Date·Lore

On This Day · The 233rd day of the year

August 21

August 21's record stretches 860 years, from 1140 to 2000. Its center of gravity is the 20th century, and conflict is a recurring thread.

♌ZodiacLeo ◈BirthstonePeridot ❀Birth flowerGladiolus

Leo is the sign for August 21 — read more on the Leo page, or see August's birthstone & birth flower.

Compiled & reviewed by · Last reviewed September 6, 2026

What happened on August 21?

August 21 is the 233rd day of the year. It marks 10 notable events in history, dated between 1140 and 2000. Famous people born on August 21 include Usain Bolt, Augustin-Louis Cauchy and Philip II of France.

Released on August 21

Movies, games, albums & shows

2025

  • Game Discounty
  • Game Herdling

2022

  • TV House of the Dragon

Release data from TMDB & IGDB.

Events

10 notable moments
  1. 1140

    Song dynasty

  2. 1716

    Ottoman–Venetian War (1714–1718)

  3. 1770

    James Cook

  4. 1914

    World War I

  5. 1942

    World War II

  6. 1945

    Harry Daghlian

  7. 1968

    Cold War

  8. 1986

    Volcano

  9. 1991

    Latvia

  10. 2000

    Tiger Woods

Famous birthday twins

Born on August 21

Usain Bolt

b. 1986

Augustin-Louis Cauchy

b. 1789

Philip II of France

b. 1165

Charlison Benschop

b. 1989

Peter Weir

b. 1944

Mohammed VI of Morocco

b. 1963

Perry Christie

b. 1944

Carl Gegenbaur

b. 1826

Deaths

  • 2012Georg Leber
  • 2005Marcus Schmuck
  • 1940Leon Trotsky
  • 1905Alexander von Oettingen
  • 1814Benjamin Thompson
  • 1131Baldwin II of Jerusalem

Holidays & observances

  • —Christian Feast Day: Abraham of Smolensk (Eastern Orthodox Church)
  • —Christian Feast Day: Euprepius of Verona
  • —Christian Feast Day: Maximilian of Antioch
  • —Christian Feast Day: Our Lady of Knock
  • —Christian Feast Day: Pope Pius X
  • —Christian Feast Day: Sidonius Apollinaris
  • —Christian Feast Day: August 21 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
  • —Ninoy Aquino Day (Philippines)

The factual record above — event titles, dates, names, and observances — is drawn from Wikipedia under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike (CC BY-SA) license. DateLore adds curation, structure, and original editorial commentary. DateLore is not affiliated with the Wikimedia Foundation.

About the author

Roman Tailor compiles and reviews every date on DateLore. He's the writer and editor behind the site's editorial essays and the day-by-day almanac. Corrections and questions are welcome — read more about DateLore or get in touch.

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