What happened today in history
August
What happened on August 21
On August 21 history recorded 52 notable events. 160 people who left a mark were born on this day, and 103 died. Here is the full almanac.
- 52events
- 160births
- 103deaths
- 13observances
Highlights
Highlights
1689Jacobite clans clashed with a regiment of Covenanters in the streets of Dunkeld, Scotland.
Jacobitism was the name for a political movement active from 1688 to the end of the 18th century. Its primary objective was the restoration of the exiled House of Stuart to the British throne. It was strongest in Ireland, the Western Scottish Highlands, Perths
1716Seventh Ottoman–Venetian War: Ottoman forces suddenly abandoned their siege of Corfu, allowing the Republic of Venice to preserve its rule over the Ionian Islands.
The Seventh Ottoman–Venetian War was fought between the Republic of Venice and the Ottoman Empire between 1714 and 1718. It was the last conflict between the two powers, and ended with an Ottoman victory and the loss of Venice's major possession in the Greek p
1717Austro-Turkish War: Austrian troops under Prince Eugene of Savoy captured the strategically important city of Belgrade from the Ottoman Empire.
The Austro-Turkish War (1716–1718) was fought between the Habsburg monarchy and the Ottoman Empire. The 1699 Treaty of Karlowitz was not an acceptable permanent agreement for the Ottoman Empire. Twelve years after Karlowitz, it began the long-term prospect of
August 21
On this day
X century
- 959
959Eraclus becomes the 25th bishop of Liège.
XII century
- 1140
1140Song dynasty general Yue Fei defeats an army led by Jin dynasty general Wuzhu at the Battle of Yancheng during the Jin–Song Wars. - 1169
1169Battle of the Blacks: Uprising by the black African forces of the Fatimid army, along with a number of Egyptian emirs and commoners, against Saladin. - 1192
1192Minamoto no Yoritomo becomes Sei-i Taishōgun and the de facto ruler of Japan. (Traditional Japanese date: the 12th day of the seventh month in the third year of the Kenkyū (建久) era).
XIV century
XV century
XVII century
XVIII century
- 1716
1716Seventh Ottoman–Venetian War: The arrival of naval reinforcements and the news of the Battle of Petrovaradin force the Ottomans to abandon the Siege of Corfu, thus preserving the Ionian Islands under Venetian rule. - 1772
1772King Gustav III completes his coup d'état by adopting a new Constitution, ending half a century of parliamentary rule in Sweden and installing himself as an enlightened despot. - 1778
1778American Revolutionary War: British forces begin besieging the French outpost at Pondichéry. - 1791
1791Enslaved Africans in Saint-Domingue, led by Dutty Boukman, held a Vodou ceremony that became a pivotal act of resistance. This gathering sparked a mass uprising against slavery, marking the beginning of the Haitian Revolution.
XIX century
- 1808
1808Battle of Vimeiro: British and Portuguese forces led by General Arthur Wellesley defeat French force under Major-General Jean-Andoche Junot near the village of Vimeiro, Portugal, the first Anglo-Portuguese victory of the Peninsular War. - 1810
1810Jean-Baptiste Bernadotte, Marshal of France, is elected Crown Prince of Sweden by the Swedish Riksdag of the Estates. - 1821
1821Jarvis Island is discovered by the crew of the ship, Eliza Frances. - 1831
1831Nat Turner leads black slaves and free blacks in a rebellion in Southampton County, Virginia, which will claim the lives of 55 to 65 whites and about twice that number of blacks. - 1852
1852Tlingit Indians destroy Fort Selkirk, Yukon Territory. - 1858
1858The first of the Lincoln–Douglas debates is held in Ottawa, Illinois. - 1862
1862The Stadtpark, the first public park in Vienna, opens to the public. - 1863
1863Lawrence, Kansas is destroyed by pro-Confederate guerrillas known as Quantrill's Raiders. - 1878
1878The American Bar Association is founded in Saratoga Springs, New York. - 1879
1879The locals of Knock, County Mayo, Ireland report their having seen an apparition of the Virgin Mary. The apparition is later named "Our Lady of Knock" and the spot transformed into a Catholic pilgrimage site. - 1883
1883An F5 tornado strikes Rochester, Minnesota, leading to the creation of the Mayo Clinic. - 1888
1888The first successful adding machine in the United States is patented by William Seward Burroughs.
XX century
- 1901
1901Six hundred American school teachers, Thomasites, arrived in Manila on the USAT Thomas. - 1911
1911The Mona Lisa is stolen by Vincenzo Peruggia, a Louvre employee. - 1914
1914World War I: The Battle of Charleroi, a successful German attack across the River Sambre that pre-empted a French offensive in the same area. - 1918
1918World War I: The Second Battle of the Somme begins. - 1942
1942World War II: The Guadalcanal campaign: American forces defeat an attack by Imperial Japanese Army soldiers in the Battle of the Tenaru. - 1944
1944Dumbarton Oaks Conference, prelude to the United Nations, begins. - 1944
1944World War II: Canadian and Polish units capture the strategically important town of Falaise, Calvados, France. - 1945
1945Physicist Harry Daghlian is fatally irradiated in a criticality accident during an experiment with the Demon core at Los Alamos National Laboratory. - 1957
1957The Soviet Union successfully conducts a long-range test flight of the R-7 Semyorka, the first intercontinental ballistic missile. - 1959
1959United States President Dwight D. Eisenhower signs an executive order proclaiming Hawaii the 50th state of the union. Hawaii's admission is currently commemorated by Hawaii Admission Day. - 1963
1963Xá Lợi Pagoda raids: The Army of the Republic of Vietnam Special Forces loyal to Ngô Đình Nhu, brother of President Ngo Dinh Diem, vandalizes Buddhist pagodas across the country, arresting thousands and leaving an estimated hundreds dead. - 1965
1965The Socialist Republic of Romania is proclaimed, following the adoption of a new constitution. - 1968
1968Cold War: Nicolae Ceaușescu, leader of the Socialist Republic of Romania, publicly condemns the Soviet-led Warsaw Pact invasion of Czechoslovakia, encouraging the Romanian population to arm itself against possible Soviet reprisals. - 1968
1968James Anderson Jr. posthumously receives the first Medal of Honor to be awarded to an African American U.S. Marine. - 1971
1971A bomb exploded in the Liberal Party campaign rally in Plaza Miranda, Manila, Philippines with several anti-Marcos political candidates injured. - 1982
1982Lebanese Civil War: The first troops of a multinational force lands in Beirut to oversee the Palestine Liberation Organization's withdrawal from Lebanon. - 1983
1983Philippine opposition leader Benigno Aquino Jr. is assassinated at Manila International Airport (now renamed Ninoy Aquino International Airport in his honor). - 1986
1986Carbon dioxide gas erupts from volcanic Lake Nyos in Cameroon, killing up to 1,800 people within a 20-kilometre (12 mi) range. - 1988
1988The 6.9 Mw Nepal earthquake shakes the Nepal–India border with a maximum Mercalli intensity of VIII (Severe), leaving 709–1,450 people killed and thousands injured. - 1991
1991Latvia declares renewal of its full independence after its occupation by the Soviet Union since 1940. - 1991
1991Coup attempt against Mikhail Gorbachev collapses. - 1993
1993NASA loses contact with the Mars Observer spacecraft. - 1994
1994Royal Air Maroc Flight 630 crashes in Douar Izounine, Morocco, killing all 44 people on board. - 1995
1995Atlantic Southeast Airlines Flight 529, an Embraer EMB 120 Brasilia, attempts to divert to West Georgia Regional Airport after the left engine fails, but the aircraft crashes in Carroll County near Carrollton, Georgia, killing nine of the 29 people on board. - 2000
2000American golfer Tiger Woods wins the 82nd PGA Championship and becomes the first golfer since Ben Hogan in 1953 to win three majors in a calendar year.
XXI century
Best known
Born on August 21
Best known
Died on August 21
1131Baldwin II of Jerusalem
King of Jerusalem from 1118 to 1131
1157Alfonso VII of León and Castile
King of León, Castile, and Galicia from 1126 to 1157
1245Alexander of Hales
English theologian and philosopher (c.1185–1245)
1271Alphonse of Poitiers
13th-century French nobleman
1534Philippe Villiers de L'Isle-Adam
Grand Master of the Knights Hospitaller
1568Jean Parisot de Valette
16th-century French nobleman and military leader
Holidays and observances
- Christian Feast Day: Abraham of Smolensk (Eastern Orthodox Church)
- Christian Feast Day: Bernard of Alzira
- Christian Feast Day: Cyriaca
- Christian Feast Day: Euprepius of Verona
- Christian Feast Day: Maximilian of Antioch
- Christian Feast Day: Our Lady of Knock
- Christian Feast Day: Pope Pius X
- Christian Feast Day: Sidonius Apollinaris
- Christian Feast Day: Blessed Victoire Rasoamanarivo
- Christian Feast Day: August 21 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
- Ninoy Aquino Day (Philippines)
- Youth Day (Morocco)
- World Senior Citizen's Day
Frequently asked questions
What happened on August 21?
52 documented historical events happened on August 21, from antiquity to the present day. The best known is this: Jacobite clans clashed with a regiment of Covenanters in the streets of Dunkeld, Scotland. On the same day, in another year: Seventh Ottoman–Venetian War: Ottoman forces suddenly abandoned their siege of Corfu, allowing the Republic of Venice to preserve its rule over the Ionian Islands. On Almanaccolo every event is listed in chronological order, grouped by century, and links to the Wikipedia article it comes from, so you can always read further or check the source. Alongside the events you find who was born and who died on this date, and which observances are celebrated around the world.
Who was born on August 21?
160 people with a Wikipedia article were born on August 21, including Art Farmer, Herman Badillo, X. J. Kennedy. The list spans every era and every field — art, science, politics, sport, entertainment — ordered by year of birth, from the earliest to the most recent. The six featured people are those most has been written about: the ordering uses the length of their Wikipedia article as an indicator of prominence. For each one you find their occupation, year of birth and a link to the full biography.
Who died on August 21?
103 people with a Wikipedia article died on August 21, including Baldwin II of Jerusalem, Alfonso VII of León and Castile, Alexander of Hales. The list is in chronological order by year of death and spans all of documented history, from antiquity to the present day. For each person you find their occupation, the year and a link to the Wikipedia biography, where the full story and its sources can be read.
What is celebrated on August 21?
13 observances are celebrated on August 21 around the world: Christian Feast Day: Abraham of Smolensk (Eastern Orthodox Church), Christian Feast Day: Bernard of Alzira, Christian Feast Day: Cyriaca, Christian Feast Day: Euprepius of Verona, Christian Feast Day: Maximilian of Antioch, Christian Feast Day: Our Lady of Knock. The list gathers national holidays, international days and religious or civil observances falling on this date in different countries, as recorded on Wikipedia. Some are fixed and recur on the same day every year; others depend on the local calendar. Each links to the article explaining its origin and meaning.
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Source: Wikipedia · Calendar