wiki birthday to me

Saw this a little while ago (thanks, Carrie), and thought I'd give it a spin (in honor of my very own birthday on the 21st (yay!).

1. Go to Wikipedia and type in your birthday (month and day only):

• April 21 is the 111th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (112th in leap years). There are 254 days remaining.

2. List some of the events that occurred on that day of interest to you:

• 753 BC - Romulus and Remus found Rome (traditional).
• 1509 - Henry VIII ascends the throne of England (unofficially) at the death of his father, Henry VII
• 1898 - Spanish-American War: The U.S. Congress, on April 25, recognizes that a state of war exists between the United States and Spain as of this date.
• 1918 - World War I: German fighter ace Manfred von Richthofen, known as "The Red Baron", is shot down and killed over Vaux sur Somme in France.
• 1966 - Rastafari movement: Haile Selassie of Ethiopia visits Jamaica, an event now celebrated as Grounation Day.
• 1994 - The first discoveries of extrasolar planets are announced by astronomer Alexander Wolszczan.

3. List a Few Birthdays:

• 1729 - Empress Catherine II of Russia (d. 1796)
• 1816 - Charlotte Brontë, English author (d. 1855)
• 1838 - John Muir, American environmentalist (d. 1914)
• 1926 - Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom
• 1947 - Iggy Pop, American musician (The Stooges)
• * 1959 - Robert Smith, British musician (The Cure)
• * 1959 - Jerry Only, American musician (The Misfits)
• * 1959 - Michael Timmins, Canadian musician (Cowboy Junkies)
  

4. List a death:

• 1910 - Mark Twain, American author and humorist (b. 1835)

5. List a holiday or observance (if any):

• Rome - city birthday.

6. Any thoughts on the above?:

• I *love* how many interesting people are born on my birthday. (*And, wow, 1959 was a big year for music - check those three out in the list above!)
• And, what the hell is an "extrasolar" planet? If their existence was discovered back in 1994, you'd think I would have heard about this.... but, no.
• They say Rome wasn't built in a day, but apparently it has a birthday. And it's the same as mine. I must make a point of actually being in Rome for my birthday some time - that would be fun!