Today is Friday, Aug. 21, the 233rd day of 2009. There are 132 days left in the year.

Todays Highlight in History

Fifty years ago, on Aug. 21, 1959, Hawaii became the 50th state as President Dwight Eisenhower signed an executive order, five months after signing the Hawaiian statehood bill.

On this date

In 1609, Galileo Galilei demonstrated his new telescope, capable of magnifying images of objects ninefold, to a group of officials atop the Campanile in Venice.

In 1807, Robert Fultons North River Steamboat set off from Albany on its return trip to New York, arriving some 30 hours later.

In 1831, Nat Turner led a violent slave rebellion in Virginia resulting in the deaths of at least 55 white people. (He was later executed.)

In 1858, the first of seven debates between Illinois senatorial contenders Abraham Lincoln and Stephen Douglas took place.

In 1878, the American Bar Association was founded in Saratoga, N.Y.

In 1911, Leonardo da Vincis Mona Lisa was stolen from the Louvre Museum in Paris. (The painting turned up in Italy two years later.)

In 1940, exiled Communist revolutionary Leon Trotsky died in Mexico City from wounds inflicted by an assassin the day before.

In 1963, martial law was declared in South Vietnam as police and army troops began a crackdown on Buddhist anti-government protesters.

In 1983, Philippine opposition leader Benigno Aquino Jr., ending a self-imposed exile in the United States, was shot dead moments after stepping off a plane at Manila International Airport.

In 1991, the hard-line coup against Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev collapsed in the face of a popular uprising led by Russian federation President Boris Yeltsin.

Ten years ago

President Bill Clinton urged Americans to contribute to the relief effort for Turkey, where the death toll from a massive earthquake four days earlier topped 12,000. (It eventually reached 17,000).

Five years ago

The International Gymnastics Federation ruled that South Korean Yang Tae-young was unfairly docked a tenth of a point in the all-around gymnastics final at the Athens Olympics, costing him the gold medal that ended up going to Paul Hamm of the United States; however, the ruling did not change the final result.

One year ago

President George W. Bush issued a federal disaster declaration for parts of Florida affected by Tropical Storm Fay. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice arrived in Baghdad for discussions with Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki and other top Iraqi officials. Twin Taliban suicide bombings at Pakistans largest weapons complex killed at least 67 people. At the Summer Olympics, Japan defeated the U.S. softball team, 3-1, to win the gold medal. Kerri Walsh and Misty May-Treanor won their second consecutive gold medal in beach volleyball, beating Wang Jie and Tian Jia of China. The U.S. womens soccer team won the gold medal by beating Brazil 1-0 in extra time. One-time actor Fred Crane, whod played one of the Tarleton twins in Gone With the Wind, died in Atlanta at age 90.

Todays Birthdays

Actor-director Melvin Van Peebles is 77. Playwright Mart Crowley (The Boys in the Band) is 74. Singer Kenny Rogers is 71. Actor Clarence Williams III is 70. Rock-n-roll musician James Burton is 70. Singer Harold Reid (The Statler Brothers) is 70. Singer Jackie DeShannon is 68. Actress Patty McCormack is 64. Pop singer-musician Carl Giammarese is 62. Actress Loretta Devine is 60. CBS Early Show co-host Harry Smith is 58. Singer Glenn Hughes is 57. Country musician Nick Kane is 55. Actress Kim Cattrall is 53. Actress Carrie-Anne Moss is 39. Actress Alicia Witt is 34. Singer Kelis is 30. Singer Melissa Schuman is 25. Olympic gold medal sprinter Usain Bolt is 23. Actor Cody Kasch is 22. Actress Hayden Panettiere is 20. Actor RJ Mitte (TV: Breaking Bad) is 17.

Thought for Today

To know a little less and to understand a little more: that, it seems to me, is our greatest need.

James Ramsey Ullman, American author (1907-71)