From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
August 21 is the 233rd day of the year (234th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. There are 132 days remaining.
[edit] Events
- 1192 - Minamoto Yoritomo becomes Seii Tai Shōgun and the de facto ruler of Japan. (Traditional Japanese date: July 12, 1192)
- 1680 - Pueblo Indians capture Santa Fe from Spanish during the Pueblo Revolt.
- 1760 - The church (later cathedral) of "Our Lady of Candlemas of Mayagüez (Puerto Rico)" is founded, establishing the basis for the founding of the city.
- 1770 - James Cook formally claims eastern Australia for Great Britain, naming it New South Wales.
- 1772 - King Gustav III completes his coup d'etat by adopting a new Constitution, ending half a century of parliamentary rule in Sweden and installing him as an enlightened despot.
- 1810 - Jean-Baptiste Bernadotte, Marshal of France, is elected Crown Prince of Sweden by the Swedish Riksdag of the Estates.
- 1821 - Jarvis Island is discovered by the crew of the Eliza Frances.
- 1831 - Nat Turner leads black slaves and free blacks in a rebellion.
- 1841 - The Venetian blind is first patented in the United States by John Hampson.
- 1842 - The city of Hobart, Tasmania, is founded.
- 1852 - Tlingit Indians destroy Fort Selkirk, Yukon Territory.
- 1856 - America's first consul to Japan, Townsend Harris, arrives in Shimoda. (Traditional Japanese date: July 21, 1856)
- 1858 - The Lincoln-Douglas debates begin.
- 1862 - The Vienna Stadtpark opens its gates.
- 1863 - Lawrence, Kansas is destroyed by Confederate guerillas Quantrill's Raiders in the Lawrence Massacre.
- 1878 - The American Bar Association is founded.
- 1879 - The Virgin Mary, along with St. Joseph and St. John the Evangelist reportedly appear to the people of Knock, County Mayo, Ireland.
- 1888 - The first successful adding machine in the United States is patented by William Seward Burroughs.
- 1911 - The Mona Lisa is stolen by a Louvre employee.
- 1942 - The Battle of Stalingrad began.
- 1942 - A Nazi flag is installed atop the Mount Elbrus.
- 1942 - Allied forces involved in the Guadalcanal campaign defeated an attack by Imperial Japanese Army soldiers in the Battle of the Tenaru.
- 1944 - Dumbarton Oaks Conference, prelude to the United Nations, begins.
- 1959 - President Dwight D. Eisenhower signs an executive order proclaiming Hawaii the 50th state of the union.
- 1968 - Soviet Union-dominated Warsaw Pact troops invade Czechoslovakia, crushing the Prague Spring; on the same day, Nicolae Ceauşescu, leader of Communist Romania, publicly condemns the Soviet maneuver, encouraging the Romanian population to arm itself against possible Soviet reprisals.
- 1968 - James Anderson, Jr. posthumously receives the first Medal of Honor to be awarded to an African American U.S. Marine.
- 1969 - An Australian, Michael Dennis Rohan, sets the Al-Aqsa Mosque on fire
- 1971 - A bomb exploded in the Liberal Party campaign rally in Plaza Miranda, Manila, Philippines with several anti-Marcos political candidates injured.
- 1976 - Operation Paul Bunyan at Panmunjeom, Korea.
- 1983 - Philippine opposition leader Benigno Aquino, Jr. was assassinated at the Manila International Airport (now renamed Ninoy Aquino International Airport).
- 1986 - Carbon dioxide gas erupts from volcanic Lake Nyos in Cameroon, killing up to 1,800 people within a 20-kilometer range.
- 1991 - Latvia declares renewal of its full independence after the occupation of Soviet Union.
- 1991 - Coup attempt against Mikhail Gorbachev collapses.
- 1993 - NASA loses contact with the Mars Observer spacecraft.
- 1997 - British rock band Oasis realease highly anticipated 3rd album Be Here Now which went on to become the fastest selling album of all time in the UK.
- 2001 - NATO decides to send a peace-keeping force to the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia.
- 2001 - The Red Cross announces that a famine is striking Tajikistan, and calls for international financial aid for Tajikistan and Uzbekistan.
[edit] Births
- 1165 - King Philip II of France (d. 1223)
- 1535 - Shimazu Yoshihiro, Japanese samurai and warlord (d. 1619)
- 1567 - Francis de Sales, Bishop of Geneva and saint (d. 1622)
- 1597 - Roger Twysden, English antiquarian and royalist (d. 1672)
- 1643 - King Afonso VI of Portugal (d. 1683)
- 1660 - Hubert Gautier, French scientist and civil engineer (d. 1737)
- 1665 - Giacomo F. Maraldi, French-Italian astronomer (d. 1729)
- 1670 - James FitzJames, 1st Duke of Berwick, French military leader (d. 1734)
- 1725 - Jean-Baptiste Greuze, French painter (d. 1805)
- 1754 - William Murdoch, Scottish inventor (d. 1839)
- 1754 - Banastre Tarleton, British soldier and politician (d. 1833)
- 1765 - William IV of the United Kingdom (d. 1837)
- 1789 - Augustin Louis Cauchy, French mathematician (d. 1857)
- 1798 - Jules Michelet, French historian (d. 1874)
- 1800 - Hiram Walden, American politician (d. 1880)
- 1801 - Guillaume Groen van Prinsterer, Dutch politician (d. 1876)
- 1813 - Jean Stas, Belgian chemist (d. 1891)
- 1816 - Charles Frédéric Gerhardt, French chemist (d. 1856)
- 1826 - Karl Gegenbaur, German anatomist (d. 1903)
- 1872 - Aubrey Beardsley, English illustrator (d. 1898)
- 1891 - Emiliano Mercado del Toro, World's oldest living man 2004-2007 (d. 2007)
- 1904 - William "Count" Basie, American bandleader (d. 1984)
- 1906 - Friz Freleng, American movie animator (d. 1995)
- 1908 - M. M. Kaye, British writer (d. 2004)
- 1909 - Nikolay Bogolyubov, Russian mathematician (d. 1992)
- 1912 - Toe Blake, National Hockey League player and coach (Montreal Canadiens) (d. 1995)
- 1915 - Raquel Rastenni, Danish singer (d. 1998)
- 1920 - Christopher Robin Milne, inspiration for the Winnie-the-Pooh stories (d. 1996)
- 1924 - Jack Buck, American sports announcer (d. 2002)
- 1924 - Chris Schenkel, American sports journalist (d. 2005)
- 1924 - Jack Weston, American actor (d. 1996)
- 1925 - Maurice Pialat, French actor and director (d. 2003)
- 1925 - Jorge Rafael Videla, ex-dictator of Argentina
- 1928 - Art Farmer, American trumpet player (d. 1999)
- 1929 - X. J. Kennedy, American poet
- 1930 - Princess Margaret, Countess of Snowdon (d. 2002)
- 1930 - Frank Perry, American film director (d. 1995)
- 1932 - Melvin Van Peebles, American actor and screenwriter
- 1933 - Janet Baker, English mezzo-soprano
- 1936 - Wilt Chamberlain, American basketball player (d. 1999)
- 1938 - Kenny Rogers, American singer and actor
- 1937 - Robert Stone, American novelist
- 1939 - James Burton, American guitarist
- 1939 - Clarence Williams III, American actor
- 1939 - Festus Mogae, president of Botswana
- 1944 - Jackie DeShannon, American singer
- 1944 - Peter Weir, Australian film director
- 1944 - Perry Christie, former prime minister of the Bahamas
- 1945 - Jerry DaVanon, baseball player
- 1945 - Basil Poledouris, American film score composer (d. 2006)
- 1950 - Patrick Juvet, Swiss singer
- 1951 - Eric Goles, Chilean mathematician and computer scientist
- 1952 - Joe Strummer, British musician and singer (The Clash) (d. 2002)
- 1952 - Glenn Hughes, British bassist and vocalist (Finders Keepers/Trapeze/Deep Purple)
- 1954 - Archie Griffin, former American football player and only two-time Heisman Trophy winner.
- 1954 - Ivan Stang, American writer
- 1956 - Kim Cattrall, English-born actress
- 1959 - Jim McMahon, American football player
- 1961 - David Morales, American disc jockey
- 1961 - Stephen Hillenburg, American animator and cartoonist
- 1962 - Jeff Stryker, American actor
- 1963 - King Mohammed VI of Morocco
- 1963 - Richmond Arquette, American actor
- 1964 - Trinity Loren, American actress and model (d. 1998)
- 1966 - John Wetteland, Major League Baseball player
- 1967 - Carrie-Anne Moss, Canadian actress
- 1967 - Serj Tankian, Armenian-born singer (System of a Down)
- 1967 - Darren Bewick, AFL footballer
- 1969 - Josée Chouinard, Canadian figure skater
- 1970 - Nathan Jones, American professional wrestler
- 1970 - Erik Dekker, Dutch cyclist
- 1971 - Liam Howlett, British musician (The Prodigy)
- 1973 - Steve McKenna, Canadian ice hockey player
- 1973 - Sergey Brin, Co-founder of Google
- 1975 - Alicia Witt, American actress
- 1976 - Alex Brooks, American ice hockey player
- 1978 - Reuben Droughns, American football player
- 1978 - Jason Marquis, American baseball player
- 1978 - Alan Lee, Irish footballer
- 1978 - Lee Gronkiewicz, American baseball player
- 1979 - Kelis Rogers-Jones, American singer
- 1980 - Burney Lamar, American race car driver
- 1981 - Andreas Glyniadakis, Greek basketball player
- 1983 - Josh Harrington, American professional BMX rider
- 1983 - Chantelle Houghton, British TV personality
- 1984 - Alizée Jacotey, French singer
- 1984 - B.J. Upton, American baseball player
- 1986 - Conor Clapton, son of Eric Clapton
- 1987 - Ryan Peters, English football (soccer) player
- 1988 - Paris Bennett, American Idol contestant
- 1989 - Hayden Panettiere, American actress
- 1991 - Tess Gaerthé, Dutch singer and actress
[edit] Deaths
- 1157 - King Alfonso VII of Castile (b. 1104/1105)
- 1153 - Bernard of Clairvaux, French theologian (b. 1090)
- 1271 - Alphonse of Toulouse, son of Louis VIII of France (b. 1220)
- 1581 - Sakuma Nobumori, Japanese retainer and samurai (b. 1527)
- 1614 - Elizabeth Báthory, the world's most prolific female serial killer (b. 1560)
- 1627 - Jacques Mauduit, French composer (b. 1557)
- 1673 - Henry Grey, 1st Earl of Stamford, English soldier
- 1689 - William Cleland, Scottish poet and soldier
- 1762 - Lady Mary Wortley Montagu, English writer (b. 1689)
- 1763 - Charles Wyndham, 2nd Earl of Egremont, British statesman (b. 1710)
- 1796 - John McKinly, American physician and President of Delaware (b. 1721)
- 1814 - Benjamin Thompson, American physicist and inventor (b. 1753)
- 1836 - Claude-Louis Navier, French physicist (b. 1785)
- 1838 - Adelbert von Chamisso, German writer (b. 1781)
- 1940 - Leon Trotsky, Russian revolutionary (b. 1879)
- 1940 - Ernest Lawrence Thayer, American poet (b. 1863)
- 1940 - Hermann Obrecht, member of the Swiss Federal Council (b. 1882)
- 1943 - Henrik Pontoppidan, Danish writer, Nobel Prize (b. 1857)
- 1947 - Ettore Bugatti, Italian automobile manufacturer (b. 1881)
- 1951 - Constant Lambert, British composer and conductor (b. 1905)
- 1957 - Harald Ulrik Sverdrup, Norwegian meteorologist and oceanographer (b. 1888)
- 1957 - Nels Stewart, professional ice hockey player (b. 1902)
- 1960 - David Barnard Steinman, American civil engineer and bridge designer (b. 1886)
- 1964 - Palmiro Togliatti, Italian communist leader (b. 1893)
- 1978 - Charles Eames, American designer and architect (b. 1907)
- 1981 - Michael Devine, the last man to die in the 1981 Irish hunger strike (b. 1954)
- 1982 - Sobhuza II, King of Swaziland (b. 1899)
- 1983 - Benigno Aquino, Jr., Philippine opposition leader (b. 1932)
- 1988 - Ray Eames, American designer, artist and architect (b. 1912)
- 1989 - Raul Seixas, Brazilian singer (b. 1945)
- 1995 - Subrahmanyan Chandrasekhar, Indian-born astrophysicist, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1910)
- 2000 - Daniel Lisulo, Prime Minister of Zambia (b. 1930)
- 2003 - Kathy Wilkes, English philosopher and aid worker (b. 1946)
- 2003 - Wesley Willis, American musician (b. 1963)
- 2005 - Marcus Schmuck, Austrian mountaineer (b. 1925)
- 2005 - Robert Moog, American pioneer of electronic music (b. 1934)
- 2005 - Dalia Rabikovich, Israeli poet (b. 1936)
- 2005 - Martin Dillon, tenor, American opera singer (b. 1957)
- 2006 - Paul Fentener van Vlissingen, Dutch businessman and philantropher (b. 1941)
- 2006 - Ustad Bismillah Khan, Indian musician (b. 1916)
[edit] Holidays and observances
[edit] References
- ^ *Attwater, Donald and Catherine Rachel John. The Penguin Dictionary of Saints. 3rd edition. New York: Penguin Books, 1993. ISBN 0-140-51312-4.
[edit] External links
