August 21

Events

• 1944: German troops destroy the village of Damasta, Crete, after executing 30 inhabitants.
• 1948: The national forces abandon "Operation Coronis" in the Greek Civil War.
• 1967: Composer/politician Mikis Theodorakis is arrested by the military government of Greece. He will spend the next five months in prison.

Sports

• 1984: Greek javelin champion Anna Verouli fails to pass the anti-doping test at the Los Angeles Olympics.
• 1995: Christina Thalassinidou wins the bronze medal in synchronized swimming at the Vienna European Championships.
• 2004: Sophia Bekatorou and Emilia Tsoulfa win the gold medal in the double handed dinghy (470) race at the Athens Olympic Games. Tasoula Kelesidou wins the silver medal (66.68) in discus throw, and 33-year-old Pyrros Dimas, the best ever Greek weightlifter, wins the bronze medal in the 85kgs category with 175+202.5 kgrs saying goodbye to competitions leaving his shoes in front of the barbell. In Nikaia, 6.000 fans delaud him interrupting the medal ceremony for 10 minutes
• 2004: Chrysopigi Devetzi sets a new Greek record in the triple jump with 15.32m., in the preliminaries.
• 2005: Greece's women's Water Polo team won the World League final by defeating Russia 13-10 at Kirishi, Russia.
• 2008: Athanasia Tsoumeleka breaks the Greek record for 20,000m race walking with 1:27:54 finishing 9th in the Beijing Olympics final.
• 2009: Kyriakos Ioannou of Cyprus wins the silver medal in the high jump at the Berlin World Championship of athletics with a 2.32m performance.

Births

• 1970: Giorgos Toursounidis, footballer

Deaths

• 2012: Michalis Menidiatis, singer