On August 21, 1754, Banastre Tarleton is born as the fourth child of John Tarleton, the former lord mayor of Liverpool, and a money lender, merchant and slave trader.

Believing himself chosen by God to lead his people out of slavery, Nat Turner launches the largest-ever insurrection by enslaved people in the United States. Turner, an enslaved man and educated minister, planned to capture Virginia's Southampton county armory and then march 30 miles to Dismal Swamp, where his rebels would be able to elude their pursuers. With seven followers, he killed Joseph Travis, his owner, and Travis’ family, and then set off across the countryside, hoping to rally hundreds of enslaved people to his insurrection en route to the armory.

The vicious guerrilla war in Missouri spills over into Kansas and precipitates one of the most appalling acts of violence during the war when Southern partisans [raid the abolitionist town](http://150 men in the) of Lawrence, Kansas and murder 150 men.

On August 21, 1897, Ransom Eli Olds of Lansing, Michigan, founds Olds Motor Vehicle Company, which will later become Olds Motor Werks and then Oldsmobile.

On August 21, 1944, representatives from the United States, Great Britain, the Soviet Union and China meet in the Dumbarton Oaks estate at Georgetown, Washington, D.C., to formulate the formal principles of an organization that will provide collective security on a worldwide basis—an organization that will become the United Nations.

Jomo Kenyatta, leader of the Kenyan independence movement, is released by British colonial authorities after nearly nine years of imprisonment and detention. Two years later, Kenya achieved independence and Kenyatta became prime minister. Once portrayed as a menacing symbol of African nationalism, he brought stability to the country and defended Western interests during his 15 years as Kenyan leader.

Antiwar protesters associated with the Catholic Left raid draft offices in Buffalo, New York, and Camden, New Jersey, to confiscate and destroy draft records. The FBI and local police, tipped off by an informant, arrested 25 protesters, including two Catholic priests, in the midst of destroying and removing draft files. The FBI said the raiders had blackened their faces, worn dark clothes and were in possession of burglars' tools when they were arrested.

On August 21, 1980, People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals is incorporated by animal rights advocates Ingrid Newkirk and Alex Pacheco. Rising from humble beginnings, PETA will soon become the world’s foremost and most controversial animal rights organization.

Just three days after it began, the coup against Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev collapses. Despite his success in avoiding removal from office, Gorbachev’s days in power were numbered. The Soviet Union would soon cease to exist as a nation and as a Cold War threat to the United States.

On August 21, 2004, American swimmer Michael Phelps wins his eighth medal of the 2004 Athens Olympics in spite of sitting out his eighth scheduled event, the final of the 4 x 100-meter medley relay. Phelps left Athens with six gold and two bronze medals. His eight total medals tied him with Soviet gymnast Aleksandr Dityatin for the most medals ever won by a competitor at a single Olympic Games.