February 21 in History

Historical Events on February 21

1848 Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels publish The Communist Manifesto.

1862 American Civil War: Battle of Valverde is fought near Fort Craig in New Mexico Territory.

1916 World War I: In France, the Battle of Verdun begins.

1937 The League of Nations bans foreign national "volunteers" in the Spanish Civil War.

1945 World War II: During the Battle of Iwo Jima, Japanese kamikaze planes sink the escort carrier USS Bismarck Sea and damage the USS Saratoga.

1952 The British government, under Winston Churchill, abolishes identity cards in the UK to "set the people free".

1965 Malcolm X is assassinated at the Audubon Ballroom in New York City.

1972 United States President Richard Nixon visits the People's Republic of China to normalize Sino-American relations.

1972 The Soviet unmanned spaceship Luna 20 lands on the Moon.

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Famous Birthdays on February 21

1801 John Henry Newman

1924 Robert Mugabe

1940 John Lewis (Georgia politician)

1985 Georgios Samaras

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Famous Deaths on February 21

1437 James I of Scotland

1513 Pope Julius II

1677 Baruch Spinoza

1965 Malcolm X

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