Historical eventAugust 211789

National colours of Italy

The national colours of Italy first appeared on a tricolour cockade in Genoa.

Everything on August 21Original source

In context

When
Friday, August 21 1789237 years ago
Category
Historical eventA dated happening — a battle, treaty, launch, discovery, disaster or decision — recorded on this calendar day.
Era
18th century · 1780s
Recorded from
Wikipedia “On this day” feed

Russia, Greece and some other countries used the Julian calendar into the early 20th century, so local records may show a date up to 13 days earlier.

At a glance

Dates: From 1789.

What happened

The national colours of Italy first appeared on a tricolour cockade in Genoa.

August 21 through the years

Other entries on the same calendar day, in order.

  1. 1789National colours of Italy
  2. 1991Latvia
  3. 1993NASA
  4. 1994Royal Air Maroc Flight 630
  5. 1995Atlantic Southeast Airlines Flight 529
  6. 2000Tiger Woods
  7. 2007BioShock
  8. 2013Ghouta chemical attack
  9. 2013Syrian civil war
  10. 2015Thalys
  11. 2017Solar eclipse of August 21, 2017

Also in 1789

  • September 11Alexander HamiltonAlexander Hamilton (pictured), co-writer of The Federalist Papers, became the first U.S. Secretary of the Treasury.
  • May 4Boydell Shakespeare GalleryThe Boydell Shakespeare Gallery, part of a cultural project initiated by engraver John Boydell, opened in London.
  • July 11French RevolutionFrench Revolution: Jacques Necker was dismissed as Director-General of Finances of France, sparking public demonstrations in Paris that l…
  • October 5French RevolutionFrench Revolution: Upset about the high price and scarcity of bread, thousands of Parisian women and allies marched (pictured) on the Pal…
  • September 22United States Postmaster GeneralThe office of United States Postmaster General was formally established.
  • December 11University of North Carolina at Chapel HillThe University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (structure pictured), one of the oldest public universities in the United States and the…
  • August 28William HerschelWith the first use of his 1.2-metre (3.9 ft) telescope, then the largest in the world, William Herschel discovered a new moon of Saturn,…
  • October 24Brabant RevolutionThe Brabant Revolution, sometimes considered to be the first expression of Belgian nationalism, began with the invasion of the Austrian N…

Everything we record for 1789 →

Sources

Cite this page

“National colours of Italy”, What's On This Date, https://whatsonthisdate.com/app/event/national-colours-of-italy-1789-august-21, accessed October 29, 2026.

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Questions about this entry

When did National colours of Italy happen?

August 21 1789 — 237 years ago, on a Friday.

Where does this text come from?

Wikipedia “On this day” feed. Summaries are short adaptations that link back to the source, not reprints.

How do I cite this page?

Use the ready-made citation near the sources at the bottom of the page, and follow the source link to cite the underlying record as well.

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