What Happened on February 21
Important Events
- 1173 Pope Alexander III canonizes Thomas Becket, Archbishop of Canterbury
- 1613 Michael Romanov, son of Patriarch of Moscow, elected first Russian Tsar of the house of Romanov
- 1804 1st locomotive, Richard Trevithick's, runs for the 1st time, along the tramway of the Penydarren Ironworks in Merthyr Tydfil, Wales
- 1916 World War I: Battle of Verdun begins with a German offensive, leads to an estimated 1 million casualties and becomes the longest battle of the entire war (9 months)
- 1922 Britain declares Egypt a sovereign state
- 1972 Richard Nixon becomes the first US President to visit China, normalizing relations between the countries in a meeting with Chinese leader Mao Zedong in Beijing
Feb 21 in Film & TV
- 1990 "The Batman Theme" by Danny Elfman wins Grammy Award for Best Instrumental Composition at 32nd Annual Grammy Awards
- 2003 Bill Maher's political talk show "Real Time with Bill Maher" debuts on HBO
Feb 21 in Sport
- 1931 Chicago White Sox & NY Giants play 1st exhibition night game
Did You Know?Famous Birthdays
Santa Anna
(1794 - 1876)- Robert Mugabe
(1924 - 2019) - Nina Simone
(1933 - 2003) - Alan Rickman
(1946 - 2016) - Jennifer Love Hewitt
42 Years Old - Elliot Page
34 Years Old
Santa Anna
Robert Mugabe
Nina Simone
Alan Rickman
Jennifer Love Hewitt
Elliot Page
Would You Believe?
World's 1st telephone directory issued, 50 subscribers (New Harbor, Connecticut)
On February 21, 1878
Famous Weddings
- 1807 US President Martin Van Buren (24) weds highschool sweetheart Hannah Hoes (23) in Catskill, New York
- 1952 Actress Elizabeth Taylor (19) marries for the 2nd time to actor Michael Wilding (39)
- 1954 Actor Leonard Nimoy (22) weds actress Sandra Zober
Famous Deaths
- James I
(1394 - 1437) - Julius II
(1443 - 1513) - Frederick Banting
(1891 - 1941) - Malcolm X
(1925 - 1965) - Howard Florey
(1898 - 1968) - Tim Horton
(1930 - 1974)
James I
Julius II
Frederick Banting
Malcolm X
Howard Florey
Tim HortonArticles, Photos and Quiz
Nixon Meets Mao
Richard Nixon meets Chairman Mao in Beijing
February 21, 1972Laykyun Sekkya
The Laykyun Sekkya Buddha, Myanmar
February 21, 2018Weekly Quiz for February 17 - 23
Who was the 1st US President to visit China? What was the name of the Russian royal house that ruled 1613-1917? Who printed the 1st Bible in 1455?
February in History
Theory That Put The World To Rights
Astronomer Nicolaus Copernicus was born on this day. The Church dismissed as heresy his theory that Earth revolved around the sun and not the other way round.
February 19, 1473Final Deadly Performance of a Twisted Actor
From a celebrated family of actors came a young man with a twisted mind whose last performance involved the death of a president.
February 20, 1817Wonder of Woolworths Begins its Meteoric Rise
It was a simple idea: opening a store where nothing cost more than five cents. The idea caught on so quickly that Woolworth’s became a retail phenomenon.
February 22, 1878Remembering The Alamo
A siege by Mexican forces of the Alamo mission compound in Texas began on this day. It lasted 13 days and led to one of the most famous battles in US history.
February 23, 1836
