On This Day, Aug. 21: U.S. peeps first total solar eclipse in 38 years

UPI Staff
·4 min read
A solar eclipse moves across the sky near the crown and torch of the Statue of Liberty on Liberty Island on August 21, 2017. File Photo by John Angelillo/UPI
A solar eclipse moves across the sky near the crown and torch of the Statue of Liberty on Liberty Island on August 21, 2017. File Photo by John Angelillo/UPI

Aug. 21 (UPI) -- On this date in history:

In 1831, Nat Turner launched a bloody slave insurrection in Southampton County, Va., leading to the deaths of 60 people. Turner, an educated minister who considered himself chosen by God to lead his people out of slavery, was hanged.

In 1911, the Mona Lisa was stolen from the Louvre. The painting by Leonardo di Vinci was recovered in 1913.

In 1935, Benny Goodman's nationally broadcast concert at Los Angeles' Palomar Theater was such a hit that it often has been referred to as the kickoff of the swing era.

In 1940, exiled Bolshevik leader Leon Trotsky was assassinated in Mexico City on orders from Soviet dictator Joseph Stalin.

Spectators watch massive waves crash on the North Shore of Oahu, Hawaii, on December 13, 2004. On August 21, 1959, Hawaii became the 50th state of the United States. File Photo by Pierre Tostee/UPI
Spectators watch massive waves crash on the North Shore of Oahu, Hawaii, on December 13, 2004. On August 21, 1959, Hawaii became the 50th state of the United States. File Photo by Pierre Tostee/UPI

In 1951, the United States ordered construction of the world's first atomic submarine, the USS Nautilus. The vessel was retired in 1985.

File Photo by U.S. Navy
File Photo by U.S. Navy
On Aug. 21, 2013, a U.S. military judge sentenced Army Pfc. Bradley Manning -- now known as Chelsea Manning -- to 35 years for leaking government secrets. File Photo courtesy of the Department of Defense
On Aug. 21, 2013, a U.S. military judge sentenced Army Pfc. Bradley Manning -- now known as Chelsea Manning -- to 35 years for leaking government secrets. File Photo courtesy of the Department of Defense

In 1959, Hawaii became the 50th state of the United States.

In 1983, Philippine opposition leader Benigno Aquino Jr. was assassinated as he stepped from a plane at the Manila airport.

On August 21, 1986, gas released from a volcanic lake in the remote mountains of Cameroon killed more than 1,700 people and injured 500. File Photo by United States Geological Survey
On August 21, 1986, gas released from a volcanic lake in the remote mountains of Cameroon killed more than 1,700 people and injured 500. File Photo by United States Geological Survey

In 1986, gas released from a volcanic lake in the remote mountains of Cameroon killed more than 1,700 people and injured 500. It became known as the Lake Nyos disaster.

In 1991, Boris Yeltsin led a three-day resistance to crush an attempted coup d'etat against President Mikhail Gorbachev.

Women celebrate the revolution against Moammar Gadhafi's regime and ask for more women's rights in Tripoli, Libya, on September, 2, 2011. On August 21, 2011, Libyan rebels, with NATO support, stormed into Tripoli and seized control of Moammar Gadhafi's besieged country, setting up their own government at the end of a three-day battle. File Photo by Tarek Elframawy/UPI

In 2009, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control, assessing the H1N1 virus, or swine flu, in a mostly flu-free time of year, said there had been 522 reported deaths from confirmed cases of the illness and 7,963 people hospitalized.

File Photo by Israel Rosas/UPI
File Photo by Israel Rosas/UPI
People use touch-screen computers to study details of the "Mona Lisa" painting at the "Leonardo da Vinci's Workshop: Inventor, Artist, Dreamer" exhibit shown at the Discovery Times Square Exposition on November 20, 2009 in New York. On August 21, 1911, the "Mona Lisa" was stolen from the Louvre. The painting by Leonardo di Vinci was recovered in 1913. File Photo by Monika Graff/UPI

In 2011, Libyan rebels, with NATO support, stormed into Tripoli and seized control of Moammar Gadhafi's besieged country, setting up their own government at the end of a three-day battle.

In 2013, a U.S. military judge sentenced Army Pfc. Bradley Manning to 35 years in prison for giving classified documents to the WikiLeaks whistle-blower site. Manning, with credit for time already served, would be eligible for parole in seven years. In 2016, President Barack Obama pardoned Manning, who was by then going by Chelsea Manning.

On August 21, 1951, the United States ordered construction of the world's first atomic submarine, the USS Nautilus. The vessel was retired in 1985. File Photo by U.S. Navy/UPI
On August 21, 1951, the United States ordered construction of the world's first atomic submarine, the USS Nautilus. The vessel was retired in 1985. File Photo by U.S. Navy/UPI

In 2017, millions watched the United States' first total solar eclipse in 38 years. Experts said the event was one of the largest mass migrations in human history with more than 200 million Americans within a day's drive of the path of totality.

In 2020, actor Lori Loughlin was sentenced to two months in federal prison and her husband, fashion designer Mossimo Giannulli, received five months for taking part in a college admissions scam.

In 2021, heavy rains caused flooding in Middle Tennessee, killing 20 people and creating more than $100 million in damage.

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