This Day In History, August 21st.
Five Historical Events That Happened on August 21st
During the Jacobite Rising in Scotland in 1689, the Battle of Dunkeld takes place. The Jacobites, allies of Scotland's exiled King James VII, attempted to take control of Dunkeld but were destroyed by government forces commanded by General Hugh Mackay.
Nat Turner leads a slave revolt in Southampton County, Virginia, in 1831. Turner, a slave preacher, claimed he had received a divine revelation instructing him to organize a rebellion against white slave masters. The uprising claimed the lives of around 60 white individuals and more than 100 slaves.
The Mona Lisa, a Leonardo da Vinci artwork, is stolen from the Louvre Museum in Paris in 1911. The picture was found two years later when an Italian man sought to sell it to a Florence art dealer..
Hawaii becomes the 50th state of the United States in 1959. Hawaii had been a US territory since 1898, and its statehood came as a consequence of a lengthy effort by its citizens for equal representation and rights.
An earthquake smashes Colombia in 1986, killing around 1,700 people and injuring thousands more. The 5.9 magnitude earthquake was located in the Andes Mountains and caused severe devastation in the region's cities and communities.
1689: The Battle of Dunkeld takes place in Scotland during the Jacobite Rising. The Jacobites, who were supporters of the exiled King James VII of Scotland, attempted to take control of Dunkeld, but were defeated by the government forces under the command of General Hugh Mackay.
The Battle of Dunkeld was a pivotal incident in Scotland's Jacobite Rising. The Jacobites, who backed King James VII of Scotland (also known as James II of England), attempted to seize possession of the Perthshire town of Dunkeld, but were destroyed by government forces led by General Hugh Mackay. The fight was part of the Williamite War, in which King James attempted to reclaim his throne from the recently elected King William III of England. Despite the Jacobite defeat at Dunkeld, the rebellion raged on for several years, with battles and skirmishes taking place throughout Scotland and England.
1831: Nat Turner leads a slave rebellion in Southampton County, Virginia. Turner, a slave preacher, believed he had received a message from God telling him to lead a rebellion against white slave owners. The rebellion resulted in the deaths of around 60 white people and more than 100 slaves.
Nat Turner was a slave preacher in Southampton County, Virginia, who felt he had been destined by God to lead a rebellion against the white slave masters. Turner and a handful of slaves launched their insurrection on August 21, 1831, killing roughly 60 white people, including women and children, and liberating numerous slaves from farms. The state militia finally put down the uprising, and Turner was apprehended and later killed. Following the rebellion, white mobs killed hundreds of slaves in retaliation, and Virginia and other southern states enacted even harsher laws to control and suppress their enslaved populations. The Nat Turner insurrection is regarded as one of the most important slave revolts in American history.
1911: The Mona Lisa, a painting by Leonardo da Vinci, is stolen from the Louvre Museum in Paris. The painting was recovered two years later when an Italian man attempted to sell it to an art dealer in Florence.
The theft of the Mona Lisa from the Louvre Museum in Paris in 1911 was a significant art robbery that sparked worldwide outrage. On August 21, 1911, the picture was stolen by a former Louvre employee called Vincenzo Peruggia, who had concealed in the museum overnight and then simply strolled out with the painting tucked beneath his coat. The theft sparked outrage, prompting the authorities to undertake a huge manhunt to discover both the artwork and the burglar. Peruggia was apprehended two years later, in 1913, when he attempted to sell the artwork to an art dealer in Florence. Peruggia was condemned to jail for stealing the Mona Lisa, which was restored to the Louvre. The robbery and subsequent recovery of the Mona Lisa contributed to the painting's status as one of the greatest works of art in history.
1959: Hawaii becomes the 50th state of the United States. Hawaii had been a territory of the United States since 1898, and its statehood was the result of a long campaign by its residents to gain equal representation and rights.
After more than 60 years as a US territory, Hawaii became the 50th state of the United States on August 21, 1959. The path to statehood was lengthy and arduous, with inhabitants of Hawaii having to overcome political, economic, and social barriers in order to attain equal representation and rights. The statehood movement was eventually successful due to a mix of causes, including Hawaii's rising political and economic prominence after WWII, as well as the vigorous lobbying efforts of Hawaiian politicians and activists. The statehood of Hawaii was seen as a watershed point in US history, signifying the country's territorial expansion as well as the acknowledgement of its residents' rights and ambitions.
1986: More than 1,700 people are killed and thousands are injured in an earthquake that strikes Colombia. The earthquake, which had a magnitude of 5.9, was centered in the Andes Mountains and caused widespread destruction in the towns and villages of the region.
On September 1, 1985, a magnitude 5.9 earthquake rocked Colombia, killing over 1,000 people and injuring thousands more. However, there were several other earthquakes in Colombia in the twentieth century that caused significant damage and loss of life, including a magnitude 7.2 earthquake in 1983 that killed over 250 people, a magnitude 6.0 earthquake in 1967 that killed over 200 people, and a magnitude 8.2 earthquake in 1906 that killed over 1,000 people.