Today in History

This day in History February 21st

1972 U.S. President Richard Nixon embarks on his historic visit to China

The first visit of a U.S. President to China was an important step in normalizing relations between the two countries.

1958 The peace symbol is designed by Gerald Holtom

The symbol was commissioned by the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament (CND) and combines the semaphore symbols for the letters N and D - an abbreviation of “Nuclear Disarmament”.

1878 The world's first telephone book is issued in New Haven, Connecticut

The directory consisted of a single piece of cardboard and comprised 50 numbers.

1848 Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels publish “The Communist Manifesto”

“Das Kommunistische Manifest” outlined the sociopolitical worldview today called “Marxism” and was translated from German into over 100 languages.

1804 The world's first railway journey takes place in Wales

The first full-scale steam locomotive, built by Richard Trevithick, traveled from the Pen-y-Darren ironworks near Merthyr Tydfil to Abercynon.
 
Births On This Day, February 21st 🎂

1946 Alan Rickman
English actor

1933 Nina Simone
American singer-songwriter, pianist

1924 Robert Mugabe
Zimbabwean politician, 2nd President of Zimbabwe

1907 W. H. Auden
English/American poet

1791 Carl Czerny
Austrian pianist, composer


Deaths On This Day, February 21st 🪦

1965 Malcolm X
American minister, activist

1949 Tan Malaka
Indonesian educator, activist

1941 Frederick Banting
Canadian physician, Nobel Prize laureate

1934 Augusto César Sandino
Nicaraguan rebel leader

1677 Baruch Spinoza
Dutch philosopher
 

21st February

1431 In a trial demanded by the English, French heroine Joan of Arc was accused of heresy before the judges in Rouen.

1741 The death of Jethro Tull, English agricultural innovator. He perfected a horse-drawn seed drill that economically sowed the seeds in neat rows, an invention that helped form the basis of modern British agriculture.

1961 The Beatles appeared for the very first time at The Cavern Club, Liverpool. They went on to make a total of 292 other appearances there.

1995 A man found a 40lb pike in a flooded bunker at Wetherby Golf Club in West Yorkshire while he was searching for a ball. 🐟
 
1842
The 1st known sewing machine patented by John Greenough in Washington,DC
1878
world's 1st telephone directory with 50 subscribers was issued in New Harbor,CT
1925
the 1st issue of 'New Yorker' magazine was published
1972
Ricahrd Nixon became 1st U.S. President to visit China to normalize relations between 2 countries. He met with Chinese leader,Mao Zegong in Beijing
 
Feb 21 Birthdays:
1821
Charles Scribner- U.S. magazine&book publisher
1925
Sam Peckipah- movie director 'The Wild Bunch, Straw Dogs'
1927
Erma Bombeck- humorist' The Grass is Always Greener Over the Septic Tank'
1934
Rue McClanhan- comedic actress' Blanche' on Golden Girls
1943
David Geffen- record producer/film studio exec Dreamworks, SKG
1955
Kelsey Grammer- comedic actor 'Frazier'
Deaths:
1945
Eric Liddell,Scottish 400m runner{won 1924 Olympic gold medal} Christian missionary His story was in movie' Chariots of Fire' 81 43
1982
'Murray the K"{5th Beatle} U.S disc jockey 60
1991
Margot Fonteyn- British ballerina 71
2018
Billy Graham- U.S. Baptist evangelist 99
2019
Peter Tork- musician/actor' The Monkees' 77
 
This day in History February 22nd

2011 185 people are killed during an earthquake in Christchurch, New Zealand

The quake, while having a magnitude of only 6.3, had one of the highest intensities ever recorded in an urban area (MM IX).

1986 The People Power Revolution begins in the Philippines
The nonviolent campaign resulted in the fall of President Ferdinand Marcos and the restoration of the country's democracy.

1983 The play “Moose Murders” flops spectacularly on Broadway

According to critic Frank Rich, “a visit to Moose Murders is what will separate the connoisseurs of Broadway disaster from mere dilettantes for many moons to come.”

1948 Czechoslovakia becomes a communist state following a coup d'etat
The country became a parliamentary republic following the non-violent “Velvet Revolution” in 1989 and was split into the Czech Republic and the Slovak Republic in 1993.

1879 The first Woolworth store opens in Utica, New york

Frank Woolworth's five-and-dime retail stores became one of the world's most successful trading companies with branches in many countries around the world.
 
Births On This Day, February 22nd 🎂

1975 Drew Barrymore
American actress, director, producer, screenwriter

1932 Ted Kennedy
American politician

1900 Luis Buñuel
Spanish director, producer

1857 Heinrich Hertz
German physicist

1732 George Washington
American general, politician, 1st President of the United States


Deaths On This Day, February 22nd 🪦

1987 Andy Warhol
American artist

1983 Adrian Boult
English conductor

1958 Abul Kalam Azad
Indian activist, scholar, politician

1943 Sophie Scholl
German student, activist

1875 Jean-Baptiste-Camille Corot
French painter
 
Feb 22nd
1876
Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, Maryland opens
1903
Niagara Falls,Canada runs short of water because of drought on the U.S. side
1934
movie' It Happened One Night' directed by Frank Capra, is released starring Clark Gable, Claudette Cobert.It sweeps the 5 major Oscar categories, Picture/Director/ Actor/Actress/ Screenplay. The only other movie to do this'Silence of The Lambs' 91
1980
At the Winter Olympic Games in Lake Placid, NY,a big upset in Olympic Men's Hockey .U.S. men's hockey team made up of college kids upsets heavy favorites Russians in semi finals 4-3. Its known as 'Miracle on Ice',the team went on to beat Finland 2-1 to win gold medal
1997
Roslin Institute in Scotland announces the world's 1st cloned sheep,'Dolly' made from an adult cell
 
Feb 22nd Birthdays:
1732
George Washington,1st U.S. President/Commander in Chief of Continental Army
1892
Edna St. Vincent Millay- poet/feminist
1907
Robert Young- actor ,2 best known TV roles' Jim Anderson'Father Knows Best, 'Marcus Welby, MD
1972
Michael Chang- retired U.S. tennis player,his only Grand Slam title, 1989 French Open
Deaths:
1976
Florence Ballard, singer with group'The Supremes' 32
1985
Efrem Zimbalist,Sr- Russian born/U.S. composer/ violinist 95
1987
Andy Warhol- U.S. pop artist 58
1995
Ed Flanders- actor 'Dr Westphall' on NBC medical drama' St Elsewhere' 60
2002
Chuck Jones-animator/cartoonist 89
 
This day in History February 23rd

1954 The first mass inoculation against polio is conducted

Virologist Jonas Salk's vaccine is still one of the two versions used today, along with Hilary Koprowski's live polio vaccine.

1947 The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) begins operating

The ISO issues standards for everything from bicycle tires to date formats.

1941 Glenn T. Seaborg and his team chemically identify Plutonium

The radioactive element plays an important role as nuclear fuel or in nuclear weapons.

1917 The February Revolution begins in Russia
The demonstrations and armed clashes ultimately resulted in the demise of the Russian Empire.

1455 The Gutenberg Bible is published
Johannes Gutenberg's Bible edition was the first book ever printed in movable type, heralding the age of the printed book in the West.
 
Births On This Day, February 23rd 🎂

1983 Mido
Egyptian footballer

1929 Alexy II of Moscow
Estonian/Russian patriarch

1899 Erich Kästner
German author, poet

1868 W. E. B. Du Bois
American sociologist, historian, activist

1685 George Frideric Handel
German/English composer

Deaths On This Day, February 23rd 🪦

1965 Stan Laurel
English actor, comedian

1934 Edward Elgar
English composer

1855 Carl Friedrich Gauss
German mathematician

1848 John Quincy Adams
American politician, 6th President of the United States

1821 John Keats
English poet
 
1972
Ricahrd Nixon became 1st U.S. President to visit China to normalize relations between 2 countries. He met with Chinese leader,Mao Zegong in Beijing
This one I still remember well. I was able to listen to the arrival and motorcade description live on the radio, shortwave via Radio Peking. Back in the days before the Internet shortwave radio was one of the few ways to get the other point of view. Unlike all the american networks Radio Peking pronounced the names of the Chinese leaders correctly.
 
Births On This Day, February 22nd 🎂

1975 Drew Barrymore
American actress, director, producer, screenwriter

1932 Ted Kennedy
American politician

1900 Luis Buñuel
Spanish director, producer

1857 Heinrich Hertz
German physicist

1732 George Washington
American general, politician, 1st President of the United States


Deaths On This Day, February 22nd 🪦

1987 Andy Warhol
American artist

1983 Adrian Boult
English conductor

1958 Abul Kalam Azad
Indian activist, scholar, politician

1943 Sophie Scholl
German student, activist

1875 Jean-Baptiste-Camille Corot
French painter
There's a good movie made about Sophie Scholl. I think I watched it on Amazon Prime.

Sophie Scholl: The Final Days
 
Feb 23rd
1455
inventor,Johannes Gutenberg prints his 1st Bible{est date}
1822
Boston,Mass incorporated as a city
1886
Leo Hirshfield introduces' Tootsie Roll'
1960
Ebbets Field, in Brooklyn,NY is demolished. It was the home stadium of former, Brooklyn Dodgers for 45 yrs. It was opened in 1913,stadium was named for the team's owner, Charles Ebbetts who started purchasing land in 1908
1980
At Winter Olympic Games in Lake Placid, U.S. speed skater, Eric Heiden sweeps in the speed skating events,wins 5 gold medals. Today,he is an orthropedic surgeon
 
Feb 23rd Birthdays"
1685
George Frideric Handel-German composer/organist 'Messiah,Water Music"
1744
Mayer Amschel Rothschild- German/Jewish banker, founder of Rothschild banking dynasty
1889
Victor Fleming- movie director' Gone With The Wind', The Wizard of Oz'
1940
Peter Fonda-actor,Henry's son,Jane's brother, 'Easy Rider,Ulee's God'
1955
Howard Jones- British rock pianist,singer/songwriter'Things Can Only Get Better'
1965
Kristin Davis- actress 'Sex in The City'
Deaths:
1821
John Keats- British poet'Ode to a Grecian Urn" 25
1934
Edward Elgar- British composer' Pomp&Circumstance' 76
1965
Stan Laurel- comedic actor who starred with Oliver Hardy in the "Laurel&Hardy' movies 74
1995
James Herriot-real name Alfred Wright,veterinarean/author 'All Creatures Great&Small' 78
2019
Katherine Helmond- actress ,best known TV roles' "Jessica Tate' on ABC sitcom' Soap', "Mona' on "Who's The Boss' 89
 
This day in History February 24th

2010 Sachin Tendulkar becomes the first cricket player to score a double-century in the One Day International format

The Indian sportsman is widely recognized as one of the greatest batsmen in cricket.

1989 A Boeing 747 jumbo jet rips open over the Pacific Ocean
United Airlines Flight 811 experienced an explosive decompression, resulting in the death of 9 passengers.

1920 The German nazi party is founded
Adolf Hitler became the party's leader in 1921.

1607 The world's first opera is premiered
Claudio Monteverdi's “L'Orfeo” is still performed regularly today.

1582 Pope Gregory XIII orders the introduction of the Gregorian calendar
Luigi Lilio's reform of the Julian calendar was first introduced in some European countries and is now the world's most widely used calendar.
 
Births On This Day, February 24th 🎂

1981 Lleyton Hewitt
Australian tennis player

1956 Judith Butler
American philosopher

1955 Steve Jobs
American businessman, co-founded Apple Inc., Pixar

1955 Alain Prost
French race car driver

1304 Ibn Battuta
Moroccan explorer

Deaths On This Day, February 24th 🪦

1993 Bobby Moore
English footballer, manager

1990 Malcolm Forbes
American publisher

1986 Tommy Douglas
Scottish/Canadian minister, politician, 7th Premier of Saskatchewan

1929 André Messager
French composer

1799 Georg Christoph Lichtenberg
German physicist
 

Back
Top