Today in History – August 21st

Published August 21, 2012 |

1192, Minamoto Yoritomo becomes Seii Tai Shogun and the de facto ruler of Japan.
1680, Pueblo Indians capture Santa Fe from Spanish during the Pueblo Revolt.
1689, The Battle of Dunkeld in Scotland.
1770, James Cook formally claims eastern Australia for Great Britain, naming it New South Wales.
1796, John McKinly, American physician and President of Delaware (b. 1721) died.
1821, Jarvis Island is discovered by the crew of the ship, Eliza Frances.
1831, Nat Turner leads black slaves and free blacks in a rebellion.
1852, Tlingit Indians destroy Fort Selkirk, Yukon Territory.
1863, Lawrence, Kansas is destroyed by Confederate guerrillas Quantrill’s Raiders in the Lawrence Massacre.
1904, William “Count” Basie, American bandleader (d. 1984) was born.
1906, Friz Freleng, American movie animator (d. 1995) was born.
1911, The Mona Lisa is stolen by a Louvre employee.
1912, Hector “Toe” Blake, Canadian ice hockey player and coach (d. 1995) was born.
1918, WWI: The Second Battle of the Somme begins.
1920, Christopher Robin Milne, inspiration for the Winnie-the-Pooh stories (d. 1996) was born.
1930, Princess Margaret, Countess of Snowdon (d. 2002) was born.
1936, Wilt Chamberlain, American basketball player (d. 1999) was born.
1940, Leon Trotsky, Russian revolutionary (b. 1879) died.
1942, WWII: a Nazi flag is installed atop the Mount Elbrus.
1942, WWII: Guadalcanal campaign: American forces defeat an attack by Imperial Japanese Army soldiers in the Battle of the Tenaru.
1944, Dumbarton Oaks Conference, prelude to the United Nations, begins.
1944, WWII: Canadian and Polish units capture the strategically important town of Falaise, France.
1947, Ettore Bugatti, Italian automobile manufacturer (b. 1881) died.
1959, President Dwight D. Eisenhower signs an executive order proclaiming Hawaii the 50th state of the union.
1961, Motown releases what would be its 1st #1 hit, “Please Mr. Postman” by The Marvelettes.
1968, James Anderson, Jr. posthumously receives the 1st Medal of Honor to be awarded to an African American US Marine.
1971, George Jackson, American Black Panther Party figure (b. 1941) died.
1976, Operation Paul Bunyan at Panmunjeom, Korea.
1979, Soviet dancer Alexander Godunov defects to the US.
1983, Philippine opposition leader Benigno Aquino, Jr. is assassinated at the Manila International Airport.
1986, Carbon dioxide gas erupts from volcanic Lake Nyos in Cameroon, killing up to 1,800 people within a 20-kilometer range.
1991, Coup attempt against Mikhail Gorbachev collapses.
1991, Latvia declares renewal of its full independence after the occupation of Soviet Union.
1992, Ruby Ridge Standoff in Idaho
1993, NASA loses contact with the Mars Observer spacecraft.
2001, NATO decides to send a peace-keeping force to the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia.

Follow us on Twitter to get the latest history news and find out what happened on this day in history — http://www.twitter.com/Yesteeyear

Chris Rivait

Chris loves history and hopes that Yesteeyear becomes a place where everyone can share their history knowledge. Chris owns an Internet Marketing company, Arrivait Marketing. He has a wonderful wife and four great children.