At A Glance

21 August 1953 at a glance

Day of the week
21 August 1953 was a Friday.
Top Film of 1953
The highest-grossing film worldwide released in 1953 was Peter Pan.
Bestselling Novel of 1953
“The Robe” by Lloyd C. Douglas was No. 1 on Publishers Weekly's US fiction list for 1953.
Top-Rated TV Show
“I Love Lucy” (CBS) was No. 1 in the Nielsen ratings for the 1953–54 season.
Star sign
The star sign for 21 August is Leo.
Chinese zodiac
In the Chinese zodiac, 21 August 1953 fell in the Year of the Snake.
Birthstone
The birthstone for August is Peridot.
Moon phase
The moon phase on 21 August 1953 was Waxing Gibbous.

On this day: 21 August

  • 1942 World War II: The Guadalcanal campaign: American forces defeat an attack by Imperial Japanese Army soldiers in the Battle of the Tenaru.
  • 1944 Dumbarton Oaks Conference, prelude to the United Nations, begins.
  • 1944 World War II: Canadian and Polish units capture the strategically important town of Falaise, Calvados, France.
  • 1957 The Soviet Union successfully conducts a long-range test flight of the R-7 Semyorka, the first intercontinental ballistic missile.
  • 1959 United States President Dwight D. Eisenhower signs an executive order proclaiming Hawaii the 50th state of the union. Hawaii's admission is currently commemorated by Hawaii Admission Day.

Famous people born on August 21

  • Hayden Panettiere, American actress (1989–2026)
  • Kenny Rogers, American singer-songwriter, guitarist, producer, and actor (1938–2020)
  • Robert Lewandowski, Polish footballer (born 1988)
  • Zion Suzuki, Japanese footballer (born 2002)

Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0)

Choose your country: the charts, news and leaders change to match.

Events of 1953 in the United States

A selection from Wikipedia's '1953 in the United States'. Not a complete list.

  • January 22 – The Crucible, a historical drama by Arthur Miller written as an allegory of McCarthyism, opens on Broadway.
  • February 5 – Walt Disney's 14th animated film, Peter Pan, premieres in Chicago. It is Disney's final film to be distributed by RKO.
  • April 11 – The Department of Health, Education, and Welfare begins operations, the first new Cabinet-level department since the Department of Labor's formation in 1913.
More events of 1953 →Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0)

Life in the US in 1953

President

Dwight D. Eisenhower

Gas (per gallon)

$0.29

Loaf of Bread

$0.17

Average House

$8,450

Weekly Wage

$65

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Famous Faces Born in the 1950s

Well-known people born in the same decade as you, not on your birthday.

Michael Jackson29 August 1958Singer & songwriterView their day →Anthony Bourdain25 June 1956Chef & television personalityView their day →Bruce Willis19 March 1955ActorView their day →Madonna16 August 1958SingerView their day →Annette Bening29 May 1958ActressView their day →Robin Williams21 July 1951Actor & comedianView their day →Steve Jobs24 February 1955Entrepreneur & co-founder of Apple Inc.View their day →Prince7 June 1958MusicianView their day →

Sources: Wikidata and Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0)

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