August 21 in History

• 1987

  August 21, 1987:

  The 6th studio album of Australian band, Midnight Oil titled “Diesel and Dust” is released. American magazine, Rolling Stone would later name it as the best album the following year.

• August 21, 1987:

  Romantic dance movie, “Dirty Dancing” is shown for the first time in theatres across the United States. It features actors like Jennifer Grey and Patrick Swayze.

• August 21, 1987:

  American metal group Metallica drops their EP title “The $5.98 E.P.: Garage Days Re-Revisited”. It is released under the Elektra Records label.

• 1990

  August 21, 1990:

  American music band Jane's Addiction launches their 2nd album entitled “Ritual de lo Habitual” via Warner Brothers.

• August 21, 1990:

  “Facelift”, the maiden album of American rock group Alice in Chains, is released.  Songs such as "Sea of Sorrow" and "We Die Young" appear on the album.

• 1996

  August 21, 1996:

  After spending two years in jail, Rick James becomes a free man. He was initially given a 5-year sentence after he was found guilty of kidnapping a woman.

• 2012

  August 21, 2012:

  American rock collective, Lynyrd Skynyrd drops their 14th album known as “Last of a Dyin' Breed”. John Lowery, professionally known as John 5, played an instrumental role in the preparation of the record.

• 2016

  August 21, 2016:

  Canadian music band, The Tragically Hip, which was formed in 1984, performs for the last time as a group. The collective was made up of top musicians like Gord Downie and Rob Baker.

• 2019

  August 21, 2019: American actor, Dwayne Johnson, also known in showbiz as The Rock, is officially named the highest-earning actor. He is said to be earning over $89 million.

• 2020

  August 21, 2020:

  The music video of BTS's hit single “Dynamite” becomes the first video to record over 100 million views on YouTube within 24 hours.