1. In 1953, the first nuclear test on United States soil was conducted at the White Sands Missile Range in southern New Mexico. The experiment, known as the "Trinity" test, resulted in the creation of the world's first atomic bomb.

2. On August 21, 1861, the Civil War Battle of Mesilla took place in southern New Mexico. Confederate forces led by Colonel Baylor defeated a Union detachment commanded by Major Isaac Lynde.

3. The Santa Fe Opera, one of the premier opera companies in the world, held its first performance on August 21, 1957. The production of "Madame Butterfly" took place at the newly built open-air theater in Santa Fe.

4. Mary Cabot Wheelwright, an important figure in the preservation and promotion of Native American culture, was born on August 21, 1878 in Boston, Massachusetts. She later moved to Santa Fe, where she founded the Wheelwright Museum of the American Indian.

5. The iconic Route 66, which runs from Chicago to Santa Monica, California, passes through the western part of New Mexico. On August 21, 1933, the National Industrial Recovery Act was signed into law, which included funding for the construction of the section of the highway between Albuquerque and Santa Rosa.