THIS WEEK

AUGUST 21, 1911 The Mona Lisa was stolen from the Louvre.

The portrait, by Leonardo da Vinci, is regarded as one of the greatest works of art.

On the morning after its theft, there were just four iron pegs where the painting used to be.

Two years later, it was discovered the thief was employee Vincenzo Peruggia, who had walked out with the painting (below) hidden under his coat.

AUGUST 21, 1940 Leon Trotsky was assassinated.

A communist who opposed Stalinist policies, he was exiled from the Soviet Union.

He continued, in exile in Mexico, to oppose the Russian leadership, and he was assassinated there on Stalin’s orders.

AUGUST 23, 1973 A bank raid in Sweden led to the naming of so-called Stockholm Syndrome.

During a botched robbery, several staff were held hostage, but later went on to bond with their captors.

Stockholm Syndrome was defined by psychiatrist Frank Ochberg to aid the management of hostage situations.

AUGUST 25, 2012 Neil Armstrong died.

In 1969, he had gone down in history, saying: “That’s one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind,” when he became the first man to set foot on the moon.

He died, aged 82, following heart surgery.

AUGUST 25, 1835 The Great Moon Hoax had New Yorkers believing in little green men.

A series of six articles were falsely attributed to astronomer Sir John Herschel and spoke of life on Earth’s satellite.