Friday, August 21, 2026

Friday Is Here With:

• Brazilian Blow-out Day
• Day of Action Against Bullying and Violence (Third Friday)
• Fantasy Football Draft Day
• International Day of Remembrance and Tribute To The Victims of Terrorism
• Internet Self-care Day
• Men’s Grooming Day (Third Friday)
• Poet’s Day
• Senior Citizen’s Day
• Spumoni Day

Historical Events

1993 – NASA loses communication with the Mars Observer almost a year after its launch. The robotic space probe was tasked with exploring and studying the Red Planet.

1991 – Latvia gains full independence from the Soviet Union. Founded in 1918, the Republic of Latvia was fully incorporated as a Soviet republic after the Second World War. Independence for the Baltic state was achieved after a peaceful revolution known as the Singing Revolution, which began in Estonia.

1986 – Limnic eruption in Lake Nyos in Cameroon kills about 1700 people. A high amount of carbon dioxide was released by the underwater volcanic eruption.

1911 – The Mona Lisa is stolen. The famed Leonardo da Vinci painting was stolen by a Louvre employee. It was recovered 2 years later in Italy.

1879 – Oldsmobile is founded by Ransom Eli Olds of Olds Motor Works. The popular brand of car was first manufactured in Lansing, Michigan. The company was purchased by GM in 1908 and closed its doors in 2004.

1680 – The Pueblo Indians drove the Spanish out and took possession of Santa Fe, NM.

1831 – Nat Turner, a former slave, led a violent insurrection in Virginia. He was later executed.

1841 – A patent for venetian blinds was issued to John Hampton.

1878 – The American Bar Association was formed by a group of lawyers, judges and law professors in Saratoga, NY.

1888 – The adding machine was patented by William Burroughs.

1912 – Arthur R. Eldred became the first American boy to become an Eagle Scout. It is the highest rank in the Boy Scouts of America.

1923 – In Kalamazoo, Michigan, an ordinance was passed forbidding dancers from gazing into the eyes of their partner.

1943 – Japan evacuated the Aleutian island of Kiaska. Kiaska had been the last North American foothold held by the Japanese.

1945 – U.S. President Truman ended the Lend-Lease program that had shipped about $50 billion in aid to America’s Allies during World War II.

1959 – Hawaii became the 50th state. U.S. President Eisenhower also issued the order for the 50 star flag.

1963 – In South Vietnam, martial law was declared. Army troops and police began to crackdown on the Buddhist anti-government protesters.

1971 – Laura Baugh, at the age of 16, won the United States Women’s Amateur Golf tournament. She was the youngest winner in the history of the tournament.

1984 – Victoria Roche, a reserve outfielder, became the first girl to ever compete in a Little League World Series game.

1984 – Clint Eastwood was given a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

1989 – Voyager 2, a U.S. space probe, got close to the Neptune moon called Triton.

1991 – The hard-line coup against Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev ended. The uprising that led to the collapse was led by Russian federation President Boris Yeltsin.

1992 – NBC News fired Authur Kent two weeks after he refused an assignment to war-torn Croatia.

1993 – NASA lost contact with the Mars Observer spacecraft. The fate of the spacecraft was unknown. The mission cost $980 million.

1994 – Ernesto Zedillo won the Mexican presidential election.

1996 – The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 was signed by U.S. President Clinton. The act made it easier to obtain and keep health insurance.

1997 – Hudson Foods Inc. closed a plant in Nebraska after it had recalled 25 million pounds of ground beef that was potentially contaminated with E. coli 01557:H7. It was the largest food recall in U.S. history.

1997 – Afghanistan suspended its embassy operations in the United States.

1997 – Cicely Tyson received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

1998 – Wesley Snipes received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

2002 – In Pakistan, President General Pervez Musharraf unilaterally amended the Pakistani constitution. He extended his term in office and granted himself powers that included the right to dissolve parliament.

2003 – In Ghana, businessman Gyude Bryant was selected to oversee the two-year power-sharing accord between Liberia’s rebels and the government. The accord was planned to guide the country out of 14 years of civil war.