People are also reading…
Today in history: Feb. 21
1885: Washington Monument
In 1885, the Washington Monument was dedicated.
1964: U.S. Wheat
In 1964, the first shipment of U.S. wheat purchased by the Soviet Union arrived in the port of Odessa.
1965: Malcolm X
In 1965, minister and civil rights activist Malcolm X, 39, was shot to death inside Harlem’s Audubon Ballroom in New York.
1972: Richard M. Nixon
In 1972, President Richard M. Nixon began his historic visit to China as he and his wife, Pat, arrived in Beijing.
1975: Watergate
On Feb. 21, 1975, former Attorney General John N. Mitchell and former White House aides H.R. Haldeman and John D. Ehrlichman were sentenced to 2 1/2 to 8 years in prison for their roles in the Watergate cover-up (each ended up serving 1 1/2 years).
1992: Kristi Yamaguchi
In 1992, Kristi Yamaguchi (yah-mah-GOO’-chee) of the United States won the gold medal in ladies’ figure skating at the Albertville Olympics.
1995: Steve Fossett
In 1995, Chicago adventurer Steve Fossett became the first person to fly solo across the Pacific Ocean by balloon, landing in Leader, Saskatchewan, Canada.
2017: Milo Yiannopoulos
Conservative writer Milo Yiannopoulos (MY’-loh yuh-NAH’-poh-lihs) resigned as an editor for Breitbart News, apologizing for comments he’d made in video clips in which he appeared to defend sexual relationships between men and boys as young as 13.
2018: Rev. Billy Graham
In 2018, the Rev. Billy Graham, a confidant of presidents and the most widely heard Christian evangelist in history, died at his North Carolina home; he was 99.
2019: Oakland Teacher Strike
In 2019, teachers in Oakland, California, went on strike in the latest in a wave of teacher activism that had included walkouts in Denver, Los Angeles and West Virginia.
2020: Taliban
In 2020, a temporary truce between the United States and the Taliban in Afghanistan took effect, setting the stage for the two sides to sign a peace deal the following week.
2021: Novak Djokovic
Novak Djokovic beat Daniil Medvedev in three sets to win his ninth Australian Open championship and 18th Grand Slam title.
Jefferson
