Italian handyman Vincenzo Peruggia stole Leonardo da Vinci's Mona Lisa from the Louvre Museum in Paris on the morning of August 21, 1911. The disappearance of the Renaissance masterpiece went completely unnoticed by museum security staff for roughly 26 hours.
Peruggia entered the gallery wearing the white smock of museum maintenance workers, taking advantage of Monday closures when the building was shut to the public. He was a former employee of a company contracted to fit protective glass on valuable artworks inside the museum.
Approaching the portrait, Peruggia unhooked it from the wall, removed its frame and glass protection, and concealed the wooden panel under his clothes. He then walked out of the Louvre without being stopped by anyone.
Public Outcry and Mass Attraction
The theft caused unprecedented turmoil across France, with French newspapers publishing banner headlines and authorities posting reward notices on the streets of Paris. The Louvre was temporarily closed while police conducted searches across the property.
When the museum reopened, thousands of people rushed to the gallery not to view artwork, but to look at the empty space left by the Gioconda. The case inspired popular songs, satirical sketches, films, and conspiracy theories, elevating the painting from high art into mass culture.
Although the Mona Lisa was already a recognized Renaissance painting, it lacked the immense popular appeal it gained after the crime. Within the Louvre itself, exhibits such as the Venus de Milo and the Winged Victory of Samothrace had previously drawn larger crowds.
Flawed Police Investigations
The initial police investigation pursued several wrong directions. French authorities arrested poet Guillaume Apollinaire and brought painter Pablo Picasso in for questioning.
Investigating officers targeted Apollinaire and Picasso due to a separate case involving stolen antiquities taken from the Louvre. Both men were subsequently released after police confirmed they had no connection to the missing painting.
Patriotic Claims and Historical Reality
Peruggia later claimed that he acted out of patriotism, believing that the Mona Lisa had been stolen from Italy during Napoleon's military campaigns and that he was returning it to its homeland.
His belief was historically incorrect. Leonardo da Vinci had brought the work to France when he moved to the court of King Francis I, who purchased the painting in the early 16th century, centuries before Napoleon came to power.
Peruggia kept the Mona Lisa hidden inside a wooden trunk in his Paris room for 28 months. In December 1913, he transported the painting to Florence and contacted art dealer Alfredo Geri, offering to return the artwork to Italy.
Recovery and Global Legacy
Alfredo Geri and Uffizi Gallery director Giovanni Poggi verified that the painting was authentic and notified the police. Italian authorities arrested Peruggia, and an Italian court later handed him a short prison sentence after considering his patriotic motives.
Before returning to France, the Mona Lisa was exhibited in Florence, Rome, and Milan. In January 1914, it was reinstalled at the Louvre, where huge crowds gathered to welcome its return.
The theft did not create the painting's artistic value from scratch, but it played a decisive role in turning it into a global cultural symbol and establishing the enigmatic smile of the Gioconda as one of the most recognizable images in art history.
Other Historical Events on August 21
August 21 marks several other significant historical events across different eras. In 1866, the General Assembly of Cretans in Sfakia declared the union of Crete with Greece and launched the Cretan Revolution, which lasted until 1869. Decades later, in 1950, Sophoklis Venizelos formed a government in Greece during a period of political instability and reconstruction following the end of the Civil War.
In 1959, Hawaii officially became the 50th state of the United States after President Dwight Eisenhower signed the presidential proclamation. In 1991, a coup by communist hardliners against Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev collapsed, accelerating the dissolution of the Soviet Union four months later.
In 1967, the Greek military junta arrested composer Mikis Theodorakis, who had gone underground to lead resistance against the regime, leading to his imprisonment, exile, and an international campaign for his release. On August 21, 2004, Greek athletes earned three medals at the Athens Olympic Games, with Sofia Bekatorou and Aimilia Tsoulfa winning gold in the 470 sailing class, Tasoula Kelesidou earning silver in the discus throw, and Pyrros Dimas securing bronze in weightlifting.
Notable Births on August 21
Several prominent figures in sports, music, and culture were born on August 21. Greek-American basketball player and coach John Korfas was born in the United States in 1962. A legend in the Greek championship with PAOK, Korfas won the European Cup Winners' Cup in 1991 and the Greek championship in 1992, later playing for Panathinaikos and Iraklis before coaching.
Greek laiko singer Nikos Vertis was born in Gorinchem, Netherlands, in 1976 and raised in Galipsos, Kavala. Vertis began playing the bouzouki at age seven and singing professionally at 15, becoming a top name in Greek music with hits including Poly apotoma vradiazei, San trelos se agapao, and An fygeis.
Jamaican sprinter Usain Bolt was born in 1986. Considered the fastest man in the world, Bolt holds world records in the 100 meters at 9.58 seconds, the 200 meters at 19.19 seconds, and the 4x100 meter relay, achieving a maximum speed of 44.72 km/h, performing his signature Lightning Bolt celebration, and winning eight Olympic sprint gold medals.
Polish striker Robert Lewandowski was born in 1988. Lewandowski has scored over 700 goals in official matches, won nine domestic league top-scorer titles, earned two FIFA Player of the Year awards, and won a European treble with Bayern Munich alongside successful spells at Borussia Dortmund and Barcelona. He is Poland's all-time top scorer and the third-highest scorer in Champions League history.
Greek pop singer Demy, born Dimitra Papadea in Athens in 1991, studied law before being discovered on YouTube by Panik Records. She debuted with the duet Mia zografia alongside Midenistis and released popular singles including Poses chiliades kalokairia and Fallin with Playmen.
Historical Deaths and Observances
Two major historical figures died on August 21. In 1823, Greek general Markos Botsaris, a hero of the 1821 Revolution born in Souli, died in battle at Karpenisi. Leading 350 to 450 Souliotes in a night attack on August 8 and 9 against 4,000 Turco-Albanian troops under Mustai Pasha at Kefalovryso, Botsaris was killed by a bullet to the head and buried in Missolonghi with national mourning.
In 1940, Russian revolutionary Leon Trotsky died at his home in Coyoacan, Mexico, after being assassinated on August 20 by Spanish NKVD agent Ramon Mercader on the orders of Joseph Stalin. Trotsky was a key figure in the October Revolution alongside Vladimir Lenin, organized the Red Army during the Civil War, and continued his anti-Stalinist campaign through the Fourth International after being exiled.
August 21 is also observed globally as the International Day of Remembrance and Tribute to the Victims of Terrorism. In the Christian tradition, August 21 marks the feast days of Judas and Judith.
