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39 fun facts for August, 21

Discover dozens of fun facts for this special day. Read the summary for a quick recap on what happened.
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Summary
August 21 is a day filled with memorable historical events and celebrations, including the stealing of Mona Lisa, the first Lincoln-Douglas debate, and Hawaii becoming the 50th US state. Individuals like Tiger Woods, Usain Bolt, and Nat Turner also left their mark on this day in history. Several celebrations, including Senior Citizens Day, Poet's Day, and World Fashion Day, are observed on this date.
39 Fun facts
  1. August 21, 1911: The Mona Lisa was stolen from the Louvre museum in Paris. It was recovered in 1913 after being hidden by an Italian Vincenzo Peruggia.
  2. August 21, 1878: The first known telephone directory was published in New Haven, Connecticut. It had only 50 names on the list as there were very few telephone users during that time.
  3. August 21, 1959: Hawaii became the 50th state of the United States. Hawaii is an island state composed of eight major islands in the Pacific Ocean.
  4. August 21, 1968: Warsaw Pact forces invaded Czechoslovakia. This event marked the end of the Prague Spring reforms.
  5. August 21, 1945: The adopted constitution of Vietnam, known as the Penal Code of Vietnam, came into existence.
  6. August 21, 1858: The first Lincoln-Douglas Debate took place in Ottawa, Illinois. These seven debates were widely considered an essential precursor to the presidential election of 1860.
  7. August 21, 1986: A limnic eruption occurred in Lake Nyos, Cameroon, resulting in the release of a large amount of carbon dioxide, which killed approximately 1,700 people and thousands of livestock.
  8. August 21 is annually celebrated as Senior Citizens Day in the United States. Established by President Ronald Reagan, this day aims to honor and appreciate the contributions of senior citizens to society.
  9. August 21, 102 BCE: The Roman army, under the command of Gaius Marius, defeated the Teutons and Cimbri during the Battle of Aquae Sextiae.
  10. August 21, 1940: Russian revolutionary and Marxist theorist Leon Trotsky was assassinated in Mexico City by an undercover operative.
  11. August 21 is World Fashion Day, which highlights the current fashion trends and the role of the fashion industry in shaping global culture.
  12. August 21, 1912: Arthur Rose Eldred became the first American Boy Scout to earn the rank of Eagle Scout, the highest rank in the Boy Scouts of America program.
  13. August 21, 2000: Tiger Woods won the PGA Championship, making him the first golfer since Ben Hogan in 1953 to win three professional major championships in the same calendar year.
  14. August 21, 1912: Arthur R. Eldred of Oceanside, NY, becomes the first American to attain the rank of Eagle Scout.
  15. August 21, 1977: Adopting a new constitution, Libya officially declared itself a socialist state with a "people's power."
  16. August 21, 1971: Malta became a republic, after being a British colony for 164 years.
  17. August 21 is National Spumoni Day in the United States. Spumoni is a unique Italian dessert made from layers of ice cream, whipped cream, fruits, and nuts.
  18. August 21st is National Brazilian Blowout Day, a day that recognizes a specific hair treatment that smooths and straightens hair.
  19. August 21, 1831: Nat Turner led a slave rebellion in Southampton County, Virginia, resulting in the death of about 60 white men, women, and children.
  20. August 21, 2017: The Great American Eclipse occurred, the first total solar eclipse to cross from coast to coast in the United States since 1918.
  21. August 21, 2001: NASA's Galileo spacecraft captured the first-ever images of a solar system body experiencing a meteorite impact, capturing an eruption on Jupiter's moon, Io.
  22. August 21, 1975: Actress Valerie Harper filed a lawsuit against Lorimar Productions, the producers of her television sitcom Rhoda, for breach of contract and defamation.
  23. August 21, 1983: Filipino statesman and opposition leader Benigno Aquino Jr. were assassinated after returning from exile in Manila, the Philippines. His death sparked protests that ultimately led to the ouster of President Ferdinand Marcos.
  24. August 21, 2009: Usain Bolt set the men's 200-meter world record at the IAAF World Athletics Championships in Berlin, Germany, with a time of 19.19 seconds.
  25. August 21, 1984: Victoria Roche is the first girl to participate in a Little League World Series game.
  26. August 21, 1930: Princess Margaret, the sister of Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom, was born.
  27. August 21, 2002: NASA announced that the Mars Odyssey spacecraft had detected enough water ice at the south pole of Mars to fill Lake Michigan twice.
  28. August 21, 1912: The first successful wireless telegraph transmission took place between the US and Australia.
  29. August 21, 1993: NASA lost contact with the Mars Observer spacecraft, just three days before it was scheduled to enter Mars' orbit.
  30. August 21, 1961: Motown Records released the single "Please Mr. Postman" by The Marvelettes. The song became a number one hit and the first Motown song to reach that milestone.
  31. August 21 is annually celebrated as Poet's Day. This unofficial holiday encourages people to read or write poetry and appreciate the art form.
  32. August 21, 1964: The Beatles kicked off their first full North American Tour in San Francisco, California.
  33. August 21, 1977: Actress and singer Kay Francis, one of the highest-paid stars of the 1930s, died of cancer at the age of 68.
  34. August 21, 1968: The Medal of Valor was awarded to James Robert Stockdale, a US Navy vice admiral, for his leadership while being held as a prisoner of war by the North Vietnamese during the Vietnam War.
  35. August 21, 1962: Melvin R. Laird and Richard Nixon visited Saigon, Vietnam, and offered political advice to the South Vietnamese government.
  36. August 21, 2009: The 599th episode of The Simpsons titled "Bart Gets a Z" airs.
  37. August 21, 1959: President Dwight D. Eisenhower signed an executive order proclaiming Hawaii the 50th state of the United States.
  38. August 21, 1996: Nickelodeon broadcasted the series premiere of Hey Arnold!, an animated television show about the adventures of a fourth-grade student in a big city.
  39. August 21, 1998: The film "The Avengers," starring Uma Thurman and Ralph Fiennes, was released in theaters.

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