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Today in History, February 21st

On February 21, 1972, Richard Nixon arrived in Beijing, opening U.S.-China ties. Plus Malcolm X, the Washington Monument and Nina Simone's birth.

By Today in History Updated November 10, 2026 3 min read Sources checked

Published February 21, 2026 · Last updated November 10, 2026

February 21 is best known for 1972, when Richard Nixon landed in Beijing and became the first U.S. president to visit mainland China while in office. The date also saw the assassination of Malcolm X in 1965 and the dedication of the Washington Monument in 1885.

The big story: Nixon Arrives in China (1972)

For more than two decades, the U.S. and the People’s Republic of China had treated each other as enemies. They had fought in Korea, and China had sent aid and advisers to North Vietnam. Then Richard Nixon, who had built his career as a hard-line anti-Communist, flew to Beijing. He arrived on February 21, 1972, and met Mao Zedong that same day. The trip had been set up by Henry Kissinger, whose first visit to Beijing in 1971 was kept secret until Nixon revealed it in a televised speech. Both sides had reasons to talk. Nixon hoped a friendlier China would make the Soviet Union more willing to help end the Vietnam War, and China wanted a counterweight to the Soviets. The weeklong visit ended with the Shanghai Communiqué, which set out each side’s position on Taiwan. Full diplomatic relations were still years away, but the trip changed the shape of the Cold War.

More events on February 21

Year	What happened
1848	The Communist League published Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels’s Communist Manifesto in London, in German. It made little stir at first.
1885	The Washington Monument was dedicated in Washington, D.C., nearly 37 years after its cornerstone was laid. The public could not go inside until 1888.
1916	Germany opened the Battle of Verdun with a massive bombardment. The fight lasted until December and caused roughly 750,000 French and German casualties.
1948	NASCAR was officially incorporated, with Daytona Beach promoter Bill France Sr. as its first president.
1952	Dick Button of the U.S. won his second straight Olympic figure skating gold in Oslo, landing the first triple loop jump in competition.
1965	Malcolm X was assassinated in New York City.
1970	Henry Kissinger held his first secret peace talks with North Vietnam’s Le Duc Tho at a villa outside Paris. They went nowhere for a long while.
2018	Evangelist Billy Graham, who preached to huge crowds around the world for decades, died at his home in Montreat, North Carolina, at 99.

Born on February 21

1907: W.H. Auden, English poet, one of the leading literary voices of his century.
1927: Erma Bombeck, humor columnist who wrote about suburban family life.
1933: Nina Simone, singer, pianist and civil rights voice.