August 21 1959:

Hawaii becomes 50th state.

haldav

August 21, 1959 : Hawaii becomes 50th state

The modern United States receives its crowning star when President
Dwight D. Eisenhower signs a proclamation admitting Hawaii into the
Union as the 50th state. The president also issued an order for an
American flag featuring 50 stars arranged in staggered rows: five
six-star rows and four five-star rows. The new flag became official
July 4, 1960.

The first known settlers of the Hawaiian Islands were Polynesian
voyagers who arrived sometime in the eighth century. In the early 18th
century, American traders came to Hawaii to exploit the islands'
sandalwood, which was much valued in China at the time. In the 1830s,
the sugar industry was introduced to Hawaii and by the mid 19th
century had become well established. American missionaries and
planters brought about great changes in Hawaiian political, cultural,
economic, and religious life. In 1840, a constitutional monarchy was
established, stripping the Hawaiian monarch of much of his authority.

In 1893, a group of American expatriates and sugar planters supported
by a division of U.S. Marines deposed Queen Liliuokalani, the last
reigning monarch of Hawaii. One year later, the Republic of Hawaii was
established as a U.S. protectorate with Hawaiian-born Sanford B. Dole
as president. Many in Congress opposed the formal annexation of
Hawaii, and it was not until 1898, following the use of the naval base
at Pearl Harbor during the Spanish-American War, that Hawaii's
strategic importance became evident and formal annexation was
approved. Two years later, Hawaii was organized into a formal U.S.
territory. During World War II, Hawaii became firmly ensconced in the
American national identity following the surprise Japanese attack on
Pearl Harbor in December 1941.

In March 1959, the U.S. government approved statehood for Hawaii, and
in June the Hawaiian people voted by a wide majority to accept
admittance into the United States. Two months later, Hawaii officially
became the 50th state.

August 22, 1848:
The United States annexes New Mexico.

On Aug 22:

1952 - The penal colony on Devil's Island is permanently closed.

Devil's Island (French: Île du Diable) is the smallest and northernmost island of the three Îles du Salut located off the coast of French Guiana. It has an area of 14 hectares (34.6 acres). It was a small part of the notorious French penal colony in French Guiana until 1946.

The rocky, palm-covered island is 40 meters (131 ft) high. The penitentiary was first opened by Emperor Napoleon III's government in 1852, and became one of the most infamous prisons in history. In addition to the prisons on all three islands, prison facilities were located on the mainland at Kourou. Over time, they became known collectively as "Devil's Island" in the English-speaking world, while they are known in France as the bagne de Cayenne, Cayenne being the main city of French Guiana.

Used by France from 1852 to 1946, the inmates were everything from political prisoners (such as anarchist Clément Duval) to the most hardened of thieves and murderers. A great many of the more than 80,000 prisoners sent to the harsh conditions at disease-infested Devil's Island were never seen again. Other than by boat, the only way out was through a dense jungle; accordingly, very few convicts ever managed to escape.

In May 30, 1854, law describes that convicts would be forced to stay in French Guiana following their release for a time equal to their forced labor time, or, for sentences exceeding eight years, for the remainder of their life. They were to be provided with land to settle on. In time, a variety of penal regimes emerged, convicts being divided into categories according to the severity of their crimes and their imprisonment or forced residence regime. In 1885, a law accelerated the process, since repeat offenders for minor crimes could also be sent. A limited number of convicted women were also sent to French Guiana, with the intent that they should marry the freed male inmates; however, the results were poor and the government discontinued the practice in 1907.

The horrors of the penal settlement became notorious in 1895 with the publicity surrounding the plight of the Jewish French army captain Alfred Dreyfus who had been wrongfully convicted of treason and was sent there on January 5.

In 1938 the French government stopped sending prisoners to Devil's Island, and in 1952 the prison closed permanently. Most of the prisoners returned to Metropolitan France, although some chose to remain in French Guiana.

In 1965, the French government transferred the responsibility of most of the islands to the newly founded Guyana Space Center. The islands are under the trajectory of the space rockets launched eastwards, seawards from the Center (to geostationary orbit); they must be evacuated during each launch. The islands host a variety of measurement apparatus for space launches.

The CNES space agency, in association with other agencies, has since had the historical monuments restored. Touristic facilities were added; the islands now welcome more than 50000 tourists each year.

August 23, 79:
Mount Vesuvius begins stirring, on the feast day of Vulcan, the Roman god of fire.