History

1972: Nixon's Historic Visit to China On February 21, 1972, President Richard Nixon arrived in China, becoming the first U.S. president to visit the country while in office. This groundbreaking…

1919: Assassination of Kurt Eisner Kurt Eisner, a German socialist and the first premier of the People's State of Bavaria, was assassinated on February 21, 1919. Eisner was a key…

1848: Publication of The Communist Manifesto On February 21, 1848, Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels published "The Communist Manifesto," a political pamphlet that became a foundational document of communism. Advocating…

1988: Outbreak of the Nagorno-Karabakh War The Nagorno-Karabakh War was triggered on February 20, 1988, following the secession of the Nagorno-Karabakh Autonomous Oblast from Azerbaijan. The region's ethnic Armenian majority…

1792: Establishment of the United States Postal Service On February 20, 1792, the United States Postal Service (USPS) was established by the Postal Service Act. This pivotal legislation created a…

1945: U.S. Troops Land on Iwo Jima On February 19, 1945, U.S. Marines made a historic landing on the Japanese island of Iwo Jima, marking the beginning of one of…

1959: Fidel Castro Becomes Prime Minister of Cuba Fidel Castro became the 16th Prime Minister of Cuba on February 16, 1959, after leading the Cuban Revolution that overthrew the dictatorship…

1965: Canada Adopts Current National Flag On February 15, 1965, Canada officially adopted its current national flag, featuring a red maple leaf centered between two red vertical borders on a…

2005: Assassination of Rafic Hariri On February 14, 2005, Rafic Hariri, a former Prime Minister of Lebanon, was assassinated in a massive car bombing in Beirut, which also killed 21…

1779: Captain Cook Killed in Hawaii On February 14, 1779, Captain James Cook, the British explorer and navigator known for his voyages in the Pacific Ocean, was killed by Native…