World History
- August 21, 1911: The Mona Lisa was stolen from the Louvre Museum by an employee, Vincenzo Peruggia. The painting was recovered and returned to the Louvre in 1913.
- August 22, 1485: The Battle of Bosworth Field took place, marking the end of the Wars of the Roses and the start of the Tudor dynasty in England. King Richard III was killed in battle, and Henry Tudor was crowned King Henry VII.
- August 23, 1942: The Battle of Stalingrad began during World War II. The battle was one of the deadliest in history and was a turning point in the war, with the Soviet Union successfully defending the city from the German Army.
- August 24, 79 AD: Mount Vesuvius erupted, burying the Roman cities of Pompeii and Herculaneum under ash and rock, and killing around 16,000 people. The event is significant because it was one of the deadliest volcanic eruptions in European history.
- August 27, 1928: The Kellogg-Briand Pact was signed in Paris, France. The international agreement pledged to outlaw war as an instrument of national policy. The Pact was signed by Germany, France, and the United States initially, and later by most other nations.
Cleveland History
- August 21, 1938: The Great Lakes Exposition, held for the second and final time in Cleveland, concluded. The event, which celebrated the region’s industry and culture, drew millions of visitors from around the world.
- August 22, 1901: The Cleveland Blues, later to become the Cleveland Indians, played their first game in the American League.
- August 23, 1970: The Cleveland Browns played their first game in the newly formed American Football Conference (AFC) as part of the NFL.
- August 24, 1919: The first air race in the United States was held in Cleveland. The National Air Races eventually became a regular event in the city until the 1960s.
- August 27, 1929: The Graf Zeppelin, a German-built airship, visited Cleveland as part of its round-the-world tour. Thousands of Clevelanders came out to witness the historic event.
