1745
Politics
Marriage to Grand Duke Peter of Holstein-Gottorp
Catherine marries the heir to the Russian throne, Grand Duke Peter, in St Petersburg on 21 August 1745.
View detailsThis Day
21August
18 indexed achievements across recorded history.
1825
1893
Activism
Arrest for inciting to riot
Goldman is arrested for inciting to riot in Union Square, New York City, and sentenced to a year in prison.
View details1905
1908
Literature
Born in Simla, British India
Mary Margaret Kaye was born in Simla, India, on 21 August 1908, into a family with deep roots in British colonial administration.
View details1915
Sports
First U.S. National Singles Championship title
Molla Bjurstedt won her first U.S. National singles title in 1915, launching a career of eight U.S. championships, a women's record at the time.
View details1926
Exploration
NYT covers commemoration of Dare's birth anniversary
NYT highlighted North Carolina's celebration of Virginia Dare's birth anniversary in 1926.
View details1935
Sports
Birth of Judy Grable
Judy Grable was born on August 21, 1935, in Bremerton, Washington.
View details1943
Aviation
Death of Hilda Hewlett
Hepworth passed away on August 21, 1943, in New Zealand after a pioneering life in aviation.
View details1961
Arts
Recording session for “Crazy”
Patsy Cline recorded “Crazy,” on crutches post-accident, a major pop-country crossover hit.
View details1979
Sports
Bahamas to Florida swim – longest open-water ocean swim in history
Nyad swam approximately 102 miles from North Bimini, Bahamas, to Florida in about 27.5 hours, the longest open-water ocean swim ever recorded.
View details1980
Sports
World-record total at Australian Nationals (82.5 kg class)
Bev Francis set a world-record total of 537.5 kg in the 82.5 kg class at the Australian Nationals, part of a season where she held all world records in that class.
View details1981
Sports
World-record squat and total at Australian Nationals (75 kg class)
Bev Francis set a world-record 212.5 kg squat and 550.0 kg total in the 75 kg class at the Australian Nationals.
View details1988
1990
Science
Plenary lecture at the 1990 International Congress of Mathematicians, Kyoto
Uhlenbeck became only the second woman ever to deliver a plenary lecture at the ICM, after Emmy Noether in 1932, at the 1990 Kyoto congress.
View details2004
Sports
Olympic silver medal, 100m
Williams won the silver medal in the women's 100-meter dash at the Athens Olympic Games.
View details2007
Politics
Death of Elizabeth P. Hoisington
Elizabeth P. Hoisington died of congestive heart failure at age 88 in Springfield, Virginia.
View details2018
Science
Hollywood Walk of Fame star ceremony
Cicely Tyson received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, honoring decades of groundbreaking work in entertainment.
View details