What Happened on Aug 21

Galileo Demonstrates His Telescope to Venetian Lawmakers

Galileo Galilei, a most humble servant of Your Serene Highness, being diligently attentive, with all his spirit, not only to discharging the duties... Read more

Pueblo Indians Capture Santa Fe from the Spanish

The Spaniards were to report later that they fought 2,500 Pueblo warriors. Lacking firepower, the warriors blocked the stream coming into Casa... Read more

Siege Of Pondicherry

The 1778 Siege of Pondicherry was the first military action on the Indian subcontinent following the declaration of war between Great Britain and... Read more

Nat Turner's Rebellion

It was Sunday, August 21, deep in the woods near the Travis house at a place called Cabin Pond. Around a crackling fire Turner’s confederates... Read more

Lincoln Loses First of the Lincoln-Douglas Debates on Slavery

August 21, 1858, was the day that Abraham Lincoln and Stephen A. Douglas met in Ottawa, Illinois, in the first of the famous Lincoln-Douglas... Read more

Quantrill's Raiders Pillage the City at the Lawrence Massacre

Description: In a supposed retaliation for a Union raid on Osceola, Missouri, Lt. Col. William C. Quantrill led a force of about 300 to 400... Read more

Second Battle of Chattanooga

Description: On August 16, 1863, Maj. Gen. William S. Rosecrans, commander of the Army of the Cumberland, launched a campaign to take Chattanooga.... Read more

Battle of Summit Point

Description:As Maj. Gen. Philip Sheridan concentrated his army near Charles Town, Lt. Gen. Jubal Early and Maj. Gen. Richard Anderson attacked the... Read more

Second Battle of Memphis

The Second Battle of Memphis was a battle of the American Civil War occurring on August 21, 1864, in Shelby County, Tennessee. At 4:00 a.m. on... Read more

Foundation of the American Bar Association

The ABA was founded on August 21,1878, in Saratoga Springs, New York, by 100 lawyers from 21 states. The legal profession as we know it today... Read more

Battle Of Charleroi

The Battle of Charleroi (French: Bataille de Charleroi), or the Battle of the Sambre (1914), was fought on 21 August 1914, between French and... Read more

Battle of the Ardennes

The Battle of the Ardennes was one of the opening battles of World War I. It took place from August 21-23, 1914, part of the Battle of the... Read more

French Defeated at Neufchateau

Still unaware of the vastly superior forces which the Germans had assembled, the French forces, on August 21, 1914 confidently advanced to give... Read more

Germany Captures Namur

While von Kluck's army was investing Liege and its fortresses, von Buelow's army, 280,000 strong, was advancing up the valley of the Meuse toward... Read more

Battle Of Hill 60

The Battle of Hill 60 was the last major assault of the Battle of Gallipoli. It was launched on 21 August 1915 to coincide with the attack on... Read more

Battle Of Scimitar Hill

The Battle of Scimitar Hill (Yusufçuk Tepe) was the last offensive mounted by the British at Suvla during the Battle of Gallipoli in World War I.... Read more

Italy Declares War on Turkey

Italy had been allied with the German and Austro-Hungarian Empires since 1882 as part of the Triple Alliance. However, the nation had its own... Read more

Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera are Married

On August 21, in a civil ceremony in the town hall of Coyoacán, Kahlo becomes Rivera's third wife. Diego was 42 years old, 6'1" tall, and 300... Read more

Leon Trotsky is Killed by Soviet Agent Ramón Mercader

Despite the misgivings of Natalia and Trotsky's guards, Mornard was again allowed to see Trotsky alone—"three or four minutes went by," Natalia... Read more

"The Little Foxes" Is Released

The Little Foxes is a 1941 American drama film directed by William Wyler. The screenplay by Lillian Hellman is based on her 1939 play of the same... Read more

Second Stage of the Battle of Smolensk (1943)

By mid-August, the situation on the Eastern Front had changed as the Red Army started a general offensive, beginning with the Belgorod-Kharkov... Read more

German Position in Normandy Collapses after Fierce Fighting at Hill 262

Hill 262 or Mont Ormel ridge, nicknamed The Mace (elevation 262 metres (860 ft)), was the location of a pivotal engagement fought as part of the... Read more

Kelly–Hopkinsville Alien Encounter

Possibly an allusion to Ireland's leprechauns could account for the derisive term of "little green men," in referring to aliens. Whatever the... Read more

Hawaii admitted as 50th state in the United States

The Hawaii Constitution was framed by a Constitutional Convention under Act 334, Session Laws of Hawaii 1949. It was adopted by the people at the... Read more

Tupolev 124 Ditching in Neva River

The Tupolev 124 ditching in Neva River was a notable case of water landing that occurred in the Soviet Union in 1963. It remains one of 9... Read more