History of Today 21 August: Important Events, Births and Deaths

Welcome to History of Today 21 August. On this page, you can read important historical events, famous births, notable deaths and general knowledge facts related to 21 August. This information is useful for UPSC, SSC, Banking, Railway, State PSC and other competitive exams.

Last updated on 21 August 2026, 01:01 AM

Important Events on 21 August in History

• 21 Aug 2017: A solar eclipse traverses the continental United States. Read more
• 21 Aug 2013: Hundreds of people are reported killed by chemical attacks in the Ghouta region of Syria. Read more
• 21 Aug 2000: 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. Read more
• 21 Aug 1995: 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. Read more
• 21 Aug 1994: Royal Air Maroc Flight 630 crashes in Douar Izounine, Morocco, killing all 44 people on board. Read more
• 21 Aug 1993: NASA loses contact with the Mars Observer spacecraft. Read more
• 21 Aug 1991: Latvia declares renewal of its full independence after its occupation by the Soviet Union since 1940. Read more
• 21 Aug 1991: Coup attempt against Mikhail Gorbachev collapses. Read more
• 21 Aug 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. Read more
• 21 Aug 1986: Carbon dioxide gas erupts from volcanic Lake Nyos in Cameroon, killing up to 1,800 people within a 20-kilometre (12 mi) range. Read more
• 21 Aug 1983: Philippine opposition leader Benigno Aquino Jr. is assassinated at Manila International Airport (now renamed Ninoy Aquino International Airport in his honor). Read more
• 21 Aug 1982: Lebanese Civil War: The first troops of a multinational force lands in Beirut to oversee the Palestine Liberation Organization's withdrawal from Lebanon. Read more
• 21 Aug 1971: A bomb exploded in the Liberal Party campaign rally in Plaza Miranda, Manila, Philippines with several anti-Marcos political candidates injured. Read more
• 21 Aug 1968: 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. Read more
• 21 Aug 1968: James Anderson Jr. posthumously receives the first Medal of Honor to be awarded to an African American U.S. Marine. Read more
• 21 Aug 1965: The Socialist Republic of Romania is proclaimed, following the adoption of a new constitution. Read more
• 21 Aug 1963: 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. Read more
• 21 Aug 1959: 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. Read more
• 21 Aug 1957: The Soviet Union successfully conducts a long-range test flight of the R-7 Semyorka, the first intercontinental ballistic missile. Read more
• 21 Aug 1945: Physicist Harry Daghlian is fatally irradiated in a criticality accident during an experiment with the Demon core at Los Alamos National Laboratory. Read more
• 21 Aug 1944: Dumbarton Oaks Conference, prelude to the United Nations, begins. Read more
• 21 Aug 1944: World War II: Canadian and Polish units capture the strategically important town of Falaise, Calvados, France. Read more
• 21 Aug 1942: World War II: The Guadalcanal campaign: American forces defeat an attack by Imperial Japanese Army soldiers in the Battle of the Tenaru. Read more
• 21 Aug 1918: World War I: The Second Battle of the Somme begins. Read more
• 21 Aug 1914: 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. Read more
• 21 Aug 1911: The Mona Lisa is stolen by Vincenzo Peruggia, a Louvre employee. Read more
• 21 Aug 1901: Six hundred American school teachers, Thomasites, arrived in Manila on the USAT Thomas. Read more
• 21 Aug 1888: The first successful adding machine in the United States is patented by William Seward Burroughs. Read more
• 21 Aug 1883: An F5 tornado strikes Rochester, Minnesota, leading to the creation of the Mayo Clinic. Read more
• 21 Aug 1879: 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. Read more
• 21 Aug 1878: The American Bar Association is founded in Saratoga Springs, New York. Read more
• 21 Aug 1863: Lawrence, Kansas is destroyed by pro-Confederate guerrillas known as Quantrill's Raiders. Read more
• 21 Aug 1862: The Stadtpark, the first public park in Vienna, opens to the public. Read more
• 21 Aug 1858: The first of the Lincoln–Douglas debates is held in Ottawa, Illinois. Read more
• 21 Aug 1852: Tlingit Indians destroy Fort Selkirk, Yukon Territory. Read more
• 21 Aug 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. Read more
• 21 Aug 1821: Jarvis Island is discovered by the crew of the ship, Eliza Frances. Read more
• 21 Aug 1810: Jean-Baptiste Bernadotte, Marshal of France, is elected Crown Prince of Sweden by the Swedish Riksdag of the Estates. Read more
• 21 Aug 1808: 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. Read more

Famous Births on 21 August

• 21 Aug 2007: Piper Rockelle, American model and singer Piper Rockelle Smith is an American model, singer and social media personality. Between 2017 and 2020, she made content with "Piper's Squad", a group of content creators; a subsequent lawsuit by its members against her mother was portrayed in the 2025 Netflix series Bad Influence: The Dark Side of Kidfluencing. She has also filmed content with the Bop House. In 2025, she transitioned to the adult entertainment industry. Read more
• 21 Aug 2002: Kenji Fan, Hong Kong model and actor Kenji Fan is a Hong Kong fashion model, actor and singer. He was a former water polo player for the Hong Kong water polo team. He is the son of former professional footballer Fan Chun Yip. His first film is My First of May starring Aaron Kwok. He is known for starring in the series The Promise of the Soul, as well as for hosting Taste Hunter and Brain Fog Research. Read more
• 21 Aug 2002: Zion Suzuki, Japanese footballer Zion Suzuki is a professional footballer who plays as a goalkeeper for Premier League club Aston Villa. Born in the United States, he represents the Japan national team. Read more
• 21 Aug 2000: Corbin Carroll, American baseball player Corbin Franklin Carroll is an American professional baseball outfielder for the Arizona Diamondbacks of Major League Baseball (MLB). The Diamondbacks selected Carroll 16th overall in the first round of the 2019 MLB draft. He made his MLB debut in 2022. In 2023, Carroll was an MLB All-Star and was named the National League Rookie of the Year en route to winning Arizona's first National League pennant since 2001. Carroll was again named an All-Star in 2025 and 2026. Read more
• 21 Aug 1999: Maxim Knight, American actor Maxim Knight is an American actor and voice actor who started acting at the age of seven. He is perhaps best known for his supporting role on the TNT television series Falling Skies (2011–2015). Read more
• 21 Aug 1996: Karolína Muchová, Czech tennis player Karolína Muchová is a Czech professional tennis player. She has a career-high singles ranking of world No. 6 by the WTA, achieved in July 2026, and a best doubles ranking of No. 156, reached in January 2026. Muchová has won three WTA Tour singles titles, including a WTA 1000 event at the 2026 Qatar Ladies Open. She has contested two major singles finals, at the 2023 French Open and 2026 Wimbledon Championships. Read more
• 21 Aug 1995: Dominik Kubalík, Czech ice hockey player Dominik Kubalík is a Czech professional ice hockey player who is a winger for EV Zug of the National League (NL). He was drafted in the seventh round, 191st overall, by the Los Angeles Kings in the 2013 NHL entry draft. He has also played for the Chicago Blackhawks, Detroit Red Wings, and Ottawa Senators of the National Hockey League (NHL), HC Ambrì-Piotta of the NL and HC Plzeň of the Czech Extraliga (ELH). Read more
• 21 Aug 1994: Alex Cooper, American podcaster Alexandra Cooper is an American podcaster who co-created and hosts Call Her Daddy, a weekly comedy and advice podcast. In 2021, Time called her "arguably the most successful woman in podcasting" after she signed a three-year exclusive deal with Spotify worth $60 million. Making $20 million per year made her Spotify's highest-earning female podcaster and the second-highest-paid podcaster, behind only Joe Rogan. The show was also the second-most-popular podcast globally on Spotify for 2024, behind Rogan. Read more
• 21 Aug 1994: Ekin-Su Cülcüloğlu, British-Turkish reality television personality, actress and model Ekin-Su Cülcüloğlu is an English reality television personality, actress and model. Read more
• 21 Aug 1993: Millie Bright, English footballer Millie Bright is an English former professional footballer who played as a centre-back. Read more
• 21 Aug 1993: Mike Evans, American football player Michael Lynn Evans Jr. is an American professional football wide receiver for the San Francisco 49ers of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Texas A&M Aggies, earning consensus All-American honors after recording a school record of 1,394 receiving yards on 69 receptions in 2013. Evans was selected by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the first round with the seventh overall pick in the 2014 NFL draft. Read more
• 21 Aug 1992: Brandon Drury, American baseball player Brandon Shane Drury is an American professional baseball utility player in the Kansas City Royals organization. He has previously played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Arizona Diamondbacks, New York Yankees, Toronto Blue Jays, New York Mets, Cincinnati Reds, San Diego Padres, and Los Angeles Angels. He was drafted by the Atlanta Braves in 2010 and made his MLB debut with the Diamondbacks in 2015. Read more
• 21 Aug 1992: RJ Mitte, American actor Roy Frank "RJ" Mitte III is an American actor and producer. Born and raised in Jackson, Mississippi, Mitte was diagnosed with cerebral palsy when he was three. He moved to Hollywood in 2006, and worked with a personal talent manager to find acting opportunities where his disability could educate viewers. After playing minor roles in sitcoms, he was cast in his breakthrough role as Walter White Jr. on the AMC crime drama series Breaking Bad (2008–2013). Read more
• 21 Aug 1992: Felipe Nasr, Brazilian race car driver Luiz Felipe de Oliveira Nasr is a Brazilian racing driver, who competes in the IMSA SportsCar Championship for Team Penske Porsche. Nasr competed in Formula One from 2015 to 2016. In endurance racing, Nasr has won three IMSA SportsCar Championship titles. His notable wins include the 12 Hours of Sebring in 2019, 2025 and 2026 and the 24 Hours of Daytona in 2022 and in three-straight years in the GTP from 2024—2026. Read more
• 21 Aug 1991: Leandro Bacuna, Dutch footballer Leandro Jones Johan Bacuna is a professional footballer who plays as a midfielder or right-back for TFF First League club Iğdır FK. Born in the Netherlands, he represents and captains the Curaçao national team. He is their joint most-capped player along with Eloy Room. Read more
• 21 Aug 1991: Jesse Rutherford, American singer and songwriter Jesse James Rutherford is an American singer, songwriter, and former actor. He is the co-founder and lead vocalist of the alternative rock band The Neighbourhood. Read more
• 21 Aug 1990: Bo Burnham, American comedian, musician, actor, filmmaker and poet Robert Pickering Burnham is an American comedian, actor, musician and filmmaker. Burnham's work combines elements of filmmaking with music, sketch, and stand-up comedy, commonly with a dramatic, satirical, or tragic twist that is often left open to interpretation. Read more
• 21 Aug 1990: Christian Vázquez, Puerto Rican baseball player Christian Rafael Vázquez is a Puerto Rican professional baseball catcher for the Houston Astros of Major League Baseball (MLB). He has previously played in MLB for the Boston Red Sox and Minnesota Twins. Read more
• 21 Aug 1989: Charlison Benschop, Dutch footballer Charlison Girigorio Benschop is a Curaçaoan professional footballer who plays as a forward for German Regionalliga club Fortuna Düsseldorf II and the Curaçao senior national team. Read more
• 21 Aug 1989: James Davey, English rugby league player James Davey is a former English Rugby league footballer who last played as a hooker for the Sheffield Eagles in the Championship. Read more
• 21 Aug 1989: Matteo Gentili, Italian footballer Matteo Gentili is an Italian footballer who plays as a defender for AC Prato. Read more
• 21 Aug 1989: Hayden Panettiere, American actress (died 2026) Hayden Lesley Panettiere was an American actress and singer. She starred as Claire Bennet on the NBC superhero series Heroes (2006–2010), Kirby Reed in the slasher horror franchise Scream (2011–2023), Juliette Barnes in the ABC/CMT musical drama series Nashville (2012–2018), and voiced Kairi and Xion in the video game series Kingdom Hearts (2002–2017). She received two nominations for acting in Nashville for a Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actress – Series, Miniseries or Television Film. Read more
• 21 Aug 1989: Aleix Vidal, Spanish footballer Aleix Vidal Parreu is a Spanish professional footballer. Mainly a right winger and a player of great speed, he can also operate as a right-back. Read more
• 21 Aug 1988: Robert Lewandowski, Polish footballer Robert Lewandowski is a Polish professional footballer who plays as a striker for Major League Soccer club Chicago Fire and captains the Poland national team. Widely regarded as one of the greatest strikers of all time, he is one of only five players to have scored 100 goals with three different clubs, ranks third for the all-time top goalscorers in the UEFA Champions League with 109 goals, and ranks third for the all-time European men's top goalscorers in international football (89). He has scored over 700 senior career goals for club and country. Read more
• 21 Aug 1988: Joanna Mitrosz, Polish rhythmic gymnast Joanna Mitrosz-Cieślak, is a retired Polish rhythmic gymnast. She competed at two Olympics and is a seven-time consecutive Polish national champion (2006-2012). Read more
• 21 Aug 1988: Kacey Musgraves, American singer-songwriter and guitarist Kacey Lee Musgraves is an American singer and songwriter. She began her career in the early 2000s, when she self-released three solo albums and recorded another album as a member of the duo Texas Two Bits. In 2007, Musgraves appeared on the fifth season of the USA Network singing competition Nashville Star, where she finished in seventh place. In 2012, she signed with Mercury Nashville and released the hit single "Merry Go 'Round". Her major-label debut studio album, Same Trailer Different Park (2013), won the Grammy Award for Best Country Album at the 56th Annual Grammy Awards. Read more
• 21 Aug 1987: DeWanna Bonner, American-Macedonian basketball player DeWanna Bonner is an American-Macedonian professional basketball player for the Phoenix Mercury of the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA). Bonner played college basketball for Auburn University. After a successful college career at Auburn, she was drafted by the Mercury with the fifth overall pick of the 2009 WNBA draft, and was traded to the Sun in 2020. Read more
• 21 Aug 1987: Cody Kasch, American actor Cody Reed Kasch is an American actor. He is known for his role of Zach Young on the ABC comedy-drama series Desperate Housewives. Read more
• 21 Aug 1987: J. D. Martinez, American baseball player Julio Daniel Martinez is an American former professional baseball outfielder and designated hitter. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Houston Astros, Detroit Tigers, Arizona Diamondbacks, Boston Red Sox, Los Angeles Dodgers, and New York Mets. He made his MLB debut in 2011. A right-handed thrower and batter, Martinez stands 6 feet 3 inches (1.91 m) tall and weighs 230 pounds (100 kg). Read more
• 21 Aug 1987: Jodie Meeks, American basketball player and coach Orestes Jodie Meeks II is an American professional basketball coach and former player who is an assistant coach for the New Orleans Pelicans of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played college basketball for the University of Kentucky. On January 13, 2009, he gained national recognition by breaking the Kentucky single-game scoring record with 54 points in a nationally televised game on ESPN against Tennessee. In the same game, he broke the university's single-game three-point record by making 10 three-pointers. Meeks won the 2019 NBA championship as a member of the Toronto Raptors. In 2024, Meeks was inducted into the University of Kentucky Athletics Hall of Fame. Read more
• 21 Aug 1986: Usain Bolt, Jamaican sprinter Usain St. Leo Bolt is a Jamaican retired sprinter. Widely regarded as the greatest sprinter of all time, he is an eight-time Olympic gold medalist and the world record holder in the 100 metres, 200 metres, and 4 × 100 metres relay. Read more
• 21 Aug 1986: Wout Brama, Dutch footballer Wout Brama is a Dutch former professional footballer who played as a defensive midfielder. Read more
• 21 Aug 1986: Koki Sakamoto, Japanese gymnast Koki Sakamoto is a Japanese gymnast. He was a member of the 2008 Olympic team that won the silver medal. He was the 2nd best Japanese gymnast in the qualifying round and 5th overall but was replaced in the all around final by Hiroyuki Tomita. Read more
• 21 Aug 1986: Paetongtarn Shinawatra, Thai politician and 31st Prime Minister of Thailand Paetongtarn Shinawatra is a Thai politician and businesswoman who served as the 31st prime minister of Thailand from 2024 until her removal from office in 2025. She led the Pheu Thai Party from 2023 until her resignation in 2025. Read more
• 21 Aug 1986: Brooks Wheelan, American comedian and actor Brooks Wheelan is an American stand-up comedian, actor, writer, and podcaster. First breaking through as a cast member and writer for the NBC sketch comedy series Saturday Night Live during the 2013–2014 season, Wheelan currently hosts the podcast Entry Level. He has also released a half-hour special for Comedy Central, acted in various movies and shows including Big Hero 6: The Series, and opened for John Oliver at numerous sets. Read more
• 21 Aug 1985: Nicolás Almagro, Spanish tennis player Nicolás Almagro Sánchez is a Spanish former professional tennis player. He reached the quarterfinals of the French Open in 2008, 2010 and 2012, as well as the quarterfinals of the Australian Open in 2013. Read more
• 21 Aug 1985: Aleksandra Kiryashova, Russian pole vaulter Aleksandra Aleksandrovna Kiryashova is a Russian pole vaulter. Her personal best jump is 4.65 metres. Read more
• 21 Aug 1984: Neil Dexter, South African cricketer Neil John Dexter is a South African-born English cricketer. Read more
• 21 Aug 1984: Melvin Upton, Jr., American baseball player Melvin Emanuel "B. J." Upton Jr. is an American former professional baseball center fielder. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Tampa Bay Devil Rays / Rays, Atlanta Braves, San Diego Padres, and Toronto Blue Jays. Read more
• 21 Aug 1984: Alizée, French singer Alizée Lyonnet, known mononymously as Alizée, is a French pop singer. She is one of the best-selling French female artists of the 21st century, and the singer with the most exports out of France. Her best-known single is 2000's "Moi… Lolita", which reached number one in Italy and Spain. She has released six studio albums overall. Read more
• 21 Aug 1983: Brody Jenner, American television personality and model Sam Brody Jenner is an American television personality, business owner and DJ from Malibu, California. He is known for his appearances in reality television series such as The Princes of Malibu, The Hills, Bromance, and Keeping Up with the Kardashians. Read more
• 21 Aug 1983: Scott McDonald, Australian footballer Scott Douglas McDonald is an Australian former professional footballer and is the current head coach for National Premier Leagues club Gold Coast Knights. Originally a striker, McDonald could also play as an attacking midfielder. Read more
• 21 Aug 1982: Jason Eaton, New Zealand rugby player Jason John Eaton is a former New Zealand rugby union player. He played as a lock. Read more
• 21 Aug 1982: Omar Sachedina, Canadian television journalist, correspondent, and news anchor Omar Sachedina is a Canadian journalist and news anchor for CTV News. He is currently serving as the chief anchor and senior editor for CTV's national evening newscast CTV National News since September 5, 2022. Previously, Sachedina served as the National Affairs Correspondent for CTV News. Read more
• 21 Aug 1981: Jarrod Lyle, Australian golfer (died 2018) Jarrod Lyle was an Australian professional golfer. He won twice on the 2008 Nationwide Tour. He played a number of seasons on the PGA Tour; his best finish being tied for 4th place in the 2012 Northern Trust Open. Soon after this performance, Lyle was diagnosed with a recurrence of leukemia, with which he was diagnosed as a teenager. Subsequent treatment limited his playing time and in July 2018, Lyle decided to stop treatment. Lyle died on 8 August 2018 at the age of 36. Read more
• 21 Aug 1981: Cameron Winklevoss, American rower and businessman, co-founded ConnectU Cameron Howard Winklevoss is an American cryptocurrency investor, former Olympic rower, and cofounder of Winklevoss Capital Management and Gemini cryptocurrency exchange. He competed in the men's pair rowing event at the 2008 Summer Olympics with his rowing partner and identical twin brother, Tyler Winklevoss. Winklevoss and his brother are known for co-founding HarvardConnection along with Harvard classmate Divya Narendra. In 2004, the Winklevoss twins sued Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg, claiming he stole their ConnectU idea to create the social networking site Facebook. In addition to ConnectU, Winklevoss also co-founded the social media website Guest of a Guest with Rachelle Hruska. Read more
• 21 Aug 1981: Tyler Winklevoss, American rower and businessman, co-founded ConnectU Tyler Howard Winklevoss is an American investor, founder of Winklevoss Capital Management and Gemini cryptocurrency exchange and former Olympic rower. Winklevoss co-founded HarvardConnection along with his identical twin brother Cameron Winklevoss and a Harvard classmate of theirs, Divya Narendra. In 2004, the Winklevoss brothers sued Mark Zuckerberg, claiming he stole their ConnectU idea to create the social networking service site Facebook, and received $65 million as settlement. As a rower, Winklevoss competed in the men's pair rowing event at the 2008 Summer Olympics with his identical twin brother and rowing partner, Cameron. Read more
• 21 Aug 1981: Ross Thomas, American actor Ross Thomas is an American actor, filmmaker, philanthropist and adventurer. Read more
• 21 Aug 1980: Bryan Allen, Canadian ice hockey player Bryan Nigel Allen is a Canadian former professional ice hockey defenceman who played in the National Hockey League (NHL) between 2001 and 2014. Read more
• 21 Aug 1980: Burney Lamar, American race car driver Burney Lamar is an American former professional stock car racing driver. He has previously driven in both the NASCAR Xfinity Series and NASCAR Camping World Truck Series. Read more
• 21 Aug 1980: Paul Menard, American race car driver John Paul Christian Menard is an American professional racing driver who currently competes full-time in the Trans-Am Series, driving the No. 3 Ford Mustang for 3GT Racing. Menard is the 2024 and 2025 Trans-Am Series champion in the TA class. Read more
• 21 Aug 1980: Jasmin Wöhr, German tennis player Jasmin Wöhr is a German former tennis player. Read more
• 21 Aug 1979: Kelis, American singer-songwriter, producer, chef and author Kelis Rogers is an American singer. She attended Manhattan, New York's Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School of Music & Art and Performing Arts, where she played saxophone and was selected for the Girls Choir of Harlem. Upon graduation, Rogers landed a role as a backing vocalist for the hip hop group Gravediggaz. She then began working with music producers Pharrell Williams and Chad Hugo—collectively known as the Neptunes—who led her to sign with Virgin Records in 1998. The following year, she guest appeared on Ol' Dirty Bastard's Neptunes-produced single "Got Your Money", which marked her first entry on the Billboard Hot 100. Read more
• 21 Aug 1979: Diego Klattenhoff, Canadian actor Diego Klattenhoff is a Canadian actor known for his portrayals of Mike Faber in the Showtime series Homeland and as FBI Special Agent Donald Ressler in The Blacklist. He has also appeared as Derek in Whistler, Ivan in Men in Trees as well as having a minor role in Mean Girls as Shane Oman. Read more
• 21 Aug 1978: Peter Buxton, English rugby player and manager Peter Buxton is a former rugby union footballer who played flanker for Gloucester Rugby. Read more
• 21 Aug 1978: Reuben Droughns, American football player and coach Reuben Droughns is an American former professional football player who was a running back in the National Football League (NFL). After playing college football for the Oregon Ducks, he was selected by the Detroit Lions in the third round of the 2000 NFL draft. During his nine years playing professional football, Droughns was also a member of the Miami Dolphins, Denver Broncos, Cleveland Browns, and New York Giants of the National Football League (NFL). He earned a Super Bowl ring with the Giants in their Super Bowl XLII victory against the New England Patriots. Read more
• 21 Aug 1978: Lee Gronkiewicz, American baseball player and coach Lee Matthew Gronkiewicz is an American former Major League Baseball relief pitcher who played for the Toronto Blue Jays in 2007. He is the previous head coach of the Columbia Blowfish and is also involved with USA baseball on the college national team selection committee. Read more
• 21 Aug 1978: Alan Lee, Irish footballer and coach Alan Desmond Lee is an Irish former footballer who played as a striker. He scored 119 goals in 547 appearances in a 19-year professional career in the Football League and won 10 caps for the Republic of Ireland. Read more
• 21 Aug 1978: Jason Marquis, American baseball player Jason Scott Marquis is an American former professional baseball pitcher. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Atlanta Braves, St. Louis Cardinals, Chicago Cubs, Colorado Rockies, Washington Nationals, Arizona Diamondbacks, San Diego Padres, Minnesota Twins, and Cincinnati Reds. He also played for Israel at the 2017 World Baseball Classic, serving as the team's ace. Read more
• 21 Aug 1976: Alex Brooks, American ice hockey player and scout Alex Whitmore Brooks is an American former professional ice hockey defenseman who played, as an undrafted player, 19 games in the National Hockey League for the New Jersey Devils in the 2006–07 season. Read more
• 21 Aug 1976: Jeff Cunningham, Jamaican-American soccer player Jeff Cunningham is a former professional soccer player who played as a forward. He is Major League Soccer's third-all-time leader in regular-season goals scored with 134. Born in Jamaica, Cunningham initially played for the country of his birth before switching to the United States for which he played for the rest of his international career. Read more
• 21 Aug 1976: Robert Miles, Australian rugby league player Robert Miles is an Australian former professional rugby league footballer who played in 1990s and 2000s, he played in the National Rugby League (NRL) for the Sydney City Roosters, Northern Eagles and the Wests Tigers. His regular position was wing, however he also played as a centre and at fullback during his NRL career. Read more
• 21 Aug 1976: Ramón Vázquez, Puerto Rican-American baseball player and coach Ramón Luis Vázquez is a Puerto Rican professional baseball coach and a former infielder. He most recently served as bench coach for the Boston Red Sox of Major League Baseball (MLB). Read more
• 21 Aug 1975: Simon Katich, Australian cricketer and manager Simon Matthew Katich is an Australian cricket coach and former cricketer. He captained New South Wales and also, until the end of the 2007 season, Derbyshire County Cricket Club. Katich also played for Lancashire, represented his birth state of Western Australia and played in the Indian Premier League for Kings XI Punjab. Katich was also a member of the Australian team that won the 2006 ICC Champions Trophy. Read more
• 21 Aug 1975: Alicia Witt, American actress and musician Alicia Roanne Witt is an American actress and musician. She first came to fame as a child actress after being discovered by David Lynch, who cast her in Dune (1984) as Alia and Twin Peaks (1990) as Gersten Hayward, a role she reprised in ‘’Twin Peaks: The Return’’ (2017). Her 2026 album, Between Heaven and Earth, is a tribute to her relationship to Lynch and was described by the Times UK as ‘gorgeously sung… If this is what “directing from beyond” sounds like, it’s rather beautiful.” Witt was a regular on Cybill Shepherd's sitcom Cybill (1995–1998) for four seasons, playing the title character's daughter, Zoey Woodbine. She had a critically acclaimed role as a disturbed teenager in Fun (1994), appeared as a music student in Mr. Holland's Opus (1995) and as a terrorized college student in the horror film Urban Legend (1998). She appeared in Vanilla Sky (2001) as Libby, Two Weeks Notice (2002), Last Holiday (2006), 88 Minutes (2007) as Kim Cummings, I Care A Lot (2020) and Longlegs (2024). Witt has made television appearances in shows such as The Walking Dead, The Sopranos, Friday Night Lights as Cheryl, Twin Peaks: The Return as Gersten Hayward, CSI: Miami, Supernatural, Justified and Orange Is the New Black. She starred in five episodes of Law & Order: Criminal Intent as Detective Nola Falacci in Season 7, temporarily replacing actress Julianne Nicholson, who was on maternity leave. Read more
• 21 Aug 1974: Martin Andanar, Filipino journalist and radio host Jose Ruperto Martin Marfori Andanar is a Filipino television news personality, news anchor, radio commentator, podcaster, voice-over artist, columnist, and a barista. He served as the former secretary of the Presidential Communications Office of the Philippines under the Duterte administration. Read more
• 21 Aug 1974: Paul Mellor, Australian rugby league player and referee Paul Mellor is an Australian former professional rugby league footballer who played in the 1990s and 2000s. He played for four different Sydney NRL clubs and in Britain before retiring at the end of the 2007 season. He primarily played on the wing, or as a centre. Read more
• 21 Aug 1973: Sergey Brin, Russian-American computer scientist and businessman, co-founded Google Sergey Mikhailovich Brin is an American computer scientist and businessman who co-founded Google with Larry Page. He was the president of Google's parent company, Alphabet Inc., until stepping down from the role in 2019. He and Page remain at Alphabet as co-founders, controlling shareholders, and board members. Brin is a centibillionaire and among the richest people in the world; as of August 2026, his estimated net worth is US$264.9 billion. Read more
• 21 Aug 1973: Steve McKenna, Canadian ice hockey player and coach Steve McKenna is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player who played both defense and left wing. He was a veteran of eight seasons in the NHL. McKenna is currently a constable with the Waterloo Regional Police Service in Waterloo Region, Ontario. Read more
• 21 Aug 1971: Mamadou Diallo, Senegalese footballer Mamadou Diallo is a Senegalese former professional footballer who played as a forward. He played in twelve countries across four continents: United States, Senegal, Morocco, Switzerland, Saudi Arabia, Malaysia, South Africa, Mali, Germany, Turkey, Sweden and Norway. A prolific scorer almost everywhere he played, he became a regular for the Senegal national team. Read more
• 21 Aug 1971: Robert Harvey, Australian footballer and coach Robert Jeffrey Harvey is an Australian rules football coach and former player. He is currently an assistant coach for the St Kilda Football Club in the Australian Football League (AFL). As a player, he played his entire career with St Kilda in the AFL. Following retirement, Harvey embarked on a career in assistant coaching which has spanned across three decades, highlighted by a nine-game stint as caretaker head coach of the Collingwood Football Club in 2021. Read more
• 21 Aug 1971: Liam Howlett, English keyboard player, DJ, and producer Liam Paul Paris Howlett is an English musician, producer, songwriter, and DJ. He is the founder, songwriter, and leader of the electronic band the Prodigy. Read more
• 21 Aug 1970: Craig Counsell, American baseball player and coach Craig John Counsell is an American former professional baseball infielder and the current manager for the Chicago Cubs of Major League Baseball (MLB). He was previously the manager for the Milwaukee Brewers and holds the franchise's record for managerial wins. He led the team to five post-season appearances, winning one playoff series. After joining the Cubs he led them to a playoff run in the 2025 season. Read more
• 21 Aug 1970: Erik Dekker, Dutch cyclist and manager Hendrik "Erik" Dekker is a retired Dutch professional road racing cyclist active from 1992 until 2006. He was a member of the Rabobank cycling team from 1992 till 2006. From 2007 to 2015 he was one of Rabobank's team managers. Read more
• 21 Aug 1970: Cathy Weseluck, Canadian actress Cathy Weseluck is a Canadian actress who frequently works with Ocean Productions in Vancouver, British Columbia and is known for her roles as Near in Death Note, Cybersix/Adrian Seidelman in Cybersix, and Spike in Discovery Family's My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic. Read more
• 21 Aug 1969: Bruce Anstey, New Zealand motorcycle racer Bruce Anstey is a professional motorcycle road racer. He is a former lap record holder on the Snaefell Mountain Course with a time of 17 minutes 6.682 seconds, at an average speed of 132.298 mph (212.913 km/h) set during the 2014 Superbike TT Race. Anstey was signed to race for the Padgett's Honda Racing Team having previously ridden for TAS Suzuki Racing, Valmoto Triumph and DTR Yamaha. For thirteen consecutive seasons, from 2002 – 2015, Bruce Anstey secured a top three finish at the North West 200, the Isle of Man TT and the Ulster Grand Prix. Read more
• 21 Aug 1969: Josée Chouinard, Canadian figure skater Josée Chouinard is a Canadian former competitive figure skater. She is the 1996 Champions Series Final bronze medallist and a three-time Canadian national champion. She finished in the top ten at two Winter Olympics. Read more
• 21 Aug 1968: Dina Carroll, English singer-songwriter Geraldine "Dina" Carroll is an English singer and songwriter. She had a string of hits during the 1990s, including the UK top ten singles "It's Too Late" (1991), "Don't Be a Stranger" (1993), "The Perfect Year" (1993), and "Escaping" (1996). Carroll released two studio albums, So Close (1993) and Only Human (1996), both of which reached number two on the UK Albums Chart and were certified platinum. She won Best British Female Solo Artist at the 1994 Brit Awards. Read more
• 21 Aug 1968: Goran Ćurko, Serbian footballer Goran Ćurko is a Serbian former footballer who played as a goalkeeper. Read more
• 21 Aug 1968: Laura Trevelyan, English journalist and author Laura Kate Trevelyan is a British-American journalist who worked for the BBC for 30 years. She served as an On the Record reporter, United Nations correspondent (2006–2009), and New York correspondent (2009–2012), before anchoring BBC World News America (2012–2023). Read more
• 21 Aug 1967: Darren Bewick, Australian footballer Darren Bewick is a former Australian rules footballer who won two premierships with the Essendon Football Club in the Australian Football League (AFL). Bewick's game breaking pace & goal sense inside the attacking 50 was legendary amongst Bomber fans. Read more
• 21 Aug 1967: Charb, French journalist and cartoonist (died 2015) Stéphane Jean-Abel Michel Charbonnier, better known as Charb, was a French satirical caricaturist and journalist. He was assassinated during the Charlie Hebdo shooting on 7 January 2015. Read more
• 21 Aug 1967: Carrie-Anne Moss, Canadian actress Carrie-Anne Moss is a Canadian actress. After early roles on television, she rose to international prominence for her role of Trinity in The Matrix series (1999–present). She has starred in Memento (2000), for which she won the Independent Spirit Award for Best Supporting Female, Red Planet (2000), Chocolat (2000), Fido (2006), Snow Cake (2006), for which she won the Genie Award for Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role, Disturbia (2007), Unthinkable (2010), Silent Hill: Revelation (2012), Pompeii (2014), and Die Alone (2024), for which she was nominated for the Canadian Screen Award for Best Lead Performance in a Drama Film. She also portrayed Jeri Hogarth in several television series produced by Marvel Television for Netflix, most notably Jessica Jones (2015–2019). Read more
• 21 Aug 1967: Serj Tankian, Lebanese-born Armenian-American singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and record producer Serj Tankian is an Armenian-American musician. He is best known as the lead vocalist and primary lyricist of the heavy metal band System of a Down, which was formed in 1994. Read more
• 21 Aug 1966: John Wetteland, American baseball player and coach John Karl Wetteland is an American former professional baseball pitcher who played 12 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB). He pitched for four teams: the Los Angeles Dodgers, Montreal Expos, New York Yankees, and Texas Rangers. A relief pitcher, Wetteland specialized as a closer, recording 330 saves during his career. In the 1996 season, Wetteland had a streak of 24 straight appearances in which he recorded a save, the most in MLB history, breaking the record of 19 set by Lee Smith the season before. With the Yankees, he won the 1996 World Series over the Atlanta Braves and won the World Series Most Valuable Player Award for saving four games in the series. Read more
• 21 Aug 1965: Jim Bullinger, American baseball player James Eric Bullinger is an American former professional starting pitcher. He played for the Chicago Cubs (1992-1996), Montreal Expos (1997) and Seattle Mariners (1998) of Major League Baseball (MLB). He batted and threw right-handed. He is the brother of pitcher Kirk Bullinger. Jim Bullinger was converted to a pitcher in the Cubs' farm system, after initially playing as a shortstop. Before going pro, Bullinger played for the University of New Orleans, where his team made it to the 1984 College World Series. Read more
• 21 Aug 1964: Gary Elkerton, Australian surfer Gary Elkerton, known as Kong is an Australian surfer, three time world masters champion, three time world professional runner-up, twice Hawaiian Triple Crown champion and Australian amateur champion (1984). He is regarded as an iconic big-wave rider and is highly respected by his peers for his unique, powerful surfing style. In 2009, Gary was inducted into the Australian Surfing Hall of Fame. Read more
• 21 Aug 1963: Mohammed VI of Morocco, King of Morocco Mohammed VI is King of Morocco. A member of the Alawi dynasty, he has reigned since 1999. Mohammed was born during the reign of his father, King Hassan II. At an early age, he began partaking in public engagements on behalf of his father. Upon ascending to the throne following Hassan's death, Mohammed initially introduced several reforms and changed the family code to grant more rights to women in Morocco. Read more
• 21 Aug 1963: Nigel Pearson, English footballer and manager Nigel Graham Pearson is an English football manager and former professional player. He last managed Championship club Bristol City. During his playing career, he was a defender and played for Shrewsbury Town, Sheffield Wednesday and Middlesbrough. As a coach he has taken charge of Hull City, Southampton, Carlisle United, Leicester City, Derby County, OH Leuven, and Watford; and was assistant manager for England Under-21s and Newcastle United. Read more
• 21 Aug 1962: Cleo King, American actress Cleo King is an American actress. She is best known for her roles on television, particularly Mike & Molly (2010–2016). Read more
• 21 Aug 1962: John Korfas, Greek-American basketball player and coach Jon Anthony Korfas is a Greek-American former professional basketball player and coach. During his professional playing career, Korfas won all three of the FIBA Europe continental-wide titles on the club level. With Panathinaikos Athens, he won the top-tier level FIBA EuroLeague championship, during the 1995–96 season. He also won the second-tier level FIBA European Cup Winners' Cup championship in the 1990–91 season, and the third-tier level FIBA Korać Cup championship in the 1993–94 season with PAOK Thessaloniki. With Panathinaikos, he also won the world club title, as he won the 1996 edition of the FIBA Intercontinental Cup. He was also selected to the FIBA EuroLeague All-Final Four Team at the 1993 FIBA EuroLeague Final Four. Read more
• 21 Aug 1962: Gilberto Santa Rosa, Puerto Rican bandleader and singer of salsa and bolero Gilberto Santa Rosa Cortés, nicknamed "El Caballero de la Salsa", is a Puerto Rican bandleader and singer of salsa and bolero. He is a six-time Grammy Award winner and has sold over three million records in the United States and Puerto Rico. Santa Rosa also starred in a comedy. Read more
• 21 Aug 1962: Pete Weber, American bowler Peter David Weber is an American bowler in the Professional Bowlers Association (PBA), currently competing on the exclusive to their age-group PBA50+ tours, and a member of the PBA and USBC Halls of Fame. Read more
• 21 Aug 1961: Gerardo Barbero, Argentinian chess player and coach (died 2001) Gerardo Fabián Barbero was an Argentine chess grandmaster. He was born in Lanús, Buenos Aires, and raised in Rosario, Santa Fe. Read more
• 21 Aug 1961: V. B. Chandrasekhar, Indian cricketer and coach (died 2019) Vakkadai Biksheswaran Chandrasekhar was an Indian cricketer, who represented the country in seven One Day Internationals (ODIs) during 1988–90. Read more
• 21 Aug 1961: Stephen Hillenburg, American marine biologist, cartoonist, animator and creator of SpongeBob SquarePants (died 2018) Stephen McDannell Hillenburg was an American animator, writer, producer, director, voice actor, and marine biology educator. He is best known for creating the animated television series SpongeBob SquarePants for Nickelodeon in 1999. The show has become the fourth longest-running American animated series. He also provided the original voice of Patchy the Pirate's pet, Potty the Parrot. Read more
• 21 Aug 1959: Anne Hobbs, English tennis player and coach Anne Hobbs is a British former professional tennis player. Read more
• 21 Aug 1959: Jim McMahon, American football player and coach James Robert McMahon Jr. is an American former professional football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 15 seasons, most notably with the Chicago Bears. He played college football for the BYU Cougars, earning first-team All-American honors in 1980 after leading the NCAA in passing yards and passing touchdowns. The following year, McMahon won the Davey O'Brien Award and the Sammy Baugh Trophy and was named a unanimous All-American. He was selected by the Bears fifth overall in the 1982 NFL draft. In 1998 McMahon was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame. Read more
• 21 Aug 1958: Steve Case, American businessman, co-founder of America Online (AOL) Stephen McConnell Case is an American businessman, investor, and philanthropist best known as the former chief executive officer and chairman of America Online (AOL). Case joined AOL's predecessor company, Quantum Computer Services, as a marketing vice-president in 1985. In 1991, he became CEO of the company. Later, at the height of the dot-com bubble in 2000, Case orchestrated with Gerald M. Levin the merger that created AOL Time Warner, described as "the biggest train wreck in the history of corporate America." Read more
• 21 Aug 1958: Mark Williams, Australian footballer and coach Mark Melville Williams is a former Australian rules football player and coach. As a player, Williams represented West Adelaide and Port Adelaide in the South Australian National Football League (SANFL), as well as Collingwood and Brisbane Bears in the Australian Football League (AFL), from the 1970s to the 1990s. Read more
• 21 Aug 1957: Frank Pastore, American baseball player and radio host (died 2012) Frank Enrico Pastore was an American Major League Baseball player and radio host. He pitched for the Cincinnati Reds from 1979 until 1985 and for the Minnesota Twins in 1986, and was in the Texas Rangers organization in 1987. Read more
• 21 Aug 1956: Kim Cattrall, English-Canadian actress Kim Victoria Cattrall is a British and Canadian actress. She is known for her portrayal of Samantha Jones on HBO's Sex and the City (1998–2004), for which she received five Primetime Emmy Award nominations and four Golden Globe Award nominations, winning Best Supporting Actress. She reprised the role in the feature films Sex and the City (2008) and Sex and the City 2 (2010), and made a cameo appearance on its revival And Just Like That… in 2023. Read more
• 21 Aug 1956: Jon Tester, American farmer and politician Raymond Jon Tester is an American politician and farmer who served from 2007 to 2025 as a United States senator from Montana. A member of the Democratic Party, Tester served in the Montana Senate from 1999 to 2007, and as its president from 2005 to 2007. As of May 2025, he is a political analyst for MS NOW, and the most recent Democrat to have won or held statewide office in Montana. Read more
• 21 Aug 1954: Archie Griffin, American football player Archie Mason Griffin is an American former professional football running back who played in the National Football League (NFL) for seven seasons with the Cincinnati Bengals. He won the Heisman Trophy twice between 1974 and 1975 during his college football with the Ohio State Buckeyes and is the only player to receive the award multiple times. Read more
• 21 Aug 1954: Steve Smith, American drummer Steven Bruce Smith is an American drummer best known as a member of the rock band Journey across three stints: 1978 to 1985, 1995 to 1998 and 2015 to 2020. Modern Drummer magazine readers have voted him the No. 1 All-Around Drummer five years in a row. In 2001, the publication named Smith one of the Top 25 Drummers of All Time, and in 2002 he was voted into the Modern Drummer Hall of Fame. He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a member of Journey on April 7, 2017. Read more
• 21 Aug 1954: Mark Williams, New Zealand-Australian singer-songwriter Mark Williams is a New Zealand singer with Recording Industry Association of New Zealand (RIANZ) number one hit singles, "Yesterday Was Just the Beginning of My Life" (1975) and a cover of Buddy Holly's "It Doesn't Matter Anymore" (1977) before he relocated to Australia later that year. His single, "Show No Mercy" (1990) was a top ten hit in both countries. He has undertaken extensive touring in support of numerous Australian bands and worked in television. In 2006 he became the vocalist for the reformed New Zealand band, Dragon. Read more
• 21 Aug 1953: Ivan Stang, American author, publisher, and director Ivan Stang is an American writer, filmmaker and broadcaster, best known as the author and publisher of the first screed of the Church of the SubGenius. He is credited with founding the Church with friend Philo Drummond in 1979, though Stang himself denied this and claimed the organization was founded in 1953 by J. R. "Bob" Dobbs. Read more
• 21 Aug 1952: Keith Hart, Canadian firefighter, wrestler, and trainer Keith William Hart is an American born-Canadian retired professional wrestler and firefighter. He is a member of the Hart wrestling family and the third child of Helen and Stu Hart. He is best known for his work for Stampede Wrestling and several appearances for WWE, often with his siblings Bret, Owen, Bruce and Diana. In Stampede he won several championships and for WWE he participated in the seventh edition of Survivor Series. Read more
• 21 Aug 1952: Jiří Paroubek, Czech soldier and politician, sixth Prime Minister of the Czech Republic Jiří Paroubek is a Czech politician who served as Prime Minister of the Czech Republic from April 2005 to September 2006. He was also the leader of the Czech Social Democratic Party from 2006 until his resignation following the 2010 parliamentary election. Read more
• 21 Aug 1952: Joe Strummer, English singer-songwriter and guitarist (died 2002) John Graham Mellor, known professionally as Joe Strummer, was a British musician. He was the co-founder, lyricist, rhythm guitarist and lead vocalist of punk rock band the Clash. Read more
• 21 Aug 1951: Eric Goles, Chilean mathematician and computer scientist Eric Antonio Goles Chacc is a Chilean mathematician and computer scientist of Croatian descent. He studied mathematical engineering at the University of Chile before earning two doctorates from the University of Grenoble in France. His research focuses on discrete mathematics, theoretical computer science, complex systems, and cellular automata. Read more
• 21 Aug 1951: Glenn Hughes, English musician Glenn Hughes is an English musician, best known as the bassist and singer in the hard rock band Trapeze and as a member of Deep Purple in the lineups known to fans Mk. III and IV, as well as briefly fronting Black Sabbath in the mid-1980s. Hughes is renowned for his funk inspired bass playing and his soulful and wide-ranging countertenor vocal range. Read more
• 21 Aug 1951: Yana Mintoff, Maltese politician, economist and educator Yana Bland or Yana Bland Mintoff is a Maltese Labour politician, economist and educator. Mintoff was born on 21 August 1951, the daughter of the former Prime Minister of Malta, Dom Mintoff and Moyra De Vere Bentinck, by whom she is descended from both Dutch and British nobility. Read more
• 21 Aug 1951: Chesley V. Morton, American businessman and politician Chesley V. Morton Jr. is an American stockbroker, securities arbitrator, and former member of the Georgia House of Representatives. Read more
• 21 Aug 1950: Patrick Juvet, Swiss singer-songwriter and model (died 2021) Patrick Juvet was a Swiss singer-songwriter, who had a string of hit records in Europe. While his early career was focused on making pop records, he found international success as a disco music performer in the latter half of the 1970s. His biggest hit, "I Love America", made the top twenty in France, Sweden and the UK, and the top ten in the US disco chart. Read more
• 21 Aug 1950: Arthur Bremer, American attempted assassin of George Wallace Arthur Herman Bremer is an American convicted criminal who attempted to assassinate U.S. Democratic presidential candidate George Wallace on May 15, 1972, in Laurel, Maryland, leaving Wallace permanently paralyzed from the waist down. Bremer was found guilty and sentenced to 63 years in a Maryland prison for the shooting of Wallace and three bystanders. After 35 years of incarceration, Bremer was released from prison on November 9, 2007. Read more
• 21 Aug 1949: Loretta Devine, American actress and singer Loretta Devine is an American actress. She is known for numerous roles across stage and screen. Her most high profile roles include Lorrell Robinson in the original Broadway production of Dreamgirls (1981), Amelia "M'Dear" McKellan in the Netflix series, Family Reunion (2022), Gloria Matthews in the film Waiting to Exhale (1995), and her recurring role as Adele Webber on the medical drama Grey's Anatomy, for which she won a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Drama Series. Read more
• 21 Aug 1949: Daniel Sivan, Israeli scholar and academic Daniel Sivan was an Israeli linguist and academic who was a professor in the Department of Hebrew Language at the Ben-Gurion University of the Negev. Read more
• 21 Aug 1947: Carl Giammarese, American singer-songwriter and musician The Buckinghams are an American pop band from Chicago. They formed in 1966 and went on to become one of the top-selling acts of 1967, charting their only five top 40 hits in the U.S. that year. The band dissolved in 1970, but re-formed in 1980 and as of 2026 they continue to tour throughout the United States. Read more
• 21 Aug 1945: Basil Poledouris, Greek-American composer, conductor (died 2006) Basil Konstantine Poledouris was an American composer, conductor, and orchestrator of film and television scores, best known for his long-running collaborations with directors Simon Wincer, John Milius and Paul Verhoeven. Among his works are scores for the films Conan the Barbarian (1982), Red Dawn (1984), Iron Eagle (1986), RoboCop (1987), The Hunt for Red October (1990), Free Willy (1993), Starship Troopers (1997) and Les Misérables (1998). Read more
• 21 Aug 1945: Celia Brayfield, English journalist and author Celia Brayfield is an English author, academic and cultural commentator. Read more
• 21 Aug 1945: Jerry DaVanon, American baseball player Frank Gerald DaVanon is an American former professional baseball player. He played all or part of seven seasons in Major League Baseball, primarily as an infielder. Read more
• 21 Aug 1945: Willie Lanier, American football player Willie Edward Lanier is an American former professional football player who was a linebacker for the Kansas City Chiefs of the American Football League (AFL) and National Football League (NFL) from 1967 through 1977. He won postseason honors for eight consecutive years, making the AFL All-Star team in 1968 and 1969 before being selected to the Pro Bowl from 1970 through 1975. Read more
• 21 Aug 1945: Patty McCormack, American actress Patricia McCormack is an American actress with a career in theater, films, and television. Read more
• 21 Aug 1944: Perry Christie, Bahamian politician, third Prime Minister of the Bahamas Perry Gladstone Christie PC, MP is a Bahamian former politician who served as prime minister of the Bahamas from 2002 to 2007 and from 2012 to 2017. He is the second longest-serving Bahamian elected parliamentarian, representing the Centreville constituency from 1977 to 2017. He is also a former athlete. His Progressive Liberal Party is the oldest Bahamian political party, holding solid majorities in the Bahamian Parliament several times in its long history. Read more
• 21 Aug 1944: Peter Weir, Australian director, producer, and screenwriter Peter Lindsay Weir is an Australian retired film director, screenwriter, and producer. He directed films crossing various genres over forty years, such as Picnic at Hanging Rock (1975), Gallipoli (1981), The Year of Living Dangerously (1982), Witness (1985), Dead Poets Society (1989), Fearless (1993), The Truman Show (1998), Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World (2003), and The Way Back (2010). He has received six Academy Award nominations and he has won two AACTA Award for Best Direction and two BAFTA Award for Best Direction. In 2022, he was awarded the Academy Honorary Award for his lifetime career achievement. In 2024, he received an honorary life-time achievement award at the Venice Film Festival. Read more
• 21 Aug 1943: Patrick Demarchelier, French photographer (died 2022) Patrick Demarchelier was a French fashion photographer. Read more
• 21 Aug 1943: Jonathan Schell, American journalist and author (died 2014) Jonathan Edward Schell was an American reporter and writer whose work primarily dealt with American foreign policy from the Vietnam War to the war on terror, as well as the threat posed by nuclear weapons and support for nuclear disarmament. Read more
• 21 Aug 1943: Lucius Shepard, American author and critic (died 2014) Lucius Shepard was an American writer. Classified as a science fiction and fantasy writer, he often leaned into other genres, such as magical realism. Read more
• 21 Aug 1943: Hugh Wilson, American actor, director, producer, and screenwriter (died 2018) Hugh Hamilton Wilson Jr. was an American film director, writer and television showrunner. He was the creator of the TV series WKRP in Cincinnati and Frank's Place, and was the director of the film comedies Police Academy and The First Wives Club. Read more
• 21 Aug 1941: Jackie DeShannon, American singer-songwriter Jackie DeShannon is an American singer-songwriter, radio broadcaster and actress who has had many hit song credits beginning in the 1960s, as both a singer and composer. She was one of the first female singer-songwriters of the rock and roll period. She is best known as the singer of "What the World Needs Now Is Love" and "Put a Little Love in Your Heart". She is the writer of "When You Walk in the Room" and "Bette Davis Eyes", which became hits for The Searchers and Kim Carnes, respectively. Read more
• 21 Aug 1940: Dominick Harrod, English journalist, historian, and author (died 2013) Dominick Roy Harrod was a British journalist and broadcaster. He was the BBC's economic correspondent in the 1970s and 1980s. Read more
• 21 Aug 1940: Endre Szemerédi, Hungarian-American mathematician and computer scientist Endre Szemerédi is a Hungarian-American mathematician and computer scientist, working in the field of combinatorics and theoretical computer science. He is the State of New Jersey Professor of Computer Science Emeritus at Rutgers University, after having served in the position since 1986. He also holds a professor emeritus status at the Alfréd Rényi Institute of Mathematics of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences. Read more
• 21 Aug 1939: James Burton, American Hall of Fame guitarist James Edward Burton is an American guitarist. A member of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame since 2001, Burton has also been recognized by the Rockabilly Hall of Fame and the Musicians Hall of Fame and Museum. He was elected into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 2024. Critic Mark Deming writes that "Burton has a well-deserved reputation as one of the finest guitar pickers in either country or rock … Burton is one of the best guitar players to ever touch a fretboard." He is ranked number 24 in Rolling Stone list of 250 greatest guitarists of all time. Read more
• 21 Aug 1939: Festus Mogae, Botswana economist and politician, third President of Botswana (died 2026) Festus Gontebanye Mogae was a Motswana politician and economist who served as the third President of Botswana from 1998 to 2008. He was re-elected in October 2004. After ten years in office, he stepped down in 2008 and was succeeded by Lieutenant General Seretse Khama Ian Khama. Read more
• 21 Aug 1939: Clarence Williams III, American actor (died 2021) Clarence Williams III was an American actor. He was best known for his starring role as Linc Hayes on the television series The Mod Squad (1968–73). He also appeared in films such as Purple Rain, 52 Pick-Up, Tales from the Hood, Hoodlum, Deep Cover, Half Baked, Life, American Gangster, and Reindeer Games, and was a Tony Award-nominated stage actor. Read more
• 21 Aug 1938: Steve Cowper, American politician, 6th Governor of Alaska Stephen Cambreleng Cowper is an American Democratic politician who was the sixth governor of Alaska from 1986 to 1990. He was governor during the 1989 Exxon Valdez oil spill. Read more
• 21 Aug 1938: Kenny Rogers, American singer-songwriter, guitarist, producer, and actor (died 2020) Kenneth Donald Ray Rogers was an American country music singer-songwriter. Rogers was particularly popular with country audiences, but also charted more than 120 hit singles across various genres, topping the country and pop album charts for more than 200 individual weeks in the United States alone. He sold more than 100 million records worldwide during his lifetime, making him one of the best-selling music artists of all time. His fame and career spanned multiple genres—jazz, folk, pop, rock, and country. He remade his career and was one of the most successful cross-over artists of all time. He was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 2013. Read more
• 21 Aug 1938: Mike Weston, English rugby player (died 2023) Michael Philip Weston was an England international rugby union player and captain. Read more
• 21 Aug 1937: Donald Dewar, Scottish politician, first First Minister of Scotland (died 2000) Donald Campbell Dewar was a Scottish statesman and politician who served as the first first minister of Scotland from 1999 until his death in 2000 and leader of the Labour Party in Scotland from 1998 until his death in 2000. He was widely regarded as the "Father of the Nation" during his tenure as first minister, and the "Architect of Devolution" whilst serving as Secretary of State for Scotland from 1997 to 1999. He was Member of Parliament (MP) for Glasgow Anniesland from 1978 to 2000. Dewar was also Member of the Scottish Parliament (MSP) for the equivalent seat from 1999 to 2000. Read more
• 21 Aug 1937: Gustavo Noboa, Ecuadorian academic and politician, 51st President of Ecuador (died 2021) Gustavo José Joaquín Noboa Bejarano was an Ecuadorian politician who served as the 42nd president of Ecuador from 22 January 2000 to 15 January 2003. Previously he served as the 42nd vice president under President Jamil Mahuad from 1998 until 2000. From 1983 until 1984, he also was the Governor of the province of Guayas. Read more
• 21 Aug 1937: Robert Stone, American novelist and short story writer (died 2015) Robert Anthony Stone was an American novelist, journalist, and college professor. Read more
• 21 Aug 1936: Wilt Chamberlain, American basketball player and coach (died 1999) Wilton Norman Chamberlain was an American professional basketball player. Standing 7 feet 1 inch (2.16 m) tall, he played center in the National Basketball Association (NBA) for 14 seasons. He was enshrined in the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 1978, and was elected to the NBA's 35th, 50th, and 75th anniversary teams. Chamberlain is widely considered to be one of the greatest basketball players of all time. Read more
• 21 Aug 1936: Radish Tordia, Georgian painter and educator Radish Tordia is a Georgian painter of figurative art. He works in oil painting, with particular emphasis on colouristic features. His preferred subject is women, who he regards as "the most beautiful creation in the world". Read more
• 21 Aug 1934: Sudhakarrao Naik, Indian lawyer and politician, 13th Chief Minister of Maharashtra (died 2001) Sudhakarrao Rajusing Naik was an Indian politician from Indian National Congress party who served as Chief Minister of Maharashtra from 25 June 1991 until 22 February 1993 following the communal riots. He also served as Governor of Himachal Pradesh from 1994 to 1995 He had given the new shape to the Panchayat Raj, started the continuous election process in Panchayat Raj systems all over the state, as desired by the former Prime Minister Rajeev Gandhi, decentralisation of power and faster decision making process being motive of bringing back the Panchayat Raj in full-fledged functioning. He is called as the hero of Jalkranti, who started the irrigation revolution in the State of Maharashtra. Read more
• 21 Aug 1934: Paul Panhuysen, Dutch composer (died 2015) Paul Panhuysen was a Dutch composer, visual and sound artist. He founded and directed Het Apollohuis, an art space that functioned during the 80's and 90's having artists doing sound installations, sound sculptures, and concerts about free improvisation, experimental music, and electronic music. Read more
• 21 Aug 1933: Janet Baker, English soprano and educator Dame Janet Abbott Baker is an English mezzo-soprano best known as an opera, concert, and lieder singer. Read more
• 21 Aug 1933: Michael Dacher, German mountaineer (died 1994) Michael Dacher was a German mountain climber. In 1979 he and Reinhold Messner climbed the K2 in record time and without oxygen equipment. Read more
• 21 Aug 1933: Barry Norman, English author and critic (died 2017) Barry Leslie Norman was a British film critic, television presenter and journalist. He presented the BBC's cinema review programme, Film…, from 1972 to 1998. Read more
• 21 Aug 1933: Erik Paaske, Danish actor and singer (died 1992) Erik Paaske was a Danish theater, TV and film actor and singer. Read more
• 21 Aug 1932: Menashe Kadishman, Israeli sculptor and painter (died 2015) Menashe Kadishman was an Israeli sculptor and painter. Read more
• 21 Aug 1932: Melvin Van Peebles, American actor, director, and screenwriter (died 2021) Melvin Van Peebles was an American actor, filmmaker, writer, and composer. His feature film debut, The Story of a Three-Day Pass (1967), was based on his own French-language novel La Permission and was shot in France, as it was difficult for a black American director to get work at the time. The film won an award at the San Francisco International Film Festival which gained him the interest of Hollywood studios, leading to his American feature debut Watermelon Man, in 1970. Eschewing further overtures from Hollywood, he used the successes he had so far to bankroll his work as an independent filmmaker. Read more
• 21 Aug 1930: Princess Margaret, Countess of Snowdon (died 2002) Princess Margaret, Countess of Snowdon, was the younger daughter of King George VI and Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother, and the only sibling of Queen Elizabeth II. Born when her parents were the Duke and Duchess of York, she became second in line to the British throne after her father's accession in 1936, though her place in the succession declined as her sister's children and grandchildren were born. Read more
• 21 Aug 1930: Frank Perry, American director, producer, and screenwriter (died 1995) Frank Joseph Perry Jr. was an American stage director and filmmaker. His 1962 independent film David and Lisa earned an Academy Award nomination for Best Director and Best Adapted Screenplay. The couple collaborated on five more films, including The Swimmer, Diary of a Mad Housewife, and the Emmy Award–nominated A Christmas Memory, based on a short story by Truman Capote. Perry went on to form Corsair Pictures, privately financed by United Artists Theatres, which produced Miss Firecracker and A Shock to the System, then folded. His later films include Mommie Dearest and the documentary On the Bridge, about his dealing with prostate cancer. Read more
• 21 Aug 1929: Herman Badillo, Puerto Rican-American lawyer and politician (died 2014) Herman Badillo was an American lawyer and politician who served as borough president of The Bronx and United States Representative, and ran for Mayor of New York City. He was the first Puerto Rican elected to these posts, and the first Puerto Rican mayoral candidate in a major city in the continental United States. Read more
• 21 Aug 1929: X. J. Kennedy, American poet, translator, anthologist, editor (died 2026) Joseph Charles Kennedy, known by the pen name X. J. Kennedy, was an American poet, translator, anthologist, editor, and author of children's literature and textbooks on English literature and poetry. He was long known as Joe Kennedy; but, wishing to distinguish himself from Joseph P. Kennedy Sr., he added an "X" as his first initial. Read more
• 21 Aug 1929: Ahmed Kathrada, South African politician and political prisoner (died 2017) Ahmed Mohamed Kathrada OMSG, sometimes known by the nickname "Kathy", was a South African politician and anti-apartheid activist. Read more
• 21 Aug 1928: Addison Farmer, American bassist (died 1963) Addison Gerald Farmer was an American jazz bassist. He was the twin brother of Art Farmer. Read more
• 21 Aug 1928: Art Farmer, American trumpet player and composer (died 1999) Arthur Stewart Farmer was an American jazz trumpeter and flugelhorn player. He also played flumpet, a trumpet–flugelhorn combination especially designed for him. He and his identical twin brother, double bassist Addison Farmer, started playing professionally while at high school in Los Angeles. Art gained greater attention after the release of a recording of his composition "Farmer's Market" in 1952. He subsequently moved from Los Angeles to New York, where he performed and recorded with musicians such as Horace Silver, Sonny Rollins, and Gigi Gryce and became known principally as a bebop player. Read more
• 21 Aug 1928: Bud McFadin, American football player (died 2006) Lewis Pate "Bud" McFadin was an American professional football player and coach. He played college football for the Texas Longhorns and was a unanimous selection at the guard position on the 1950 College Football All-America Team. He played professionally in the National Football League (NFL) for the Los Angeles Rams (1952–1956) and in the American Football League (AFL) for the Denver Broncos (1960–1963) and Houston Oilers (1964–1965). A versatile player, he played tackle and linebacker on defense, as well as guard on offense. He was a Pro Bowl pick in 1955 and 1956, a Sporting News All-AFL defensive tackle in 1960, 1961 and 1962, and an American Football League West Division All-Star in 1963. Read more
• 21 Aug 1927: Thomas S. Monson, American religious leader, 16th President of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (died 2018) Thomas Spencer Monson was an American religious leader, author, and the 16th president of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. As president, he was considered by adherents of the religion to be a prophet, seer, and revelator. Monson's early career was as a manager at the Deseret News, a Utah newspaper owned by the LDS Church. He spent most of his life engaged in various church leadership positions and public service. Read more
• 21 Aug 1926: Can Yücel, Turkish poet and translator (died 1999) Can Yücel was a Turkish poet noted for his use of colloquial language. Read more
• 21 Aug 1924: Jack Buck, American sportscaster (died 2002) John Francis Buck was an American sportscaster, best known for his work announcing Major League Baseball games of the St. Louis Cardinals. His play-by-play work earned him recognition from numerous halls of fame. He has also been inducted as a member of the St. Louis Cardinals Hall of Fame Museum. He was the father of ESPN sportscaster Joe Buck. Read more
• 21 Aug 1924: Jack Weston, American actor (died 1996) Jack Weston was an American actor. He was nominated for a Golden Globe Award in 1976 and a Tony Award in 1981. Read more
• 21 Aug 1923: Keith Allen, Canadian-American ice hockey player, coach, and manager (died 2014) Courtney Keith "Bingo" Allen was a Canadian professional ice hockey defenceman and National Hockey League (NHL) head coach and general manager. He played 28 games in the NHL for the Detroit Red Wings during the 1953–54 and 1954–55 seasons. The rest of his career, which lasted from 1941 to 1957, was spent in various minor leagues. Read more
• 21 Aug 1922: Albert Irvin, English soldier and painter (died 2015) Albert Henry Thomas Irvin was an English expressionist abstract artist. Read more
• 21 Aug 1921: Reuven Feuerstein, Romanian-Israeli psychologist and academic (died 2014) Reuven Feuerstein was a Romanian-born Israeli clinical, developmental, and cognitive psychologist, known for his theory of intelligence. Feuerstein is recognized for his work in developing the theories and applied systems of structural cognitive modifiability, mediated learning experience, cognitive map, deficient cognitive functions, learning propensity assessment device, instrumental enrichment programs, and shaping modifying environments. These interlocked practices provide educators with the skills and tools to systematically develop students’ cognitive functions and operations to build meta-cognition. Read more
• 21 Aug 1918: Billy Reay, Canadian-American ice hockey player and coach (died 2004) William Tulip Reay was a Canadian professional ice hockey player and coach. Reay played ten seasons in the National Hockey League (NHL) from 1943 to 1953, winning two Stanley Cups. He then coached from 1957 to 1959 in the NHL and again from 1963 to 1977, primarily with the Chicago Black Hawks, who he coached to the Stanley Cup Final three times. While he did not win a Cup as a coach, Reay won over 500 games as a head coach, and he was the second coach to win 500 games with one team. When he retired, he was second in NHL history in wins, and he currently is one of thirty coaches to have won 500 games. Read more
• 21 Aug 1917: Leonid Hurwicz, Polish-American economist and mathematician (died 2008) Leonid Hurwicz was a Polish–American economist and mathematician, known for his work in game theory and mechanism design. He originated the concept of incentive compatibility, and showed how desired outcomes can be achieved by using incentive compatible mechanism design. Hurwicz shared the 2007 Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences for his seminal work on mechanism design. Hurwicz was one of the oldest Nobel Laureates, having received the prize at the age of 90. Read more
• 21 Aug 1916: Bill Lee, American actor and singer (died 1980) William Lee was an American playback singer who provided a voice or singing voice in many films, for actors in musicals and for many Disney characters. Read more
• 21 Aug 1916: Consuelo Velázquez, Mexican pianist and songwriter (died 2005) Consuelo Velázquez Torres, also popularly known as Consuelito Velázquez, was a Mexican concert pianist and composer. She was the composer of famous Mexican ballads such as "Bésame mucho", "Amar y vivir", and "Cachito". Read more
• 21 Aug 1914: Doug Wright, English cricketer and coach (died 1998) Douglas Vivian Parson Wright was an English cricketer who played for England in 34 Test matches from 1938 to 1950/51. He played first-class cricket for Kent in twenty seasons between 1932 and 1957. He was the club's first professional captain from late 1953 to 1956. Read more
• 21 Aug 1912: Toe Blake, Canadian ice hockey player and coach (died 1995) Joseph Hector "Toe" Blake was a Canadian ice hockey player and coach in the National Hockey League (NHL). Blake played in the NHL from 1935 to 1948 with the Montreal Maroons and Montreal Canadiens. He led the NHL in scoring in 1939, while also winning the Hart Trophy for most valuable player, and served as captain of the Canadiens from 1940 to his retirement. He won the Stanley Cup three times as a player: in 1935 with the Maroons, and in 1944 and 1946 with the Canadiens. While with the Canadiens, Blake played on a line with Elmer Lach and Maurice Richard which was dubbed the Punch line, as all three were highly-skilled players. In 2017, Blake was named one of the '100 Greatest NHL Players' in history. He was also known as "The Old Lamplighter" due to his skill for putting the puck in the net. Read more
• 21 Aug 1909: Ethel Caterham, English supercentenarian Ethel May Caterham is an English supercentenarian who, at the age of 116 years, 364 days, has been the world's oldest verified living person since the death of Inah Canabarro Lucas on 30 April 2025. She is the oldest British person in recorded history, the 13th oldest person in history, the last surviving validated individual born in the 1900s decade, and the last surviving subject of King Edward VII. Read more
• 21 Aug 1909: Nikolay Bogolyubov, Russian mathematician and physicist (died 1992) Nikolay Nikolayevich Bogolyubov was a Soviet mathematician and theoretical physicist known for his significant contributions to quantum field theory, classical and quantum statistical mechanics, and the theory of dynamical systems; he was the recipient of the 1992 Dirac Medal for his works and studies. Read more
• 21 Aug 1907: P. Jeevanandham, Indian lawyer and politician (died 1963) P. Jeevanandham, also called Jeeva, was a social reformer, political leader, litterateur, journalist, critic and one of the pioneers of the Communist and socialist movements in the state of Tamil Nadu, India. Read more
• 21 Aug 1906: Friz Freleng, American animator, director, and producer (died 1995) Isadore "Friz" Freleng, credited as I. Freleng early in his career, was an American animator, cartoonist, director, producer, and composer known for his work at Warner Bros. Cartoons (WB) on the Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies series of cartoons from the 1930s to the early 1960s. In total, he created more than 300 cartoons. Read more
• 21 Aug 1905: Bipin Gupta, Indian actor and producer (died 1981) Bipin Gupta was an Indian actor and artist during the 1930s and 1960s. He acted in Bengali and Hindi cinema, most notably in Baiju Bawra (1952), Jagriti (1954), Gharana (1961), Jeevan Mrityu (1970) and Khilona (1970). Read more
• 21 Aug 1904: Count Basie, American pianist, composer, and bandleader (died 1984) William James "Count" Basie was an American jazz pianist, organist, bandleader, and composer. In 1935, he formed the Count Basie Orchestra, and in 1936 took them to Chicago for a long engagement and their first recording. He led the group for almost 50 years, creating innovations like the use of two "split" tenor saxophones, emphasizing the rhythm section, riffing with a big band, using arrangers to broaden their sound, his minimalist piano style, and others. Read more
• 21 Aug 1903: Kostas Giannidis, Greek pianist, composer, and conductor (died 1984) Ioannis Constantinidis, also known by the pen name Kostas Giannidis, was a Greek composer, pianist and conductor. Read more
• 21 Aug 1902: Angel Karaliychev, Bulgarian author (died 1972) Angel Ivanov Karaliychev was a Bulgarian writer of children's literature. Read more
• 21 Aug 1897: Keith Arbuthnott, 15th Viscount of Arbuthnott, Scottish soldier and peer (died 1966) Major-General Robert Keith Arbuthnott, 15th Viscount of Arbuthnott, was a senior British Army officer who served in both the First World War and the Second World War. Read more
• 21 Aug 1895: Blossom Rock, American actress (died 1978) Edith Marie Blossom MacDonald, also known as Blossom Rock, was an American actress of vaudeville, stage, film and television. During her career she was also billed as Marie Blake or Blossom MacDonald. Her younger sister was screen actress and singer Jeanette MacDonald. Rock is best known for her role as "Grandmama" on the 1960s macabre/black comedy sitcom The Addams Family. Read more
• 21 Aug 1894: Christian Schad, German painter (died 1982) Christian Schad was a German painter and photographer. He was associated with the Dada and the New Objectivity movements. Schad's portraits are regarded as emblematic of the decadence of Vienna and Berlin after the First World War. Read more
• 21 Aug 1892: Charles Vanel, French actor and director (died 1989) Charles-Marie Vanel was a French actor and director. During his 65-year film career, which began in 1923, he appeared in more than 200 films and worked with many prominent directors, including Alfred Hitchcock, Luis Buñuel, Jacques Feyder, and Henri-Georges Clouzot. He is perhaps best remembered for his role as a desperate truck driver in Clouzot's The Wages of Fear, for which he received a Special Mention at the Cannes Film Festival in 1953. Read more
• 21 Aug 1891: Emiliano Mercado del Toro, Puerto Rican-American soldier (died 2007) Emiliano Mercado del Toro was a Puerto Rican supercentenarian and military veteran who was, at age 115, the world's oldest person following the death of 116-year-old Elizabeth Bolden on December 11, 2006, until his own death on January 24, 2007. He had already been the world's oldest man from November 19, 2004, upon the death of Fred Harold Hale. At the time of his death in January 2007, aged 115 years and 156 days, Mercado was the second oldest fully validated male ever, behind Danish-American Christian Mortensen's record of 115 years 252 days. Japanese man, Shigechiyo Izumi, was still believed to be older at the time of Mercado's death, but his record was withdrawn by Guinness World Records in 2010. Read more
• 21 Aug 1887: James Paul Moody, English sailor (died 1912) James Paul Moody was a British merchant sailor, who served as sixth officer aboard RMS Titanic. He died when the ship sank on her maiden voyage, the only junior officer not to survive the disaster. Read more
• 21 Aug 1886: Ruth Manning-Sanders, Welsh-English author and poet (died 1988) Ruth Manning-Sanders was an English poet and author born in Wales, known for a series of children's books for which she collected and related fairy tales worldwide. She published over 90 books in her lifetime. Read more
• 21 Aug 1885: Édouard Fabre, Canadian runner (died 1939) Édouard Fabre was a Canadian marathon runner. Read more
• 21 Aug 1884: Chandler Egan, American golfer and architect (died 1936) Henry Chandler Egan was an American amateur golfer and golf course architect of the early 20th century. Read more
• 21 Aug 1879: Claude Grahame-White, English pilot and engineer (died 1959) Claude Grahame-White was an English pioneer of aviation, and the first to make a night flight, during the Daily Mail-sponsored 1910 London to Manchester air race. Read more
• 21 Aug 1878: Richard Girulatis, German footballer and manager (died 1963) Richard Girulatis was a German football manager. Read more
• 21 Aug 1872: Aubrey Beardsley, English author and illustrator (died 1898) Aubrey Vincent Beardsley was an English illustrator and author. His black ink drawings were influenced by Japanese woodcuts, and depicted the grotesque, the decadent, and the erotic. He was a leading figure in the aesthetic movement, which also included Oscar Wilde and James McNeill Whistler. Beardsley's contribution to the development of the Art Nouveau and poster styles was significant despite his early death from tuberculosis. He is one of the important Modern Style figures. Read more
• 21 Aug 1869: William Henry Ogilvie, Scottish-Australian poet and author (died 1963) William Henry Ogilvie was a Scottish-Australian narrative poet and horseman, jackaroo, and drover, and described as a quiet-spoken handsome Scot of medium height, with a fair moustache and red complexion. He was also known as Will Ogilvie, by the pen names including 'Glenrowan' and the lesser 'Swingle-Bar', and by his initials, WHO. Read more
• 21 Aug 1862: Emilio Salgari, Italian journalist and author (died 1911) Emilio Salgari was an Italian writer of action adventure swashbucklers and a pioneer of science fiction. Read more
• 21 Aug 1858: Rudolf, Crown Prince of Austria (died 1889) Rudolf, Crown Prince of Austria was the only son and third child of Emperor Franz Joseph I and Empress Elisabeth of Austria. He was heir apparent to the imperial throne of the Austro-Hungarian Empire from birth. In 1889, he died in a suicide pact with his mistress Baroness Mary Vetsera at the Mayerling hunting lodge. The ensuing scandal made international headlines. Read more
• 21 Aug 1856: Medora de Vallombrosa, Marquise de Morès, American heiress (died 1921) Medora de Vallombrosa, Marquise de Morès, was an American heiress who married Marquis de Morès. Read more
• 21 Aug 1854: Frank Munsey, American publisher, banker, political financier and author (died 1925) Frank Andrew Munsey was an American newspaper and magazine publisher, banker, political financier and author. He was born in Mercer, Maine, but spent most of his life in New York City. The village of Munsey Park, New York, is named for him, along with The Munsey Building in downtown Baltimore, Maryland, at the southeast corner of North Calvert and East Fayette Streets. Read more
• 21 Aug 1851: Charles Barrois, French geologist and palaeontologist (died 1939) Charles Eugene Barrois was a French geologist and palaeontologist. Read more
• 21 Aug 1840: Ferdinand Hamer, Dutch bishop and missionary (died 1900) Ferdinandus Hubertus Hamer C.I.C.M. was a Catholic missionary to China and bishop who was killed in the Boxer Rebellion in China. Read more
• 21 Aug 1829: Otto Goldschmidt, German composer, conductor and pianist (died 1907) Otto Moritz David Goldschmidt was a pianist, composer, conductor and educator, whose works included a piano concerto and other piano pieces, and an oratorio, Ruth, on a biblical theme, written for the Three Choirs Festival. From a prosperous mercantile family in Hamburg, he studied under Felix Mendelssohn at the Leipzig Conservatoire and quickly established himself as a pianist. Among the singers whom he accompanied was the soprano Jenny Lind, known as "the Swedish Nightingale". They toured together in 1851 and married in 1852, after which she insisted on being billed as "Madame Lind-Goldschmidt". Read more
• 21 Aug 1826: Carl Gegenbaur, German anatomist and academic (died 1903) Carl Gegenbaur was a German anatomist and professor who demonstrated that the field of comparative anatomy offers important evidence supporting of the theory of evolution. As a professor of anatomy at the University of Jena (1855–1873) and at the University of Heidelberg (1873–1903), Carl Gegenbaur was a strong supporter of Charles Darwin's theory of organic evolution, having taught and worked, beginning in 1858, with Ernst Haeckel, eight years his junior. Read more
• 21 Aug 1823: Nathaniel Everett Green, English painter and astronomer (died 1899) Nathaniel Everett Green FRAS was an English painter, art teacher and astronomer. He professionally painted landscapes and portraits, and also gained fame with his drawings of planets. Read more
• 21 Aug 1816: Charles Frédéric Gerhardt, French chemist and academic (died 1856) Charles Frédéric Gerhardt was a French chemist, born in Alsace and active in Paris, Montpellier, and his native Strasbourg. Read more
• 21 Aug 1813: Jean Stas, Belgian chemist and physician (died 1891) Jean Servais Stas was a Belgian analytical chemist who accurately measured the atomic weight of carbon. Read more
• 21 Aug 1801: Guillaume Groen van Prinsterer, Dutch historian and politician (died 1876) Guillaume Groen van Prinsterer was a Dutch politician and historian. Read more
• 21 Aug 1800: Hiram Walden, American general and politician (died 1880) Hiram Walden was an American businessman and politician from New York. He was most notable for his service as a United States representative from 1849 to 1851. Read more

Notable Deaths on 21 August

• 21 Aug 2024: Nell McCafferty, Northern Irish journalist, playwright and civil rights campaigner (born 1944) Ellen Pamela McCafferty was an Irish journalist, playwright, civil rights campaigner and feminist. She wrote for The Irish Press, The Irish Times, Sunday Tribune, Hot Press and The Village Voice. Read more
• 21 Aug 2024: Bill Pascrell, American politician (born 1937) William James Pascrell Jr. was an American politician who was a U.S. representative from New Jersey from 1997 until his death in 2024. Pascrell was a member of the Democratic Party and native of Paterson. Before his election to the House of Representatives, Pascrell served in the New Jersey General Assembly for four terms beginning in 1988 and was elected to two terms as mayor of Paterson. Read more
• 21 Aug 2024: John Amos, American actor (born 1939) John Allen Amos Jr. was an American actor. He was best known for his role as James Evans Sr. on the CBS television series Good Times. His other well known roles were as the adult Kunta Kinte in the landmark miniseries Roots and for portraying Captain Meissner in Lock Up (1989) and Major Grant in Die Hard 2 (1990). His other television work includes The Mary Tyler Moore Show, a recurring role as Admiral Percy Fitzwallace on The West Wing, and the role of the Mayor of Washington DC Ethan Baker in the series The District. Amos was nominated for a Primetime Emmy Award and an NAACP Image Award. In film, he played numerous supporting roles in movies such as The Beastmaster (1982), Coming to America (1988), and Coming 2 America (2021). Read more
• 21 Aug 2019: Ifeanyi Chiejine, Nigerian footballer (born 1983) Ifeanyichukwu Stephanie Chiejine was a Nigerian football who played as a striker for the national women's team. She last played for SSVSM-Kairat Almaty in the Kazakhstani Championship. She had also played for FC Indiana in USA's W-League, KMF Kuopio and PK-35 Vantaa in Finland and Zvezda Perm in Russia. Read more
• 21 Aug 2019: Celso Piña, Mexican singer, composer, arranger, and accordionist (born 1953) Celso Piña Arvizu was a Mexican singer, composer and accordionist, mainly in the genre of cumbia, being one of the most important musicians in the style of "cumbia rebajada". Read more
• 21 Aug 2018: Stefán Karl Stefánsson, Icelandic actor and singer (born 1975) Stefán Karl Stefánsson was an Icelandic actor and singer. He was best known for portraying Robbie Rotten, the antagonist of the children's television series LazyTown. Read more
• 21 Aug 2017: Bajram Rexhepi, First Kosovan Prime Ministers of UN mission administration in Kosovo (born 1954) Bajram Rexhepi, was a Kosovar politician who served as the first elected post-war Prime Minister of Kosovo, and later as interior minister and as a member of the Kosovo Assembly. He was a member of the second largest political party in Kosovo, the Democratic Party of Kosovo (PDK). Read more
• 21 Aug 2015: Colin Beyer, New Zealand lawyer and businessman (born 1938) Colin Andrew Nielsen Beyer was a New Zealand lawyer. He was a partner and then consultant with Simpson Grierson in Wellington. Also a prominent businessman with many governance positions, Beyer was a securities commissioner on the Securities Commission of New Zealand from 2001 until 2010. He was the stepfather of former Member of Parliament Georgina Beyer. Read more
• 21 Aug 2015: Wang Dongxing, Chinese commander and politician (born 1916) Wang Dongxing was a Chinese military commander and politician, famous for being the chief of Mao Zedong's personal bodyguard force, the 9th Bureau of the Ministry of Public Security. Wang held many important positions, both in the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and the government; he was Deputy Minister of Public Security in 1955–1958 and again in 1960–1970 and notably served as CCP Vice Chairman from 1977 to 1980, under Chairman Hua Guofeng. Read more
• 21 Aug 2015: Jimmy Evert, American tennis player and coach (born 1924) James Andrew "Jimmy" Evert was an American tennis coach and player. He was the father of Chris Evert, who was one of the world's top women tennis players in the 1970s and 1980s. Read more
• 21 Aug 2014: Gerry Anderson, Irish radio and television host (born 1944) Gerald Michael Anderson was a Northern Irish radio and television broadcaster for BBC Northern Ireland. Renowned for his unique style and distinctive sense of humour, Anderson often referred to himself on his show, as "Turkey Neck", "Puppet Chin" or "Golf Mike Alpha". Read more
• 21 Aug 2014: Helen Bamber, English psychotherapist and academic (born 1925) Helen Rae Bamber OBE, née Helen Balmuth, was a British psychotherapist and human rights activist. She worked with Holocaust survivors in Germany after the concentration camps were liberated in 1945. In 1947, she returned to Britain and continued her work, helping to establish Amnesty International and later co-founding the Medical Foundation for the Care of Victims of Torture. In 2005, she created the Helen Bamber Foundation to help survivors of human rights violations. Read more
• 21 Aug 2014: Steven R. Nagel, American colonel, engineer, and astronaut (born 1946) Steven Ray Nagel, , was an American astronaut, aeronautical and mechanical engineer, test pilot, and a United States Air Force pilot. In total, he logged 723 hours in space. After NASA, he worked at the University of Missouri College of Engineering as an instructor in its Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Department. Read more
• 21 Aug 2014: Jean Redpath, Scottish singer-songwriter (born 1937) Jean Redpath MBE was a Scottish folk singer. Read more
• 21 Aug 2014: Albert Reynolds, Irish businessman and politician, ninth Taoiseach of Ireland (born 1932) Albert Martin Reynolds was an Irish Fianna Fáil politician who served as Taoiseach and Leader of Fianna Fáil from 1992 to 1994. Between 1979 and 1991, he held several cabinet positions, including Minister for Finance from 1988 to 1991. He served as a Teachta Dála (TD) for Longford–Roscommon from 1977 to 1992, and for Longford–Westmeath from 1992 to 2002. Read more
• 21 Aug 2013: Jean Berkey, American lawyer and politician (born 1938) Jean Louise Berkey was an American politician who served as a Washington State Senator from Washington's 38th legislative district from 2005 to 2011. Her career ended due to the Moxie Media scandal: in the 2010 primary election, her fellow Democrat, Nick Harper, bankrolled ads for a third candidate in an effort to "Squeeze The Middle" and prevent the moderate incumbent Berkey from running in the general election. The state's election watchdog committee unanimously voted to refer the case to the state Attorney General Rob McKenna, who promptly "filed suit, alleging multiple campaign-finance violations." Berkey placed third in the primary, and despite a call several former state senators to hold another election, was prevented from running in the general election per Washington state's 'top two' primary system. Her term ended in January 2011. Read more
• 21 Aug 2013: Sid Bernstein, American record producer (born 1918) Sidney Bernstein was an American music promoter, talent manager, and author. Bernstein changed the American music scene in the 1960s by bringing the Beatles, the Rolling Stones, Herman's Hermits, the Moody Blues, and the Kinks to America. He was the first impresario to organize rock concerts at sports stadiums. Read more
• 21 Aug 2013: C. Gordon Fullerton, American colonel, engineer, and astronaut (born 1936) Charles Gordon Fullerton was a United States Air Force colonel, a USAF and NASA astronaut, and a research pilot at NASA's Dryden Flight Research Facility, Edwards, California. His assignments included a variety of flight research and support activities piloting NASA's B-52 launch aircraft, the Boeing 747 Shuttle Carrier Aircraft (SCA), and other multi-engine and high performance aircraft. Read more
• 21 Aug 2013: Fred Martin, Scottish footballer (born 1929) Fred George Martin was a Scottish professional footballer, who played as a goalkeeper. His only senior club was Aberdeen, with whom he played for 14 years. He also represented Scotland during their first FIFA World Cup finals appearance in 1954. Read more
• 21 Aug 2013: Enos Nkala, Zimbabwean politician, Zimbabwean Minister of Defence (born 1932) Enos Mzombi Nkala was one of the founders of the Zimbabwe African National Union. Read more
• 21 Aug 2012: Georg Leber, German soldier and politician, Federal Minister of Defence for Germany (born 1920) Georg Leber was a German Trades Union leader and a politician in the Social Democratic Party of Germany (SPD). Read more
• 21 Aug 2012: J. Frank Raley Jr., American soldier and politician (born 1926) John Frank Raley Jr. was a Maryland politician and an advocate for education, economic development and protection and restoration of the Chesapeake Bay. Read more
• 21 Aug 2012: Don Raleigh, Canadian ice hockey player and coach (born 1926) James Donald Raleigh was a Canadian professional ice hockey player who played centre with the New York Rangers of the National Hockey League between 1943 and 1956. Read more
• 21 Aug 2012: Guy Spitaels, Belgian academic and politician, seventh Minister-President of Wallonia (born 1931) Guy Gustave Arthur Ghislain Spitaels was a Belgian politician of the Socialist Party. He was the 7th Minister-President of Wallonia from 1992 to 1994 and president of his party for thirteen years, until he was succeeded by Philippe Busquin. Read more
• 21 Aug 2012: William Thurston, American mathematician and academic (born 1946) William Paul Thurston was an American mathematician. He was a pioneer in the field of low-dimensional topology and was awarded the Fields Medal in 1982 for his contributions to the study of 3-manifolds. Read more
• 21 Aug 2010: Rodolfo Enrique Fogwill, Argentinean sociologist and author (born 1941) Rodolfo Enrique Fogwill, who normally went only by his surname, Fogwill, was an Argentine short story writer, novelist, and businessman. He was a distant relative of the novelist Charles Langbridge Morgan. He was the author of Malvinas Requiem, one of the first narratives to deal with the Falklands War. Fogwill died on August 21, 2010, from a pulmonary dysfunction. Read more
• 21 Aug 2009: Rex Shelley, Singaporean engineer and author (born 1930) Rex Anthony Shelley was a Singaporean author. A graduate of the University of Malaya in Malaysia and Cambridge trained in engineering and economics, Shelley managed his own business and also worked as member of the Public Service Commission (PSC) for over 30 years. For his service, he was conferred the Bintang Bakti Masyarakat by the Government of Singapore in 1978, and an additional Bar the next year. Read more
• 21 Aug 2008: Jerry Finn, American engineer and producer (born 1969) Jermone Gregory Finn, sometimes credited as "Huckle" Jerry Finn, was an American record producer and mix engineer. He worked with numerous punk rock and pop-punk artists such as Blink-182, AFI, Sum 41, Alkaline Trio, Green Day, MxPx, and Rancid. Finn was known for the warm guitar tone present on albums he produced as well as the "punchy" sound of his mixes. He was instrumental in developing the polished sound of pop-punk in its second wave of popularity between the mid-1990s and early 2000s. Read more
• 21 Aug 2007: Frank Bowe, American academic (born 1947) Frank G. Bowe was a deaf American disability studies academic, activist, author, and the Dr. Mervin Livingston Schloss Distinguished Professor for the Study of Disabilities at Hofstra University. As a disability rights activist, author, and teacher, he accomplished a series of firsts for individuals with disabilities. Read more
• 21 Aug 2007: Siobhan Dowd, British author (born 1960) Siobhan Dowd was a British writer and activist. The last book she completed, Bog Child, posthumously won the 2009 Carnegie Medal from the professional librarians, recognising the year's best book for children or young adults published in the UK. Read more
• 21 Aug 2007: Elizabeth P. Hoisington, American general (born 1918) Elizabeth Paschel Hoisington was a United States Army officer who was one of the first two women to attain the rank of brigadier general. Read more
• 21 Aug 2006: Bismillah Khan, Indian musician, Bharat Ratna recipient (born 1916) Ustad Bismillah Khan, often referred to by the title Ustad, was an Indian musician credited with popularizing the shehnai, a reeded woodwind instrument. His virtuosity made him a leading Hindustani classical music artist. While the shehnai had importance as a folk instrument played primarily by musicians schooled in traditional ceremonies, Khan elevated its status and brought it to the concert stage. Read more
• 21 Aug 2006: Paul Fentener van Vlissingen, Dutch businessman and philanthropist (born 1941) Paul Fentener van Vlissingen was a Dutch businessman and philanthropist who was CEO of SHV Holdings for three decades. He contributed to the development of game reserves in Africa and purchased the Letterewe estate in Scotland in 1978. He pledged the right to roam there prior to the passage of the Scottish Land Reform Act of 2003. Read more
• 21 Aug 2005: Martin Dillon, American tenor and educator (born 1957) Martin Dillon was an American musician, operatic tenor, and professor of music at Rutgers University in Camden, New Jersey. Read more
• 21 Aug 2005: Robert Moog, American businessman, founded Moog Music (born 1934) Robert Arthur Moog was an American electronics engineer and electronic music pioneer. He was the founder of the synthesizer manufacturer Moog Music and the inventor of the first commercial synthesizer, the Moog synthesizer, which debuted in 1964. In 1970, Moog released a more portable model, the Minimoog, described as the most famous and influential synthesizer in history. Among Moog's honors are a Technical Grammy Award, received in 2002, and an induction into the National Inventors Hall of Fame. Read more
• 21 Aug 2005: Dahlia Ravikovitch, Israeli poet and translator (born 1936) Dahlia Ravikovitch was an Israeli poet, translator and recipient of the Israel Prize for Poetry in 1998. Read more
• 21 Aug 2005: Marcus Schmuck, Austrian mountaineer (born 1925) Marcus Schmuck was an Austrian mountaineer. In 1957, together with Hermann Buhl he organized the expedition, firstly envisaged and initiated by Buhl, to climb the world's 12th highest peak, the Broad Peak (8,047 metres) in the Karakoram in Pakistan. The other members of the expedition were: Fritz Wintersteller and Kurt Diemberger. In his later years, he successfully organized and led 74 expeditions to the high mountains around the world. Read more
• 21 Aug 2004: Sachidananda Routray, Indian Oriya-language poet (born 1916) Sachidananda Routray was an Indian poet, novelist and short-story writer who wrote in Odia. He received Jnanpith Award, the highest literary award of India, in 1986. He was popularly known as Biplabi Kabi Sachi Routray. Read more
• 21 Aug 2003: John Coplans, British artist (born 1920) John Rivers Coplans was a British artist, art writer, curator, and museum director. A veteran of World War II and a photographer, he emigrated to the United States in 1960 and had many exhibitions in Europe and North America. He was on the founding editorial staff of Artforum from 1962 to 1971, and was Editor-in-Chief from 1972 to 1977. Read more
• 21 Aug 2003: Kathy Wilkes, English philosopher and academic (born 1946) Kathleen Vaughan Wilkes was an English philosopher and academic who played an important part in reform education systems of former Communist countries after 1990. She established her reputation as an academic with her contributions to the philosophy of mind in two major works and many articles in professional journals. As a conscientious college tutor, she won the respect and affection of her students and academic colleagues. Her most notable contribution lay in her clandestine activities behind the Iron Curtain, which led to the establishment of Underground University and academic networks in Communists Eastern Europe. For her work in support of this network President Václav Havel awarded her the Commemorative Medal of the President of the Czech Republic in October 1998. Read more
• 21 Aug 2001: Calum MacKay, Canadian ice hockey player (born 1927) Calum "Baldy" MacKay was a Canadian professional ice hockey winger. He played in the National Hockey League with the Detroit Red Wings and Montreal Canadiens between 1947 and 1955. With Montreal, he won the Stanley Cup in 1953. MacKay was born in Toronto, Ontario, but grew up in Port Arthur, Ontario. Read more
• 21 Aug 2000: Tomata du Plenty, American singer-songwriter and playwright (born 1948) David Xavier Harrigan, also Tomata du Plenty, was an American singer of the late 1970s and early 1980s Los Angeles electropunk band The Screamers. He was also the founder of Seattle's counterculture troupe Ze Whiz Kidz. During the later part of his life he focused on painting. Read more
• 21 Aug 2000: Daniel Lisulo, Zambian politician, third Prime Minister of Zambia (born 1930) Daniel Muchiwa Lisulo was the 3rd Prime Minister of Zambia from June 1978 until February 1981. Read more
• 21 Aug 2000: Andrzej Zawada, Polish mountaineer and author (born 1928) Andrzej Zawada was a Polish mountaineer, expedition leader and pioneer of winter Himalayism. Zawada was an organiser and leader of numerous high-mountains expeditions, author of movies and photographs from expeditions, and co-author of Alpinist books. He was an honorary member of the British Alpine Club, French Groupe de Haute Montagne and The Explorers Club in the United States. Read more
• 21 Aug 1996: Mary Two-Axe Earley, Canadian indigenous women's rights activist (born 1911) Mary Two-Axe Earley was a Canadian Mohawk and Oneida women's rights activist from the reserve of Kahnawake in Quebec. After losing her legal Indian status due to marrying a non-status man, Two-Axe Earley advocated for changes to the Indian Act, which had promoted gender discrimination and stripped First Nations women of the right to participate in the political and cultural life of their home reserves. Read more
• 21 Aug 1995: Subrahmanyan Chandrasekhar, Indian-American astrophysicist and mathematician, Nobel Prize laureate (born 1910) Subrahmanyan Chandrasekhar was an Indian-American theoretical physicist. He shared the 1983 Nobel Prize in Physics "for his theoretical studies of the physical processes of importance to the structure and evolution of the stars." His mathematical treatment of stellar evolution yielded many of the current theoretical models of the later evolutionary stages of massive stars. The Chandrasekhar limit describes the maximum mass of a white dwarf. Above it, a stellar remnant will collapse to form a neutron star or black hole. Many concepts, institutions and inventions, including the Chandra X-Ray Observatory, are named after him. Read more
• 21 Aug 1995: Chuck Stevenson, American race car driver (born 1919) Charles Joseph Stevenson was an American racing driver who competed in various disciplines of motorsport. He is best known for winning the AAA National Championship in 1952. Stevenson also had two class victories in the Carrera Panamericana and won a NASCAR Grand National event. Read more
• 21 Aug 1993: Tatiana Troyanos, American soprano and actress (born 1938) Tatiana Troyanos was an American mezzo-soprano remembered as "one of the defining singers of her generation". Her voice, "a paradoxical voice — larger than life yet intensely human, brilliant yet warm, lyric yet dramatic" — "was the kind you recognize after one bar, and never forget", wrote Cori Ellison in Opera News. Read more
• 21 Aug 1989: Raul Seixas, Brazilian singer-songwriter and producer (born 1945) Raul Santos Seixas was a Brazilian singer, songwriter, producer, and multi-instrumentalist, considered the "Father of Brazilian Rock". His musical work consists of seventeen albums released during his 26-year career. His musical style is traditionally classified as rock and baião, and he did indeed manage to unite both genres in songs like "Let me Sing, Let me Sing". His debut album, Raulzito e os Panteras (1968), was produced when he was part of the group Raulzito e os Panteras, but he only gained critical and public acclaim with songs like "Ouro de Tolo", "Mosca na Sopa" and "Metamorfose Ambulante," from the album Krig-ha, Bandolo! (1973). Raul Seixas had a musical style that was called "rebellious and mystical". This is due to the ideals he championed, such as the Alternative Society presented in the album Gita (1974), influenced by figures like the British occultist Aleister Crowley. Read more
• 21 Aug 1988: Teodoro de Villa Diaz, Filipino guitarist and songwriter (born 1963) Teodoro "Teddy" de Villa Diaz was a Filipino musician and songwriter, best known as the founder and original guitarist of the Dawn. Read more
• 21 Aug 1988: Ray Eames, American architect, co-designed the Eames House (born 1912) Charles Eames Jr. and Ray-Bernice Eames were an American married couple of industrial designers who made significant historical contributions to the development of modern architecture and furniture through the work of the Eames Office. They also worked in the fields of industrial and graphic design, fine art, and film. Charles was the public face of the Eames Office, but Ray and Charles worked together as creative partners and employed a diverse creative staff. Among their most recognized designs are the Eames Lounge Chair, Eames Fiberglass Armchair, and the Eames Aluminum Group. Read more
• 21 Aug 1983: Benigno Aquino Jr., Filipino journalist and politician (born 1932) Benigno Simeón "Ninoy" Aquino Jr., was a Filipino politician and journalist who served as a senator of the Philippines (1967–1972) and governor of the province of Tarlac (1963–1967). Aquino was the husband of Corazon Aquino, who became the 11th president of the Philippines after his assassination, and father of Benigno Aquino III, who became the 15th president of the Philippines. Aquino, together with Gerry Roxas and Jovito R. Salonga, helped form the leadership of the Liberal Party-based coalition against ex-President Ferdinand Marcos. Aquino was a significant emotional leader, who, together with the intellectual leader Sen. Jose W. Diokno, led the overall opposition. Read more
• 21 Aug 1981: Kaka Kalelkar, Indian Hindi Writer(born 1885) Dattatreya Balkrishna Kalelkar, popularly known as Kaka Kalelkar, was an Indian independence activist, social reformer, journalist and an eminent follower of the philosophy and methods of Mahatma Gandhi. Read more
• 21 Aug 1979: Giuseppe Meazza, Italian footballer and manager (born 1910) Giuseppe Meazza was an Italian football manager and player. Throughout his career, he played mainly for Inter Milan in the 1930s, scoring 284 goals in 408 games for the club, and winning three Serie A titles, as well as the Coppa Italia; he later also played for two seasons for local rivals Milan, as well as Turin rivals Juventus for one season, in addition to his spells with Varese and Atalanta. At the international level, he led Italy to win two consecutive World Cups: in 1934 on home soil, and in 1938 as captain, being named to the All-star Team. He is widely regarded as one of the best players of the 20th century, and one of the greatest Italian strikers in the history of the sport. Read more
• 21 Aug 1978: Charles Eames, American architect, co-designed the Eames House (born 1907) Charles Eames Jr. and Ray-Bernice Eames were an American married couple of industrial designers who made significant historical contributions to the development of modern architecture and furniture through the work of the Eames Office. They also worked in the fields of industrial and graphic design, fine art, and film. Charles was the public face of the Eames Office, but Ray and Charles worked together as creative partners and employed a diverse creative staff. Among their most recognized designs are the Eames Lounge Chair, Eames Fiberglass Armchair, and the Eames Aluminum Group. Read more
• 21 Aug 1974: Buford Pusser, American police officer (born 1937) Buford Hayse Pusser was an American police officer, politician, and alleged murderer, who served as the sheriff of McNairy County, Tennessee from 1964 to 1970 and constable of Adamsville from 1970 to 1972. His time in office inspired several books, songs, and movies, most notably Walking Tall. He was also a wrestler known as "Buford the Bull" in the Mid-South. Read more
• 21 Aug 1974: Kirpal Singh, Indian spiritual master (born 1894) Kirpal Singh was a spiritual master (satguru) in the tradition of Radha Soami. Read more
• 21 Aug 1971: George Jackson, American activist and author, co-founded the Black Guerrilla Family (born 1941) George Lester Jackson was an American author, prisoner, and revolutionary. While serving an indeterminate sentence for stealing $71 at gunpoint from a gas station in 1960, Jackson became involved in the Black power movement and founded a far-left prison gang, the Black Guerrilla Family. Read more
• 21 Aug 1968: Germaine Guèvremont, Canadian journalist and author (born 1893) Germaine Guèvremont, born Grignon was a Canadian writer, who was a prominent figure in Quebec literature. Read more
• 21 Aug 1964: Palmiro Togliatti, Italian journalist and politician, Italian Minister of Justice (born 1893) Palmiro Michele Nicola Togliatti was an Italian politician and statesman who led the Italian Communist Party for nearly forty years, from 1927 until his death. Born into a middle-class family, Togliatti received an education in law at the University of Turin, later served as an officer and was wounded in World War I, and became a tutor. Described as "severe in approach but extremely popular among the Communist base" and "a hero of his time, capable of courageous personal feats", his supporters gave him the nickname il Migliore. In 1930, Togliatti renounced Italian citizenship, and he became a citizen of the Soviet Union; upon his death, a Soviet city was named after him. Considered one of the founding fathers of the Italian Republic, he led Italy's Communist party from a few thousand members in 1943 to two million members in 1946. Read more
• 21 Aug 1960: David B. Steinman, American engineer, designed the Mackinac Bridge (born 1886) David Barnard Steinman was an American civil engineer. He was the designer of the Mackinac Bridge and many other notable bridges, and a published author. He grew up in New York City's lower Manhattan, and lived with the ambition of making his mark on the Brooklyn Bridge that he lived under. In 1906 he earned a bachelor's degree from City College and in 1909, a Master of Arts from Columbia University and a Doctorate in 1911. He also received an honorary Doctor of Science in Engineering on 15 April 1952 from degree mill Sequoia University, but would distance himself from it soon after a 1957 inquiry raised doubts over its legitimacy, and did not mention the qualifications in his biographies. He was awarded the Franklin Institute's Louis E. Levy Medal in 1957. Read more
• 21 Aug 1957: Mait Metsanurk, Estonian author and playwright (born 1879) Mait Metsanurk was an Estonian writer who led the neo-realist school of Estonian literature. Read more
• 21 Aug 1957: Nels Stewart, Canadian ice hockey player (born 1902) Robert Nelson "Old Poison" Stewart was a Canadian professional ice hockey player who played for the Montreal Maroons, New York Americans and Boston Bruins in the National Hockey League. He is an Honoured Member of the Hockey Hall of Fame. He was the first player to win the NHL's Hart Trophy multiple times, and is considered the NHL's greatest goalscorer in the pre-World War II era, holding the league record for career goals from 1937 to 1952. Read more
• 21 Aug 1957: Harald Sverdrup, Norwegian meteorologist and oceanographer (born 1888) Harald Ulrik Sverdrup was a Norwegian oceanographer and meteorologist. He served as director of the Scripps Institution of Oceanography and the Norwegian Polar Institute. Read more
• 21 Aug 1951: Constant Lambert, English composer and conductor (born 1905) Leonard Constant Lambert was a British composer, conductor, and author. He was the founding music director of the Royal Ballet, and he was a major figure in the establishment of the English ballet as a significant artistic movement. Read more
• 21 Aug 1947: Ettore Bugatti, Italian-French engineer and businessman, founded Bugatti (born 1881) Ettore Arco Isidoro Bugatti was an Italian-French automobile designer and manufacturer. He received French citizenship in 1946 and is remembered as the founder and proprietor of the automobile manufacturing company Automobiles E. Bugatti, which he founded in 1909 in the then German town of Molsheim in the Alsace region of what is now France. Bugatti died in Paris and is buried in Dorlisheim, France. Read more
• 21 Aug 1943: Henrik Pontoppidan, Danish journalist and author, Nobel Prize laureate (born 1857) Henrik Pontoppidan was a Danish realist writer who shared with Karl Gjellerup the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1917 for "his authentic descriptions of present-day life in Denmark." Pontoppidan's novels and short stories — informed with a desire for social progress but despairing, later in his life, of its realization — present an unusually comprehensive picture of his country and his epoch. As a writer he was an interesting figure, distancing himself both from the conservative environment in which he was brought up and from his socialist contemporaries and friends. He was the youngest and in many ways the most original and influential member of the Modern Break-Through. Read more
• 21 Aug 1940: Hermann Obrecht, Swiss lawyer and politician (born 1882) Hermann Obrecht was a Swiss politician and member of the Swiss Federal Council (1935–1940). Read more
• 21 Aug 1940: Ernest Thayer, American poet and author (born 1863) Ernest Lawrence Thayer was an American writer and poet who wrote the poem "Casey", which is "the single most famous baseball poem ever written" according to the Baseball Almanac, and "the nation’s best-known piece of comic verse—a ballad that began a native legend as colorful and permanent as that of Johnny Appleseed or Paul Bunyan". Read more
• 21 Aug 1940: Leon Trotsky, Russian theorist and politician, founded the Red Army (born 1879) Lev Davidovich Trotsky, better known as Leon Trotsky, was a Russian revolutionary, Soviet politician and political theorist. He was a key figure in the 1905 Revolution, the October Revolution of 1917, the Russian Civil War, and the establishment of the Soviet Union, from which he was exiled in 1929 before his assassination in 1940. Trotsky and Vladimir Lenin were widely considered the two most prominent figures in the Soviet state from 1917 until Lenin's death in 1924. Ideologically a Marxist and a Leninist, Trotsky's ideas and beliefs inspired a school of Marxism known as Trotskyism. Read more
• 21 Aug 1935: John Hartley, English tennis player (born 1849) Rev. John Thorneycroft Hartley was a tennis player from England, and the only clergyman to win Wimbledon. Read more
• 21 Aug 1919: Laurence Doherty, English tennis player (born 1875) Hugh Laurence Doherty was a British tennis player and the younger brother of tennis player Reginald Doherty. He was a six-time Grand Slam champion and a double Olympic Gold medalist at the 1900 Summer Olympics in singles and doubles. In 1903 he became the first non-American player to win the U.S. National Championships. Read more
• 21 Aug 1911: Mahboob Ali Khan, sixth Nizam of Hyderabad State (born 1866) Asaf Jah VI, also known as Sir Mir Mahboob Ali Khan Siddiqi, was the sixth Nizam of Hyderabad. He ruled Hyderabad State, one of the princely states of India, between 1869 and 1911. Read more
• 21 Aug 1910: Bertalan Székely, Hungarian painter and academic (born 1835) Bertalan Székely was a Hungarian history and portrait painter who worked in the Romantic and Academic styles. Read more
• 21 Aug 1905: Alexander von Oettingen, Estonian theologian and statistician (born 1827) Alexander Konstantin von Oettingen was a Baltic German Lutheran theologian and statistician. Read more
• 21 Aug 1888: James Farnell, Australian politician, eighth Premier of New South Wales (born 1825) James Squire Farnell was an Australian politician and Premier of New South Wales. Read more
• 21 Aug 1870: Ma Xinyi, Chinese general and politician, Viceroy of Liangjiang (born 1821) Ma Xinyi, courtesy name Gushan (穀山), art names Yanmen (燕門) and Tiefang (鐵舫), posthumous name Duanmin (端敏), was a Chinese Muslim official and military general of the Qing dynasty of China. Read more
• 21 Aug 1867: Juan Álvarez, Mexican general and president (1855) (born 1790) Juan Nepomuceno Álvarez Hurtado de Luna, generally known as Juan Álvarez, was a general, long-time caudillo in southern Mexico, and president of Mexico for two months in 1855, following the liberals' ouster of Antonio López de Santa Anna. His presidency inaugurated the pivotal era of La Reforma. Read more
• 21 Aug 1854: Thomas Clayton, American lawyer and politician (born 1777) Thomas Clayton was an American lawyer and politician from Dover in Kent County, Delaware. He was a member of the Federalist Party and later the National Republican Party and the Whig Party. He served in the Delaware General Assembly, as Attorney General of Delaware, as Secretary of State of Delaware, as Chief Justice of the Delaware Supreme Court, as U.S. Representative from Delaware, and as U.S. Senator from Delaware. In 1846 he was one of two members of the United States Senate to vote against declaring war on Mexico. Read more
• 21 Aug 1853: Charles Tristan, marquis de Montholon, French general (born 1783) Charles Tristan, Marquis de Montholon was a French general during the Napoleonic Wars. He chose to go into exile on Saint Helena with the ex-emperor after Napoleon's second abdication. Read more
• 21 Aug 1838: Adelbert von Chamisso, German botanist and poet (born 1781) Adelbert von Chamisso was a German poet, writer and botanist. He was commonly known in French as Adelbert de Chamisso de Boncourt, a name referring to the family estate at Boncourt. Read more
• 21 Aug 1836: Claude-Louis Navier, French physicist and engineer (born 1785) Claude-Louis Navier was a French civil engineer, affiliated with the French government, and a physicist who specialized in continuum mechanics. Read more
• 21 Aug 1835: John MacCulloch, Scottish geologist and academic (born 1773) John MacCulloch FRS was a Scottish geologist. He was the first geologist to be employed by the government in Britain and is best known for his pioneering texts on geology and for producing the first geological maps of Scotland. He introduced the word "malaria" into the English language. Read more
• 21 Aug 1814: Benjamin Thompson, American-English physicist and colonel (born 1753) Colonel Sir Benjamin Thompson, Count Rumford, FRS, was an American-born British military officer, scientist and inventor. Born in Woburn, Massachusetts, he supported the Loyalist cause during the American War of Independence, commanding the King's American Dragoons during the conflict. After the war ended in 1783, Thompson moved to London, where he was recognised for his administrative talents and received a knighthood from George III in 1784. Read more

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