History of 21 August
1912 – Arthur R. Eldred became the first American boy to become an Eagle Scout. It is the highest rank in the Boy Scouts of America.
1923 – In Kalamazoo, Michigan, an ordinance was passed forbidding dancers from gazing into the eyes of their partner.
1943 – Japan evacuated the Aleutian island of Kiaska. Kiaska had been the last North American foothold held by the Japanese.
1945 – U.S. President Truman ended the Lend-Lease program that had shipped about $50 billion in aid to America’s Allies during World War II.
1959 – Hawaii became the 50th state. U.S. President Eisenhower also issued the order for the 50-star flag.
1963 – In South Vietnam, martial law was declared. Army troops and police began to crack down on the Buddhist anti-government protesters.
1971 – Laura Baugh, at the age of 16, won the United States Women’s Amateur Golf tournament. She was the youngest winner in the history of the tournament.
1984 – Victoria Roche, a reserve outfielder, became the first girl to ever compete in a Little League World Series game.
1984 – Clint Eastwood was given a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
1989 – Voyager 2, a U.S. space probe, got close to the Neptune moon called Triton.
1991 – The hard-line coup against Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev ended. The uprising that led to the collapse was led by Russian Federation President Boris Yeltsin.
1992 – NBC News fired Authur Kent two weeks after he refused an assignment to war-torn Croatia.
1993 – NASA lost contact with the Mars Observer spacecraft. The fate of the spacecraft was unknown. The mission cost $980 million.
1994 – Ernesto Zedillo won the Mexican presidential election.
1996 – The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 was signed by U.S. President Clinton. The act made it easier to obtain and keep health insurance.
1997 – Hudson Foods Inc. closed a plant in Nebraska after it had recalled 25 million pounds of ground beef that was potentially contaminated with E. coli 01557: H7. It was the largest food recall in U.S. history.
1997 – Afghanistan suspended its embassy operations in the United States.
1997 – Cicely Tyson received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
1998 – Wesley Snipes received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
2002 – In Pakistan, President General Pervez Musharraf unilaterally amended the Pakistani constitution. He extended his term in office and granted himself powers that included the right to dissolve parliament.
2003 – In Ghana, businessman Gyude Bryant was selected to oversee the two-year power-sharing accord between Liberia’s rebels and the government. The accord was planned to guide the country out of 14 years of civil war.
2009 – Inglourious Basterds, a war film written and directed by Quentin Tarantino and starring Brad Pitt, is released in American theaters to critical and popular acclaim.
2013 – Hundreds of people are reported killed by chemical attacks in the Ghouta region of Syria.
2016 – The closing ceremony of the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, takes place.
2017 – A solar eclipse traverses the continental United States.
Celebrating Birthday Today
- 1981 – Jarrod Lyle, Australian golfer (d. 2018)
- 1981 – Cameron Winklevoss, American rower, and businessman, co-founded ConnectU
- 1981 – Tyler Winklevoss, American rower, and businessman, co-founded ConnectU
- 1981 – Ross Thomas, American actor
- 1982 – Jason Eaton, New Zealand rugby player
- 1982 – Omar Sachedina, Canadian television journalist, correspondent, and news anchor
- 1983 – Scott McDonald, Australian footballer
- 1984 – Neil Dexter, South African cricketer
- 1984 – Melvin Upton, Jr., American baseball player
- 1985 – Nicolás Almagro, a Spanish tennis player
- 1985 – Aleksandra Kiryashova, Russian pole vaulter
- 1986 – Usain Bolt, Jamaican sprinter
- 1986 – Wout Brama, Dutch footballer
- 1986 – Koki Sakamoto, Japanese gymnast
- 1988 – Robert Lewandowski, Polish footballer
- 1988 – Kacey Musgraves, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
- 1989 – Charleston Benschop, Dutch footballer
- 1989 – James Davey, English rugby league player
- 1989 – Matteo Gentili, Italian footballer
- 1989 – Hayden Panettiere, American actress
- 1989 – Aleix Vidal, Spanish footballer
- 1990 – Bo Burnham, American comedian, musician, actor, filmmaker and poet
- 1991 – Leandro Bacuna, Dutch footballer
- 1992 – Felipe Nasr, Brazilian race car driver
- 2000 – Kate Valdez, Filipina actress, and singer