What Happened on August 21

Mona Lisa Stolen from Louvre

Masterpiece vanishes from Paris museum — believed taken by an employee — painting's recovery two years later made it the most famous art theft in history

PARIS, August 21 — The most celebrated painting in the Louvre, Leonardo da Vinci's Mona Lisa, was stolen from the museum by one of its own employees, Vincenzo Peruggia, and was not recovered until two years later. The theft, which occurred this day, has thrown the art world into alarm and set Parisian authorities on a frantic search. Peruggia, an Italian workman employed at the Louvre, is said to have acted out of Italian patriotism, believing the masterpiece rightly belonged to his native country. The portrait, known for the enigmatic smile of its subject, has long drawn crowds to the museum's galleries; its sudden disappearance has left a conspicuous void.

Cameroon Lake Blast Kills 1,746

Deadly cloud of carbon dioxide suffocates villagers and livestock — landslides suspected as trigger

YAOUNDÉ, Aug. 21 — A limnic eruption at Lake Nyos in Cameroon released a cloud of carbon dioxide that suffocated 1,746 people and 3,500 livestock. The blast expelled over 80 million cubic meters of gas, asphyxiating roughly 1,700 villagers and 3,000 animals. Landslides are suspected as the trigger. It was the second recorded limnic eruption, following Lake Monoun in 1984.

Wellesley Victorious at Vimeiro

Wellesley's 15000 troops defeat Junot's 14000 at Vimeiro, ending the first invasion of Portugal.

LISBON, August 21 — Upon the heights of Vimeiro, the British ensign waved triumphant. Lieutenant-General Arthur Wellesley, with 15,000 men including the King's German Legion, routed Marshal Junot's 14,000 French, ending the first invasion of Portugal. The victory follows weeks of hard marching from Mondego Bay. Burrard and Dalrymple now assume command.

Japanese Force Annihilated at Tenaru; Henderson Field Saved

First enemy offensive on Guadalcanal crushed — 917 men landed, all but 128 killed — Marine victory secures airfield

The first major Japanese attempt to recapture Henderson Field failed when a 917-man force was defeated in the Battle of the Tenaru. Colonel Kiyonao Ichiki's First Element launched a nighttime frontal assault on Marine positions at Alligator Creek. All but 128 attackers were killed, including Ichiki himself. Survivors retreated to Taivu Point and reported their defeat to 17th Army headquarters.

Physicist Dies After Nuclear Accident at Los Alamos

A 24-year-old physicist died after dropping a 4.4 kg brick onto a 6.2 kg core on August 21, 1945.

LOS ALAMOS, Aug. 21 — In the full heat of the atomic age's dawning, a young physicist has given his life to the very forces he helped unleash. Harry Daghlian, a 24-year-old scientist at the Omega Site, accidentally dropped a 4.4 kg tungsten carbide brick onto a 6.2 kg plutonium core on this day, August 21, 1945. The neutron counters had warned him the core would go supercritical before the final brick slipped, yet he reached to catch it as it fell.

Prince Eugene Takes Belgrade; Garrison Yields

Prince Eugene's Imperial forces capture Belgrade on August 21, 1717, after a lengthy siege.

BELGRADE, Aug. 21 — Prince Eugene of Savoy, that most celebrated captain of the Imperial armies, has at length won the great city of Belgrade from the Turk. After a siege of many weeks, the Ottoman garrison, deprived of all relief and with the soldiery on the point of mutiny, surrendered upon this day, August 21, 1717.

1,400 Monks Seized in Raid on Saigon Pagoda

Special forces under Nhu's orders strike Buddhist sanctuaries — hundreds dead, U.S. threatens to cut aid

SAIGON, Aug. 21 — The number 1,400 will not soon be forgotten here: that is how many Buddhist monks were arrested when Tung's Special Forces raided Xá Lợi Pagoda on this day, acting on the orders of Ngô Đình Nhu, brother of President Diệm. The raid left hundreds dead and caused extensive property damage, and identical attacks were replicated across South Vietnam in a synchronized assault on Buddhist sanctuaries. American officials, stunned by the ferocity of the crackdown, have threatened to withhold aid unless the Special Forces turn their guns on the communists rather than on dissidents.

BioShock Hits Stores, Critics Hail a New Art Form

2K's undersea adventure wins raves — Rapture's world of Andrew Ryan proves games can be art

NEW YORK, Aug. 21 — BioShock, the long-awaited first-person adventure from 2K Boston and 2K Australia, arrived in North American stores today for the Microsoft Windows and Xbox 360 platforms, and critics have already crowned it a masterwork. The game casts the player as Jack, who stumbles upon Rapture, a magnificent underwater city built by business magnate Andrew Ryan, now fallen into decay.

Six Die in San Quentin Escape Riot; Jackson Slain

Convict George Jackson and two guards among the dead — six inmates are later charged in a trial that becomes the longest in state history.

SAN QUENTIN, Aug. 21 — The gunfire echoed through the adjustment center yard this afternoon as six men fell dead in a bloody escape attempt that shook this island prison. Inmate George Jackson, 29, a co-founder of the Black Guerrilla Family, was shot to death along with fellow convicts John Lynn, 29, and Ronald L. Kane, 28. Guards Paul E. Krasenes, 52, Frank DeLeon, 44, and Jere P. Graham, 39, also lost their lives in the riot that erupted during the breakout bid.

Jackson had somehow obtained a .38 caliber pistol that authorities allege was smuggled to him by his attorney, Stephen Bingham, who fled the country. Two other officers were seriously wounded in the melee. The subsequent trial of six inmates, styled the San Quentin Six, ran longer than any other in California's history.