Solar eclipse of August 21, 2017
A solar eclipse traverses the continental United States.
What happened on August 21
34 events · 20 births · 20 deaths · 8 observances. From 1689 to 2026.
Standout on August 21
2013
Syrian civil war
Syrian civil war: Areas controlled by the Syrian opposition in Ghouta, Damascus, were attacked by rockets (launcher pictured) containing sarin, killing at least 281 people.
About August 21
August 21 is the 233rd day of the year. These facts are computed from the calendar, not copied from anywhere.
- Day of the year
- Day 233 of 365 (234 in leap years)132 days left in the year (132 in leap years)
- Falls on
- Friday in 2026, Saturday in 2027, Monday in 2028, Tuesday in 2029, Wednesday in 2030
- Week
- ISO week 34 of 2026 · Q3
- Zodiac sign
- ♌ Leo (July 23 – August 22)Cusp date — the exact boundary shifts by a day in some years.
- Season
- Summer in the north · Winter in the south
- August birthstone
- Peridot / Spinel / Sardonyxstrength, good fortune and calm
- August birth flower
- Gladiolus / Poppystrength of character and remembrance
- Next occurrence
- In 298 days
- Roman numerals
- XXI.VIIIday.month — see the Roman numeral date tool
Anniversaries in 2026
- 40thLimnic eruption1986
- 40thVolcano1986
- 30thKarolína Muchová1996
Born on August 21 — ages this year
- 2007Piper Rockelleturns 19
- 2002Kenji Fanturns 24
- 2002Zion Suzukiturns 24
- 2000Corbin Carrollturns 26
- 1999Maxim Knightturns 27
- 1996Karolína Muchováturns 30
Historical events 34
A dated happening — a battle, treaty, launch, discovery, disaster or decision — recorded on this calendar day.
Thalys
Passengers on a Thalys train from Amsterdam to Paris confronted and subdued an attacker who attempted a mass shooting.
Ghouta chemical attack
Hundreds of people are reported killed by chemical attacks in the Ghouta region of Syria.
Syrian civil war
Syrian civil war: Areas controlled by the Syrian opposition in Ghouta, Damascus, were attacked by rockets (launcher pictured) containing sarin, killing at least 281 people.
BioShock
BioShock was released in North America, becoming a critical success and a demonstration of video games as an art form.
Tiger Woods
American 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.
Atlantic Southeast Airlines Flight 529
Atlantic 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.
Royal Air Maroc Flight 630
Royal Air Maroc Flight 630 crashes in Douar Izounine, Morocco, killing all 44 people on board.
NASA
NASA loses contact with the Mars Observer spacecraft.
Latvia
Latvia declares renewal of its full independence after its occupation by the Soviet Union since 1940.
1991 Soviet coup attempt
Coup attempt against Mikhail Gorbachev collapses.
1988 Nepal earthquake
The 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.
Limnic eruption
A limnic eruption of Lake Nyos in Cameroon released a cloud of carbon dioxide, suffocating 1,746 people and 3,500 livestock.
Volcano
Carbon dioxide gas erupts from volcanic Lake Nyos in Cameroon, killing up to 1,800 people within a 20-kilometre (12 mi) range.
Ninoy Aquino
Philippine opposition leader Benigno Aquino Jr. is assassinated at Manila International Airport (now renamed Ninoy Aquino International Airport in his honor).
Lebanese Civil War
Lebanese Civil War: The first troops of a multinational force lands in Beirut to oversee the Palestine Liberation Organization's withdrawal from Lebanon.
Liberal Party (Philippines)
A bomb exploded in the Liberal Party campaign rally in Plaza Miranda, Manila, Philippines with several anti-Marcos political candidates injured.
San Quentin Six
Six people were killed during an escape attempt and riot at San Quentin State Prison in California; the subsequent trial of six inmates was the longest in state history at the time.
Cold War
Cold 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.
James Anderson Jr.
James Anderson Jr. posthumously receives the first Medal of Honor to be awarded to an African American U.S. Marine.
Socialist Republic of Romania
The Socialist Republic of Romania is proclaimed, following the adoption of a new constitution.
Xá Lợi Pagoda raids
Xá 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.
Army of the Republic of Vietnam Special Forces
South Vietnamese special forces loyal to Ngô Đình Nhu, the brother of President Ngô Đình Diệm, raided and vandalised Buddhist pagodas (one pictured) across the country, arresting thousands and leaving hundreds dead.
President of the United States
United 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.
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union successfully conducts a long-range test flight of the R-7 Semyorka, the first intercontinental ballistic missile.
Harry Daghlian
American physicist Harry Daghlian accidentally dropped a tungsten carbide brick onto a plutonium bomb core, exposing himself to neutron radiation and later becoming the first Manhattan Project fatality due to a criticality accident.
World War II
World War II: A combined Canadian–Polish force captured the town of Falaise, France, in the final offensive of the Battle of Normandy.
World War II
World War II: The Imperial Japanese Army lost the Battle of the Tenaru, the first of its three major land offensives during the Guadalcanal campaign.
Leonardo da Vinci
Leonardo da Vinci's Mona Lisa (pictured) was stolen from the Louvre by museum employee Vincenzo Peruggia and was not recovered until two years later.
Peninsular War
Peninsular War: British and Portuguese forces put an end to the first French invasion of Portugal at the Battle of Vimeiro.
National colours of Italy
The national colours of Italy first appeared on a tricolour cockade in Genoa.
Austro-Turkish War (1716–1718)
Austro-Turkish War: Austrian troops under Prince Eugene of Savoy captured the strategically important city of Belgrade from the Ottoman Empire.
Ottoman–Venetian War (1714–1718)
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.
Jacobitism
Jacobite clans clashed with a regiment of Covenanters in the streets of Dunkeld, Scotland.
Births 20
A notable person born on this day. Each links to a person page with their dates and story.
Ekin-Su Cülcüloğlu
Ekin-Su Cülcüloğlu, British-Turkish reality television personality, actress and model
Deaths 20
A notable person who died on this day.
Nell McCafferty
Nell McCafferty, Northern Irish journalist, playwright and civil rights campaigner (born 1944)
Celso Piña
Celso Piña, Mexican singer, composer, arranger, and accordionist (born 1953)
Bajram Rexhepi
Bajram Rexhepi, First Kosovan Prime Ministers of UN mission administration in Kosovo (born 1954)
Gerry Anderson (broadcaster)
Gerry Anderson, Irish radio and television host (born 1944)
Albert Reynolds
Albert Reynolds, Irish businessman and politician, ninth Taoiseach of Ireland (born 1932)
C. Gordon Fullerton
C. Gordon Fullerton, American colonel, engineer, and astronaut (born 1936)
Holidays & observances 8
A holiday, feast day, awareness day or national day observed every year on this date.
Euprepius of Verona
Christian Feast Day: Euprepius of Verona
Maximilian of Antioch
Christian Feast Day: Maximilian of Antioch
Knock Shrine
Christian Feast Day: Our Lady of Knock
Abraham of Smolensk
Christian Feast Day: Abraham of Smolensk (Eastern Orthodox Church)
Pope Pius X
Christian Feast Day: Pope Pius X
Bernard of Alzira
Christian Feast Day: Bernard of Alzira
Cyriaca
Christian Feast Day: Cyriaca
Sidonius Apollinaris
Christian Feast Day: Sidonius Apollinaris
Spread across the centuries
- 17th century1
- 18th century3
- 19th century1
- 20th century41
- 21st century28
Earliest: Jacobitism (1689). Most recent: Sowcar Janaki (2026).
What the categories mean, and how the standout is chosen
- Historical events
- A dated happening — a battle, treaty, launch, discovery, disaster or decision — recorded on this calendar day.
- Births
- A notable person born on this day. Each links to a person page with their dates and story.
- Deaths
- A notable person who died on this day.
- Milestones
- A first, a founding or a turning point our editors flagged as a landmark moment.
- Holidays & observances
- A holiday, feast day, awareness day or national day observed every year on this date.
- Standout / notable
- Editor-written entries come first, then entries covered by the most Wikipedia language editions. For the standout tile we prefer an entry that has a picture.
Nearby and related
Questions about August 21
What day of the year is August 21?
August 21 is the 233rd day of the year, with 132 days left after it.
What star sign is August 21?
August 21 falls under Leo (July 23 – August 22), a fire sign ruled by Sun. The birthstone for the month is Peridot or Spinel or Sardonyx.
How many things happened on August 21?
We record 82 entries for August 21: 34 events · 20 births · 20 deaths · 8 observances. From 1689 to 2026.
Who was born on August 21?
Piper Rockelle (2007) is among the notable births on August 21. The births section lists the rest.
How often is the August 21 page updated?
The day is filled the first time anyone opens it and then re-checked for new entries about every 90 days. Computed facts such as the weekday and the anniversaries update every year.
Get a daily entry like August 21
One short email a day from this calendar. Kept for this site only.
Text adapted from Wikipedia under CC BY-SA 4.0 and from Wikidata (CC0). Images come from Wikimedia Commons; credit and licence are shown with each image. Editorial entries are © What's On This Date. Sources & licensing · How this site works.