August 21 is connected to some extraordinary moments in world history—from one of the world's most famous art thefts to the creation of a US state and one of Africa's most devastating natural disasters.
🇺🇸 1959 — Hawaii Becomes America's 50th State
On August 21, 1959, President Dwight D. Eisenhower formally proclaimed Hawaii the 50th state of the United States.
But Hawaii's road to statehood was complicated.
The islands have a deep Indigenous Hawaiian history and had been an independent kingdom before the overthrow of Queen Liliʻuokalani in 1893.
That history remains important when discussing Hawaii today.
🖼️ 1911 — The Mona Lisa Is Stolen
One of the world's most famous paintings disappeared from the Louvre in Paris on August 21, 1911.
The Mona Lisa, painted by Leonardo da Vinci, was stolen by Louvre employee Vincenzo Peruggia.
The painting was eventually recovered in Italy more than two years later.
The theft transformed the painting into an even greater global celebrity.
🌋 1986 — Lake Nyos Disaster in Cameroon
On August 21, 1986, a massive release of carbon dioxide from Lake Nyos in Cameroon killed around 1,700 people.
The gas spread through nearby communities while many victims were asleep.
The disaster remains one of the most unusual natural catastrophes in modern African history.
🏃♂️ Birth of a sporting legend
August 21 is also the birthday of Jamaican sprint legend Usain Bolt, who was born in 1986.
Bolt would become one of the most recognisable athletes in modern sports history.
🏀 Another sporting giant
Basketball legend Wilt Chamberlain, famous for scoring 100 points in a single NBA game, was also born on August 21.
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