On this day: August 21
POSTED: 12:02 PM PDT Aug 20, 2012
UPDATED: 11:00 PM PDT Aug 20, 2012
Lincoln and Douglas square off for the first time, Oldsmobile begins production, Hawaii becomes a state and The Mona Lisa and the Mars Observer go missing, all on this day.
Public domain
1863: Lawrence, Kan., is destroyed by Confederate guerrillas Quantrill's Raiders in the Lawrence Massacre. The group targeted Lawrence due to the town's long support of abolition and its reputation as a center for Jayhawkers and Redlegs, which were free-state militia and vigilante groups known for attacking and destroying farms and plantations in Missouri's pro-slavery western counties.
