August 21 in History

Enslaved Africans in Saint-Domingue, led by Dutty Boukman, held a Vodou ceremony

1791 — Enslaved Africans in Saint-Domingue, led by Dutty Boukman, held a Vodou ceremony that became a pivotal act of resistance

This gathering sparked a mass uprising against slavery, marking the beginning of the Haitian Revolution.

August 21 spans 52 recorded events across recorded history, from 959 to 2017. Below is a curated digest of the most significant moments tied to this date.

By · — Wikipedia

Historical Events 52 events 959 – 2017

More major events on August 21

The featured story and these ranked highlights form a quick summary. Every recorded event remains available in the chronology below.

  1. 1831 Nat Turner leads black slaves and free blacks in a rebellion in Southampton County, Virginia, which will claim the lives of 55 to 65 whites and about twice that number of blacks. Source
  2. 1982 Lebanese Civil War: The first troops of a multinational force lands in Beirut to oversee the Palestine Liberation Organization's withdrawal from Lebanon. Source
  3. 1772 King Gustav III completes his coup d'état by adopting a new Constitution, ending half a century of parliamentary rule in Sweden and installing himself as an enlightened despot. Source

Did you know

In 1791, Enslaved Africans in Saint-Domingue, led by Dutty Boukman, held a Vodou ceremony that became a pivotal act of resistance. This gathering sparked a mass uprising against slavery, marking the beginning of the Haitian Revolution. This featured entry focuses on the immediate decision and its direct historical impact.

Did you know

Saint-Domingue was a French colony in the western portion of the Caribbean island of Hispaniola, in the area of modern-day Haiti, from 1659 to 1803. This helps explain why the event mattered beyond the initial announcement.

Did you know

The name derives from the Spanish main city on the island, Santo Domingo, which came to refer specifically to the Spanish-held Captaincy General of Santo Domingo, now the Dominican Republic. This clarifies the institutional and public response around the event.

Did you know

The borders between the two were fluid and changed over time until they were finally solidified in the Dominican War of Independence in 1844. This shows how the event shaped policy and public communication in the same period.

Did you know

In 1791, Enslaved Africans in Saint-Domingue, led by Dutty Boukman, held a Vodou ceremony that became a pivotal act of resistance. This gathering sparked a mass uprising against slavery, marking the beginning of the Haitian Revolution had consequences that extended beyond the first headline. The key context is the institutions involved, the policy shift, and how the public response evolved afterward.

959 Eraclus
Eraclus becomes the 25th bishop of Liège.
10th-century Bishop of Liège
Wikipedia source
1140 Song_dynasty
Song dynasty general Yue Fei defeats an army led by Jin dynasty general Wuzhu at the Battle of Yancheng during the Jin–Song Wars.
Imperial dynasty of China (960–1279)
Wikipedia source
1169
Battle of the Blacks: Uprising by the black African forces of the Fatimid army, along with a number of Egyptian emirs and commoners, against Saladin.
1169 battle between Saladin and Fatimids
Wikipedia source
1192 Minamoto_no_Yoritomo
Minamoto no Yoritomo becomes Sei-i Taishōgun and the de facto ruler of Japan.
(Traditional Japanese date: the 12th day of the seventh month in the third year of the Kenkyū (建久) era).
Wikipedia source
1331 Stefan_Dečanski
King Stefan Uroš III, after months of anarchy, surrenders to his son and rival Stefan Dušan, who succeeds as King of Serbia.
King of Serbia from 1322 to 1331
Wikipedia source
1415 Prince_Henry_the_Navigator
Henry the Navigator leads Portuguese forces to victory over the Marinids at the Conquest of Ceuta.
Portuguese prince and governor (1394–1460)
Wikipedia source
1680 Pueblo_peoples
Pueblo Indians capture Santa Fe from the Spanish during the Pueblo Revolt.
Native Americans in the Southwestern US
Wikipedia source
1689 Battle_of_Dunkeld
The Battle of Dunkeld in Scotland.
Battle of the Jacobite rising of 1689
Wikipedia source
1716 Ottoman–Venetian_War_(1714–1718)
Seventh Ottoman–Venetian War: The arrival of naval reinforcements and the news of the Battle of Petrovaradin force the Ottomans to abandon the Siege of Corfu, thus preserving the Ionian Islands under Venetian rule.
Part of the Ottoman–Venetian wars
Wikipedia source
1770 James_Cook
James Cook formally claims eastern Australia for Great Britain, naming it New South Wales.
British explorer and naval officer (1728–1779)
Wikipedia source
1772 Gustav_III
King Gustav III completes his coup d'état by adopting a new Constitution, ending half a century of parliamentary rule in Sweden and installing himself as an enlightened despot.
King of Sweden from 1771 to 1792
Wikipedia source
1778 American_Revolutionary_War
American Revolutionary War: British forces begin besieging the French outpost at Pondichéry.
1775–1783 conflict in North America
Wikipedia source
1808 Battle_of_Vimeiro
Battle of Vimeiro: British and Portuguese forces led by General Arthur Wellesley defeat French force under Major-General Jean-Andoche Junot near the village of Vimeiro, Portugal, the first Anglo-Portuguese victory of the Peninsular War.
1808 Battle during the Peninsular War
Wikipedia source
1810 Charles_XIV_John
Jean-Baptiste Bernadotte, Marshal of France, is elected Crown Prince of Sweden by the Swedish Riksdag of the Estates.
King of Sweden and Norway from 1818 to 1844
Wikipedia source
1821 Jarvis_Island
Jarvis Island is discovered by the crew of the ship, Eliza Frances.
Coral island in the South Pacific Ocean
Wikipedia source
1831 Nat_Turner
Nat Turner leads black slaves and free blacks in a rebellion in Southampton County, Virginia, which will claim the lives of 55 to 65 whites and about twice that number of blacks.
American slave rebellion leader (1800–1831)
Wikipedia source
1852 Tlingit
Tlingit Indians destroy Fort Selkirk, Yukon Territory.
Indigenous people of the Pacific Northwest Coast of North America
Wikipedia source
1858 Lincoln–Douglas_debates
The first of the Lincoln–Douglas debates is held in Ottawa, Illinois.
1858 political debates in Illinois, U.S.
Wikipedia source
1862 Stadtpark,_Vienna
The Stadtpark, the first public park in Vienna, opens to the public.
Park in Vienna
Wikipedia source
1863 Lawrence,_Kansas
Lawrence, Kansas is destroyed by pro-Confederate guerrillas known as Quantrill's Raiders.
City and county seat in Kansas, United States
Wikipedia source
1878 American_Bar_Association
The American Bar Association is founded in Saratoga Springs, New York.
American association of lawyers
Wikipedia source
1879 Knock,_County_Mayo
The locals of Knock, County Mayo, Ireland report their having seen an apparition of the Virgin Mary.
The apparition is later named "Our Lady of Knock" and the spot transformed into a Catholic pilgrimage site.
Wikipedia source
1883 1883_Rochester_tornado
An F5 tornado strikes Rochester, Minnesota, leading to the creation of the Mayo Clinic.
Windstorm in Minnesota, United States
Wikipedia source
1888 Adding_machine
The first successful adding machine in the United States is patented by William Seward Burroughs.
Type of mechanical calculator designed to perform basic arithmetic
Wikipedia source
1901 Thomasites
Six hundred American school teachers, Thomasites, arrived in Manila on the USAT Thomas.
American teachers in the Philippines
Wikipedia source
1911 Mona_Lisa
The Mona Lisa is stolen by Vincenzo Peruggia, a Louvre employee.
Painting by Leonardo da Vinci
Wikipedia source
1914 World_War_I
World War I: The Battle of Charleroi, a successful German attack across the River Sambre that pre-empted a French offensive in the same area.
Global conflict from 1914 to 1918
Wikipedia source
1918 Second_Battle_of_the_Somme
World War I: The Second Battle of the Somme begins.
1918 battle on the Western Front of World War I
Wikipedia source
1942 World_War_II
World War II: The Guadalcanal campaign: American forces defeat an attack by Imperial Japanese Army soldiers in the Battle of the Tenaru.
Global conflict (1939–1945)
Wikipedia source
1944 Dumbarton_Oaks_Conference
Dumbarton Oaks Conference, prelude to the United Nations, begins.
1944 international conference which laid the foundations for the United Nations
Wikipedia source
1944 Operation_Tractable
World War II: Canadian and Polish units capture the strategically important town of Falaise, Calvados, France.
1944 battle in France during World War II
Wikipedia source
1945 Harry_Daghlian
Physicist Harry Daghlian is fatally irradiated in a criticality accident during an experiment with the Demon core at Los Alamos National Laboratory.
American physicist (1921–1945)
Wikipedia source
1957 Soviet_Union
The Soviet Union successfully conducts a long-range test flight of the R-7 Semyorka, the first intercontinental ballistic missile.
Country in Eurasia from 1922 to 1991
Wikipedia source
1959 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.
Wikipedia source
1963 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.
1963 attacks on Buddhist pagodas in Vietnam
Wikipedia source
1965 Socialist_Republic_of_Romania
The Socialist Republic of Romania is proclaimed, following the adoption of a new constitution.
Romanian state from 1947 to 1989
Wikipedia source
1968 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.
1947–1991 geopolitical rivalry between US and USSR
Wikipedia source
1968 James_Anderson_Jr.
James Anderson Jr.
posthumously receives the first Medal of Honor to be awarded to an African American U.S. Marine.
Wikipedia source
1971 Liberal_Party_(Philippines)
A bomb exploded in the Liberal Party campaign rally in Plaza Miranda, Manila, Philippines with several anti-Marcos political candidates injured.
Liberal political party in the Philippines
Wikipedia source
1982 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.
1975–1990 conflict in Lebanon
Wikipedia source
1983 Ninoy_Aquino
Philippine opposition leader Benigno Aquino Jr.
is assassinated at Manila International Airport (now renamed Ninoy Aquino International Airport in his honor).
Wikipedia source
1986 Volcano
Carbon dioxide gas erupts from volcanic Lake Nyos in Cameroon, killing up to 1,800 people within a 20-kilometre (12 mi) range.
Rupture in a planet's crust where material escapes
Wikipedia source
1988
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.
Earthquake near the Nepal–India border
Wikipedia source
1991 Latvia
Latvia declares renewal of its full independence after its occupation by the Soviet Union since 1940.
Country in Northern Europe
Wikipedia source
1991 1991_Soviet_coup_attempt
Coup attempt against Mikhail Gorbachev collapses.
Failed attempt to unseat Mikhail Gorbachev
Wikipedia source
1993 NASA
NASA loses contact with the Mars Observer spacecraft.
American space and aeronautics agency
Wikipedia source
1994 Royal_Air_Maroc_Flight_630
Royal Air Maroc Flight 630 crashes in Douar Izounine, Morocco, killing all 44 people on board.
1994 deliberate plane crash in Morocco
Wikipedia source
1995 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.
1995 aviation accident in Georgia, US
Wikipedia source
2000 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.
American professional golfer (born 1975)
Wikipedia source
2013 Ghouta_chemical_attack
Hundreds of people are reported killed by chemical attacks in the Ghouta region of Syria.
2013 gas attack during the Syrian Civil War
Wikipedia source
2017 Solar_eclipse_of_August_21,_2017
A solar eclipse traverses the continental United States.
Total eclipse visible from the mainland US
Wikipedia source

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