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As we mark Saturday, February 21, 2026, it is the 52nd day of the year with 313 days remaining on the calendar. Reflecting on this date in history reveals a tapestry of notable events that have shaped our world.
Today in history:
On this day in 1992, the world watched as Kristi Yamaguchi of the United States claimed the gold medal in women’s figure skating at the Albertville Winter Olympics. Her performance was a moment of triumph, complemented by Japan’s Midori Ito securing the silver and fellow American Nancy Kerrigan taking the bronze.
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Delving further back, February 21 also marks the publication of a pivotal political document. In 1848, Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels released “The Communist Manifesto” in London, a work that would ignite discussions and movements across the globe.
The day is also remembered for President Chester Arthur’s dedication of the Washington Monument in 1885, a symbol of the nation’s history and resilience.
In 1911, the world bid farewell to an era in music as composer Gustav Mahler, despite battling a fever, conducted what would be his last concert with the New York Philharmonic at Carnegie Hall. His passing the following May marked the end of a significant chapter in classical music.
Moreover, February 21, 1916, saw the commencement of the Battle of Verdun in northeastern France, the longest and one of the most grueling battles of World War I, which stretched the limits of human endurance and altered the course of history.
In 1965, civil rights activist Malcolm X, 39, was shot to death inside Harlem’s Audubon Ballroom in New York. Three men identified as members of the Nation of Islam were convicted of murder and imprisoned; all were eventually paroled. (The convictions of two of the men were dismissed in November 2021, when prosecutors said new evidence had undermined the case against them.)
In 1972, President Richard M. Nixon began a historic visit to China, where he met with Chinese leader Mao Zedong.
In 1973, Israeli fighter planes shot down Libyan Arab Airlines Flight 114 after it strayed into Israeli-controlled airspace over the Sinai Desert, killing all but five of the 113 people on board.
In 1975, former Attorney General John N. Mitchell, former White House Chief of Staff H.R. Haldeman, and former White House Domestic Affairs Adviser 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 less than two years.)
In 1995, American adventurer Steve Fossett became the first person to fly solo across the Pacific Ocean by balloon, landing in Saskatchewan, Canada, after a 5,400-mile, four-day flight from South Korea.
Today’s birthdays:
- Film and music executive David Geffen is 83.
- Actor Tyne Daly is 80.
- Actor Anthony Daniels is 80.
- Actor William Petersen is 73.
- Actor Kelsey Grammer is 71.
- Country musician Mary Chapin Carpenter is 68.
- Baseball Hall of Famer Alan Trammell is 68.
- Actor William Baldwin is 63.
- Democratic Sen. Mark Kelly of Arizona is 62.
- Actor Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor is 57.
- Musician Rhiannon Giddens is 49.
- Actor Tituss Burgess is 47.
- Actor Jennifer Love Hewitt is 47.
- Filmmaker-comedian Jordan Peele is 47.
- Singer Charlotte Church is 40.
- Actor Joe Alwyn is 35.
