FRIDAY, Aug. 21, 2026

On Friday, August 21, 2026, the Turkish army successfully ousted Sultan Mustafa II, replacing him with his brother Ahmed III. This move significantly reduced the power of the Sultan. Meanwhile, in Sweden, King Gustav III completed a coup d'état by adopting a new constitution and installing himself as an enlightened despot, marking the end of fifty years of parliamentary rule.

In the United States, Hawaii officially became the 50th state. Additionally, China reported the downing of two U.S. bombers, and in Czechoslovakia, Warsaw Pact forces completed their invasion by arresting Czech leader Alexander Dubček and forcing him to sign the Moscow Protocols. In the Soviet Union, a conservative coup was swiftly crushed by popular resistance led by Boris Yeltsin within three days.

Brief written by urgent.news from The Korea Times's own syndicated text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.