On This Day for August 21 - French defeated at the Battle of Vimeiro, Count Basie is featured, and more

This message contains graphics. If you do not see the graphics, [click here to view](. August 21 [Count Basie, 1969.]( FEATURED BIOGRAPHY 1904 Count Basie [READ MORE]( [Arthur Wellesley, 1st duke of Wellington, hand-coloured engraving after a portrait by Thomas Lawrence.]( FEATURED EVENT 1808 French defeated at the Battle of Vimeiro [READ MORE]( Advertisement Advertisement [Earth's To-Do List]( MORE EVENTS ON THIS DAY [total solar eclipse] 2017: For the first time in nearly 40 years, the continental United States experienced a total solar [eclipse]( which was viewed from Oregon to South Carolina. 2005: American electronic engineer [Robert Moog]( invented the Moog electronic [music synthesizer]( which revolutionized [rock]( electronica, pop, and experimental music in the late 1960s and early '70s—died at age 71. [Abraham Lincoln (left) and U.S. Sen. Stephen A. Douglas in debate, 1858.] 1858: The famous [debates]( in Illinois between [Abraham Lincoln]( [Republican Party]( nominee for the U.S. Senate, and incumbent Senator [Stephen A. Douglas]( of the [Democratic Party]( began. [Latvia] 1991: [Latvia]( declared its independence from the [Soviet Union](. [State seal of Hawaii. Hawaiian coat of arms is supported by Kamehameha I and the goddess of liberty, with a rising sun behind.] 1959: [Hawaii]( became the 50th U.S. state. [The capture of Nat Turner after he led a slave rebellion in 1831, wood engraving.] 1831: [Nat Turner]( began an unsuccessful [slave]( rebellion in the American South that eventually killed 60 people before being stopped by a 3,000-man militia. [SEE ALL EVENTS ON THIS DAY]( ALSO BORN ON THIS DAY 1936 [Wilt Chamberlain]( American basketball player 1765 [William IV]( king of Great Britain 1973 [Sergey Brin]( American entrepreneur 1986 [Usain Bolt]( Jamaican athlete 1930 [Princess Margaret]( British royal 1938 [Kenny Rogers]( American singer-songwriter [SEE ALL BIOS ON THIS DAY]( Advertisement FOLLOW: [Facebook]( [Twitter]( [YouTube]( To unsubscribe from Britannica e-mails, [click here](. Encyclopædia Britannica 325 N. LaSalle Street, Suite 200 Chicago, Illinois 60654 United States © 2019 Encyclopaedia Britannica, Inc. [Privacy Policy]( • [Help](