Happy Birthday May 21

Philip II of Spain was born on May 21, 1527 at Palacio de Pimentel in the Spanish capital of Valladolid. His father was Charles V of the Holy Roman Empire, and his mother Infanta Isabella of Portugal. Philip was their only son to survive childhood. Charles V became convinced of Philip's potential statesmanship, and so he determined to leave in his hands the regency of Spain in 1543. Philip began governing the most extensive empire in the world at the young age of sixteen. 

English poet Alexander Pope was born on May 21, 1688. From his early childhood Alexander suffered numerous health problems, including Pott's disease (a form of tuberculosis affecting the spine) which deformed his body and stunted his growth. Considered the foremost English poet of the early 18th century, Pope is remembered for his frequent poetic use of the heroic couplet. After Shakespeare, he is the second-most quoted author in The Oxford Dictionary of Quotations.

Elizabeth Fry was born on May 21, 1780 in the family's town house at Gurney Court, off Magdalen Street in Norwich, Norfolk. Elizabeth's mother, Catherine, was the most important influence on her life. A devout Quaker, she was very involved in charity work and when Catherine visited and helped the sick and poor in the district, Betsy loved to go with her mother. From her mid 30s onwards, Elizabeth made it her life's work to improve the conditions in prisons in England.

For more May 21 anniversaries, including the marriage of Catherine of Braganza to Charles II of England, the conversion of hymn writer Charles Wesley from High Church to Evangelical Christianity and the patenting of the first shopping bag, check out OnThatDay.