What Happened On
Malcolm X Assassinated
February 21, 1965
As he was preparing to address the Organization of Afro-American Unity, someone in the audience yelled, "N--ger! Get your hand outta my pocket!" As Malcolm X and his bodyguards tried to end the disturbance, a man rushed forward and shot him once in the chest with a sawed-off shotgun and two other men charged firing semi-automatic handguns. Nation of Islam member Talmadge Hayer confessed to being one of the gunmen. Hayer and two others were convicted of the crime, but the other two men maintained their innocence. Two days prior to the assassination, Malcolm X told a reporter that the Nation of Islam was trying to kill him.
NASCAR
February 21, 1948
The National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing (NASCAR) is founded by Bill France, Sr.
France went on to build Daytona International Speedway (1959) and the Talladega Superspeedway (1969).
First Issue
First Issue
The New Yorker
February 21, 1925
The New Yorker magazine is first published. It was founded by Harold Ross (1892-1951) and his wife Jane Grant (1892-1972) who wanted to create a magazine with cosmopolitan sophistication and humor that wouldn't be "corny" like other publications of the time. It featured serious fiction, essays, journalism, and of course its famous cartoons.
Carolina Parakeet Becomes Extinct
February 21, 1918
The last-known specimen of the Carolina parakeet dies at the Cincinnati Zoo. The last-known wild specimen had died in 1904.
Washington Monument
February 21, 1885
Dedication ceremonies are held for the first national monument to honor George Washington. Construction had begun in 1848, but was halted from 1854 to 1877 due to a lack of funds.
Record Bank Robbery
February 21, 2006
Thieves steal 53 million pounds ($92 million U.S.) from a south London cash center. This was the largest cash robbery in British history. The thieves had kidnapped the depot's manager, his wife, and 8-year-old son. The manager and his family were taken to the depot where they bound and locked up the staff and stole the money. Seven men were tried and convicted; however, 32 million pounds was never recovered.
Milli Vanilli
February 21, 1990
The duo wins the Best New Artist Grammy for their album Girl You Know It's True. The Grammy was later revoked when it was revealed that they didn't perform on the album.
Milli Vanilli consisted of Rob Pilatus and Fabrice "Fab" Morvan and they had been one of the most popular pop acts in the late 1980s and early 1990s with millions of records sold.
Photo Credit: Jntracy75
Photo Credit: Jntracy75
Jimmy Swaggart - "I Have Sinned"
February 21, 1987
Televangelist Jimmy Swaggart confesses to an unspecified sin, as the result of photographs that were taken of him with a prostitute at a Baton Rouge motel. He told his congregation, "I have sinned against You, my Lord, and I would ask that Your Precious Blood would wash and cleanse every stain until it is in the seas of God's forgetfulness, not to be remembered against me anymore."
His meeting with a prostitute was exposed in retaliation for exposing fellow Assemblies of God preacher Marvin Gorman, whom Swaggart accused of having sexual affairs. After Gorman was defrocked for the scandal, he hired his son and son-in-law to stake out a motel in Baton Rouge. When Swaggart showed up with a prostitute, they took photos, let the air out his car's tires, and called Gorman. Swaggart claims Gorman then offered to remain silent if he would publicly apologize and say he lied about Gorman's affairs and help Gorman rebuild his ministry. Swaggart failed to meet these demands, and Gorman showed the photos to church leaders.
Watergate
February 21, 1975
Former U.S. attorney general John Mitchell and former White House aids H.R. Haldeman and John D. Ehrlichman are each sentenced to 30 months in prison for their involvement in the Watergate cover-up.
Journey for Peace
February 21, 1972
U.S. President Richard Nixon begins an eight-day visit to China. This was the first time a U.S. President visited China.
The following May, Nixon became the first U.S. President to Visit Moscow.
Three-Dollar Gold Coin
February 21, 1853
The minting of three-dollar gold pieces is authorized by the U.S. Congress.
Birthdays
Bader, 1940
Bader, 1940
Legless Flying Ace
Sir Douglas Bader
Born February 21, 1910 d. 1982
British flying ace. The loss of his legs gave him an advantage in combat over other pilots. In 1931, Bader lost both of his legs in an RAF plane crash while performing aerobatics. After recovering from the accident, he retook flight training and requested reactivation as a pilot, but was retired against his will on medical grounds. When WWII broke out, he reapplied and was eventually accepted. His lack of legs proved a benefit to combat flying. When fighter pilots make hard turns, the high g-forces often cause them to black out as the flow of blood from their brain drains to their legs. Due to his lack of legs, Bader was able withstand higher g-forces than other pilots. In 1941, Bader's plane was downed and he spent the rest of the war in POW camps.
He is credited with 22 aerial victories, four shared victories, six probables, one shared probable, and 11 enemy aircraft damaged.
Jeanne Calment at age 20 and 121
Jeanne Calment at age 20 and 121
Oldest Human - Lived to 122 Years Old
Jeanne Louise Calment
Born February 21, 1875 d. 1997
French centenarian. Credited for the longest confirmed human lifespan. She lived for 122 years and 164 days and is listed in the Guinness Book of World Records. Some researchers claim that she actually died in 1934 and her daughter Yvonne faked her own death and assumed her identity. But, there is little evidence to support this.
Remember the Alamo
Santa Anna (Antonio López de Santa Anna)
Born February 21, 1794 d. 1876
Mexican president (1833-35, 1841-45, 1846-47, 1853-55) and general. He led the Mexican army at the Fall of the Alamo (1836), where his army defeated 187 Texans - including Davy Crockett and Jim Bowie - who had declared their independence from Mexico in an effort to establish their own country.
Hanged As a Witch
Rebecca Nurse
Born February 21, 1621 d. 1692
New England witch trial victim. She was hanged as a witch in 1692 along with others as part of the Salem Witch Trials. She was a central character in Arthur Miller's play The Crucible.
A church member known for her generosity and piety, the 71-year-old Nurse was initially found not guilty by a jury. However, after her acquittal, her accusers began having "spasms" claiming she was continuing to bewitch them. The jury reconvened, this time returning a verdict of guilty.
In 1706, one of her accusers recanted her accusation, claiming Satan had tricked her into making the false charges.
Christopher Atkins (Christopher Atkins Bomann)
Born February 21, 1961
American actor. Film: The Blue Lagoon (1980).
Kelsey Grammer
Born February 21, 1955
American Emmy-winning actor. TV: Cheers (Dr. Frasier Crane), Frasier (title role), and The Simpsons (Sideshow Bob).
Robert "Bobo" Armstrong
Born February 21, 1950
American cartoonist. Creator of Mickey Rat, and author of The Official Coach Potato Handbook (1983), which popularized the term "couch potato."
Tyne Daly
Born February 21, 1946
American Tony-Emmy-winning actress. TV: Cagney & Lacey (Lacey).
Rue McClanahan (Eddi-Rue McClanahan)
Born February 21, 1934 d. 2010
American Emmy-winning actress. TV: Maude (1972-78, Vivian), Mama's Family (1983-84, Aunt Fran Crowley), and The Golden Girls (1985-92, Blanche, Emmy win).
Erma Louise Bombeck
Born February 21, 1927 d. 1996
American columnist, author. Quote: "Insanity is hereditary. You can catch it from your kids."
Sam Peckinpah
Born February 21, 1925 d. 1984
American film director. Film: Ride the High Country (1962), The Wild Bunch (1969), Straw Dogs (1971), and The Osterman Weekend (1983).
Wystan Hugh Auden
Born February 21, 1907 d. 1973
English-born American poet. Quote: "We are all here on earth to help others; what on earth the others are here for I don't know."
August von Wassermann
Born February 21, 1866 d. 1925
German bacteriologist. He developed the Wassermann test for syphilis (1906).
Deaths
Peter Tork (Peter Halsten Thorkelson)
Died February 21, 2019 b. 1942
American singer, musician, actor. Keyboardist and bass guitarist for "The Monkees." Music: Last Train to Clarksville (1966) and I'm a Believer (1966). TV: The Monkees (1966-68).
Billy Graham (William Franklin Graham Jr.)
Died February 21, 2018 b. 1918
American evangelist. Graham was a spiritual adviser to every U.S. president from Harry S. Truman to Barack Obama. Due to his radio and TV crusades, Graham has preached the gospel to more people in person than anyone in history. He is considered one of the most influential Christian leaders of the 20th century.
Issue #1
Issue #1
Harvey Kurtzman
Died February 21, 1993 b. 1924
American Hall of Fame cartoonist. Creator of Mad magazine (1952) and also wrote Little Annie Fanny (featured in Playboy 1962-88).
Malcolm X with an M1 Carbine and looking out window
Photo Credit: Ebony Magazine
Malcolm X with an M1 Carbine and looking out windowPhoto Credit: Ebony Magazine
Malcolm X (Malcolm Little)
Died February 21, 1965 b. 1925
American civil rights leader. While in prison he converted to the Muslim Nation of Islam (1946) and preached that all whites were of the devil. He was assassinated by the members of the Nation of Islam after breaking from them in 1964.
Only Woman to Receive the U.S. Medal of Honor
Mary Edwards Walker
Died February 21, 1919 b. 1832
American physician, women's rights leader. She was the first female surgeon in the U.S. Army (1864), and the only woman to receive the U.S. Medal of Honor (1865), which she received for her efforts to treat the wounded during the Civil War. However, it was revoked in 1916 and then reinstated in 1977. In 1897 she established a women's colony called "Adamless Eden."
Sir Howard Walter Florey
Died February 21, 1968 b. 1898
Australian-born British physician, won a Nobel prize (1945) for his work with Alexander Fleming in developing penicillin.
Smoky "Angel From a Foxhole"
Died February 21, 1957 b. circa 1943
Yorkshire terrier who became a famous war dog of World War II. Smoky was found in 1944 by an American soldier in an abandoned foxhole in the New Guinea jungle. American Corporal William A. Wynne bought Smoky for two Australian pounds, the amount the seller needed so he could return to his poker game. For the next two years, Smoky back-packed through the rest of the war with Wynne on combat flights in the Pacific. Smoky was credited with twelve combat missions and awarded eight battle stars and is credited with saving Wynne's life by warning him of incoming shells on an LST (transport ship) by getting Wynne to duck the fire that hit eight men standing next to them, after which she became known as the "Angel From a Foxhole."
In the down time between battles, Smoky learned a number of tricks, including walking a tightrope while blindfolded. After the war Smoky became a national sensation and performed all over the world. Smokey died of natural causes at age 14.
Wynne wrote the book Yorkie Doodle Dandy, describing their experiences together.
Sir Frederick Grant Banting
Died February 21, 1941 b. 1891
Canadian Nobel-winning scientist. He and Charles Best discovered insulin (1921) for which he shared the Nobel Prize with Dr. J.J.R. MacLeod.
Inventor of the Spitball
Frank J. "Fiddler" Corridon
Died February 21, 1941 b. 1880
American baseball pitcher. He is one of several players credited with inventing the spitball (1904). He claimed to have discovered the idea when he noticed that a ball that had landed in a puddle and was wet on one side had an unexpected flight when he threw it.
In the winter of 1919-1920, Major League Baseball managers voted to partially ban the spitball. Each team was allowed to designate up to two pitchers who were permitted to throw spitballs. After the 1920 season, the use of the spitball was banned with the exception of 17 existing spitball throwers, who were grandfathered in and allowed to throw spitballs until they retired.
Super-Conductivity
Heike Onnes
Died February 21, 1926 b. 1853
Dutch Nobel-winning physicist. First to liquefy helium (1908), and coined the term "super-conductivity" after discovering the drop in electrical resistance exhibited by solids at extremely low temperatures.
Benedict XIII
Died February 21, 1730 b. 1649
religious leader, 245th Pope (1724-30).
Julius II (Giuliano della Rovere)
Died February 21, 1513 b. 1443
Italian religious leader, 216th Pope (1503-13). Known as "The Warrior Pope." He commissioned the rebuilding of St. Peter's Basilica and the painting of the Sistine Chapel by Michelangelo.