1959 67 years ago Historical Events August 21 3 sources

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.

On August 21, in the year 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. This event is recorded as a Historical Events event in the history of August 21, one of 404 recorded events on this date across all of history.

The president of the United States (POTUS) is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president directs the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States Armed Forces.

Key Facts

  • This event took place on August 21, 1959 (AD era).
  • It is categorised as a Historical Events event in recorded history.
  • Referenced in 3 Wikipedia articles.
  • Wikipedia source last updated on 1 August 2026.

On This Date in History 404

Type Year Date Event
Notable Deaths 2024 Aug 21 Nell McCafferty, Northern Irish journalist, playwright and civil rights campaigner (born 1944)
Notable Deaths 2024 Aug 21 Bill Pascrell, American politician (born 1937)
Notable Deaths 2024 Aug 21 John Amos, American actor (born 1939)
Notable Deaths 2019 Aug 21 Ifeanyi Chiejine, Nigerian footballer (born 1983)
Notable Deaths 2019 Aug 21 Celso Piña, Mexican singer, composer, arranger, and accordionist (born 1953)
Notable Deaths 2018 Aug 21 Stefán Karl Stefánsson, Icelandic actor and singer (born 1975)
Historical Events 2017 Aug 21 A solar eclipse traverses the continental United States.
Notable Deaths 2017 Aug 21 Bajram Rexhepi, First Kosovan Prime Ministers of UN mission administration in Kosovo (born 1954)
Notable Deaths 2015 Aug 21 Colin Beyer, New Zealand lawyer and businessman (born 1938)
Notable Deaths 2015 Aug 21 Wang Dongxing, Chinese commander and politician (born 1916)
Notable Deaths 2015 Aug 21 Jimmy Evert, American tennis player and coach (born 1924)
Selected Events 2015 Aug 21 Passengers on a Thalys train from Amsterdam to Paris confronted and subdued an attacker who attempted a mass shooting.
Notable Deaths 2014 Aug 21 Gerry Anderson, Irish radio and television host (born 1944)
Notable Deaths 2014 Aug 21 Helen Bamber, English psychotherapist and academic (born 1925)
Notable Deaths 2014 Aug 21 Steven R. Nagel, American colonel, engineer, and astronaut (born 1946)
Notable Deaths 2014 Aug 21 Jean Redpath, Scottish singer-songwriter (born 1937)
Notable Deaths 2014 Aug 21 Albert Reynolds, Irish businessman and politician, ninth Taoiseach of Ireland (born 1932)
Historical Events 2013 Aug 21 Hundreds of people are reported killed by chemical attacks in the Ghouta region of Syria.
Notable Deaths 2013 Aug 21 Jean Berkey, American lawyer and politician (born 1938)
Notable Deaths 2013 Aug 21 Sid Bernstein, American record producer (born 1918)
Notable Deaths 2013 Aug 21 C. Gordon Fullerton, American colonel, engineer, and astronaut (born 1936)
Notable Deaths 2013 Aug 21 Fred Martin, Scottish footballer (born 1929)
Notable Deaths 2013 Aug 21 Enos Nkala, Zimbabwean politician, Zimbabwean Minister of Defence (born 1932)
Selected Events 2013 Aug 21 Syrian civil war: Areas controlled by the Syrian opposition in Ghouta, Damascus, were attacked by rockets (launcher…
Notable Deaths 2012 Aug 21 Georg Leber, German soldier and politician, Federal Minister of Defence for Germany (born 1920)
Notable Deaths 2012 Aug 21 J. Frank Raley Jr., American soldier and politician (born 1926)
Notable Deaths 2012 Aug 21 Don Raleigh, Canadian ice hockey player and coach (born 1926)
Notable Deaths 2012 Aug 21 Guy Spitaels, Belgian academic and politician, seventh Minister-President of Wallonia (born 1931)
Notable Deaths 2012 Aug 21 William Thurston, American mathematician and academic (born 1946)
Notable Deaths 2010 Aug 21 Rodolfo Enrique Fogwill, Argentinean sociologist and author (born 1941)
Notable Deaths 2009 Aug 21 Rex Shelley, Singaporean engineer and author (born 1930)
Notable Deaths 2008 Aug 21 Jerry Finn, American engineer and producer (born 1969)
Notable Deaths 2007 Aug 21 Frank Bowe, American academic (born 1947)
Notable Deaths 2007 Aug 21 Siobhan Dowd, British author (born 1960)
Notable Deaths 2007 Aug 21 Elizabeth P. Hoisington, American general (born 1918)
Selected Events 2007 Aug 21 BioShock was released in North America, becoming a critical success and a demonstration of video games as an art form.
Notable Deaths 2006 Aug 21 Bismillah Khan, Indian musician, Bharat Ratna recipient (born 1916)
Notable Deaths 2006 Aug 21 Paul Fentener van Vlissingen, Dutch businessman and philanthropist (born 1941)
Notable Deaths 2005 Aug 21 Martin Dillon, American tenor and educator (born 1957)
Notable Deaths 2005 Aug 21 Robert Moog, American businessman, founded Moog Music (born 1934)
Notable Deaths 2005 Aug 21 Dahlia Ravikovitch, Israeli poet and translator (born 1936)
Notable Deaths 2005 Aug 21 Marcus Schmuck, Austrian mountaineer (born 1925)
Notable Deaths 2004 Aug 21 Sachidananda Routray, Indian Oriya-language poet (born 1916)
Notable Deaths 2003 Aug 21 John Coplans, British artist (born 1920)
Notable Deaths 2003 Aug 21 Kathy Wilkes, English philosopher and academic (born 1946)
Notable Births 2002 Aug 21 Kenji Fan, Hong Kong model and actor
Notable Deaths 2001 Aug 21 Calum MacKay, Canadian ice hockey player (born 1927)
Historical Events 2000 Aug 21 American golfer Tiger Woods wins the 82nd PGA Championship and becomes the first golfer since Ben Hogan in 1953 to win…
Notable Births 2000 Aug 21 Corbin Carroll, American baseball player
Notable Deaths 2000 Aug 21 Tomata du Plenty, American singer-songwriter and playwright (born 1948)

This article draws on content from Wikipedia, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.

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