On this date in history…

(2021) American actress Cicely Tyson, who was noted for her vivid portrayals of strong African American women, died at age 96. (2002) Swedish children’s writer Astrid Lindgren—who was best known for her works involving Pippi Longstocking, a freckle-faced red-haired nine-year-old who incarnates every child’s dream of freedom and power—died at age 94. (1986) On this day in 1986, the U.S. space shuttle Challenger exploded 73 seconds after liftoff from Florida, killing all seven aboard, including a schoolteacher who had been chosen as the first American civilian to travel in space.  (1958)  Godtfred Kirk Christiansen, whose father founded the company  LEGO in Denmark, filed for a Danish patent (later granted) for a toy building block that became hugely popular around the world. (1915) Congress created the U.S. Coast Guard by combining the Revenue Cutter Service with the U.S. Lifesaving Service. (1912) American painter Jackson Pollock, a leading exponent of Abstract Expressionism who received widespread publicity and serious recognition for the radical poured, or “drip,” technique he used to create his major works, was born. (1871) The French capital, Paris, fell following a four-month siege during the Franco-German War. (1813) Jane Austen‘s Pride and Prejudice was published anonymously and enjoyed immediate success, thanks in part to the popularity of the central character, Elizabeth Bennet, who was reportedly Austen’s own favourite among all her heroines. (1457) King Henry VII of England, who succeeded in ending the Wars of the Roses, was born in Pembrokeshire, Wales.