Famous people born on August 21 — and what else happened that day
If your birthday is August 21, you share it with Wilt Chamberlain, Kenny Rogers, Usain Bolt — and you were born under Leo, the sign of the warm, confident, and born for the spotlight.
Birthday basics for August 21
Leo ♌
Zodiac sign
Peridot
Birthstone
Gladiolus
Birth flower
233rd
Day of the year
August 21 is the 233rd day of the year (234th in leap years), with 132 days still to come.
Famous people born on August 21
Wilt Chamberlain — American basketball great who once scored 100 points in a single game (born 1936).
Kenny Rogers — American country music singer known for 'The Gambler' (born 1938).
Usain Bolt — Jamaican sprinter and eight-time Olympic gold medalist (born 1986).
Also sharing the day:
Count Basie (b. 1904) — American bandleader and pianist who defined big-band swing.
Kim Cattrall (b. 1956) — English-Canadian actress who played Samantha on Sex and the City.
1858 — Abraham Lincoln and Stephen Douglas held the first of their famous debates in Ottawa, Illinois.
1911 — The Mona Lisa was stolen from the Louvre; it was recovered two years later.
1959 — Hawaii officially became the 50th U.S. state.
1878 — The American Bar Association was founded in Saratoga Springs, New York.
1888 — William S. Burroughs was granted a patent for the first successful adding machine in the U.S.
2017 — The "Great American Eclipse" swept across the continental United States from coast to coast.
August 21 birthday questions
What zodiac sign is August 21?
Anyone born on August 21 is a Leo — warm, confident, and born for the spotlight.
What is the birthstone for August 21?
The birthstone for a August 21 birthday is Peridot, and the birth flower is the Gladiolus.
Who is the most famous person born on August 21?
Wilt Chamberlain is among the best known — American basketball great who once scored 100 points in a single game (born 1936).
What happened on August 21?
In 1858, Abraham Lincoln and Stephen Douglas held the first of their famous debates in Ottawa, Illinois.
What day of the year is August 21?
August 21 is the 233rd day of the year (234th in leap years), with 132 days still to come.
Make their day unforgettable
Know someone born on August 21? See the full story of their exact birthday — the headlines, the #1 song, what things cost — and turn it into a personalized front-page newspaper they can keep.