Wikipedia:Selected anniversaries/August 21
This is a list of selected August 21 anniversaries that appear in the "On this day" section of the Main Page. To suggest a new item, in most cases, you can be bold and edit this page. Please read the selected anniversaries guidelines before making your edit. However, if your addition might be controversial or on a day that is or will soon be on the Main Page, please post your suggestion on the talk page instead.
Please note that the events listed on the Main Page are chosen based more on relative article quality and to maintain a mix of topics, not based solely on how important or significant their subjects are. Only four to five events are posted at a time and thus not everything that is "most important and significant" can be listed. In addition, an event is generally not posted this year if it is also the subject of the scheduled featured article or picture of the day.
To report an error when this appears on the Main Page, see Main Page errors. Please remember that this list defers to the supporting articles, so it is best to achieve consensus and make any necessary changes there first.
August 21: Ninoy Aquino Day in the Philippines
- 1772 – A bloodless coup d'état led by Gustav III was completed with the adoption of a new Swedish Constitution.
- 1831 – Nat Turner led a slave revolt in Southampton County, Virginia, US, but it was suppressed about 48 hours later.
- 1959 – Under the terms of the Hawaii Admission Act and a subsequent plebiscite, the Territory of Hawaii was officially admitted as the 50th U.S. state.
- 1963 – The Army of the Republic of Vietnam Special Forces loyal to Ngo Dinh Nhu, brother of President Ngo Dinh Diem, raided and vandalised Buddhist pagodas across the country (Xa Loi Pagoda pictured), arresting thousands and leaving an estimated hundreds dead.
- 1968 – Private First Class James Anderson, Jr. of the U.S. Marine Corps became the first African-American Marine Corps recipient of the Medal of Honor.
- 1983 – Philippines opposition leader Benigno Aquino, Jr. was assassinated moments after stepping off a plane at the Manila International Airport from his self-imposed exile in the United States.
- 1986 – A limnic eruption from Lake Nyos in Cameroon killed up to 1,700 people and 3,500 livestock in nearby villages.