi Empire, in North India, which established the beginning of the Mughal Empire...Also of note in this battle, it was one of the first on record which involved gunpowder firearms and field artillery.

I am embarrassed to admit my knowledge of the Mughals isn't nearly what it should be, but I do know enough to know they were from Central Asia, descending from Genghis Khan, were superior warriors and engineers, and took India to heights never seen before or after.

1649 - The Maryland Assembly passed the Maryland Toleration Act, guaranteeing freedom of worship for all Christians.

This was the first law of its kind (not just in America, but the entire world)...It wasn’t perfect, and didn’t guarantee absolute freedom of worship, but is important because it was the basis of the 1st Amendment to the Constitution - as it was intended, that is.  Not as it has been interpreted by modern Liberals.

Read the text: Maryland Toleration Act.

1836 - An army of Texans led by Sam Houston defeated the Mexicans at San Jacinto, assuring the independence of Texas. 900 Texans caught 1,200 Mexicans taking a siesta, and the entire confrontation took only 18-minutes.

There would be no more Alamo’s and the Republic of Texas was soon to be a reality…I hope you knew Texas had a period of independence prior to joining the U.S.

1898 - The U.S. declared war on Spain.

"The war of the United States with Spain was very brief. Its results were many, startling, and of world-wide meaning." - Henry Cabot Lodge

It is incredible how Undersecretary of the Navy Theodore Roosevelt played this event - setting the stage for the future American Empire...And yes, I know most Americans don't understand it is an empire.  Trust me the rest of the world knows it is.

1918 - Baron Manfred von Richthofen, German ace known as the 'Red Baron,' was killed in action during World War I. He is credited with shooting down 80 Allied planes.

Richthofen was an awesome pilot, who was considered the 'Ace of Aces' in WWI. A few interesting tid-bits:

1. When the Red Baron was shot down, his dead body was recovered by the Brits...They had such high respect for him they buried him with full military honors.

2. Richthofen’s wing man was Herman Goering, who eventually succeeded him as commander of the famous Jagdgeschwader 1 (Fighter Wing 1)...He later became the 'Fat Field Marshal,' as Reichsmarshal of the Third Reich.

1956 - Elvis Presley's first hit record 'Heartbreak Hotel' became #1 on the music charts.

Elvis was truly a meteoric figure in American pop-culture - as is proven by his continuing popularity over 60 years after his first hit...There have been few bigger icons, and in the music business only the Beatles and Michael Jackson have been even close to Elvis Presley in popularity.

1998 - Astronomers announced in Washington they discovered possible signs of a new family of planets orbiting a star 220 light-years away, the clearest evidence yet of worlds forming beyond our solar system.

We are not alone...And I have no problem fitting this finding into the 'Evolution from Creation' theory.