February 21 in Pop Culture History

February 21st History, Trivia, and Fun Facts

February 21st History Highlights

  • 1885 – The Washington Monument was dedicated in Washington, DC.
  • 1965 – Malcolm X, founder of the Organization of Afro-American Unity was assassinated.
  • 1972 American President Richard Nixon made a historic trip to China, opening diplomatic relations between the two countries.
  • 1994 – Aldrich and Maria del Rosario Ames were arrested (and later convicted) of spying for the Soviet Union.
  • If you were born on February 21st,
    You were likely conceived the week of… May 31st (prior year)

February 21st is…

Card Reading Day
International Mother Language Day
National Sticky Bun Day

February 21st Birthday Quotes

“I remember thinking how often we look but never see… we listen, but never hear… we exist, but never feel. We take our relationships for granted. A house is only a place. It has no life of its own. It needs human voices, activity, and laughter to come alive.”
– Erma Bombeck

“Individuality will always be one of the conditions of real elegance.”
– Christian Dior

“I’ve never been able to plan my life. I just lurch from indecision to indecision.”
– Alan Rickman

“Simplicity, good taste, and grooming are the three fundamentals of good dressing and these do not cost money.”
– Christian Dior

“The scariest monster in the world is human beings and what we are capable of, especially when we get together.”
– Jordan Peele

“All of us, can do so much more together than any one person can do alone. And I hope that thought bolsters you as much as it does me.”
– Eliott Page

“There’s no excuse for the young people not knowing who the heroes and heroines are or were.”
– Nina Simone

February 21st Birthdays

1621 – Rebecca Nurse, Massachusetts colonist, executed as a witch (died in 1692)
1821 – Charles Scribner I, American publisher, founded Charles Scribner’s Sons (died in 1871)
1855 – Alice Freeman Palmer, American educator (died in 1902)
1905 – Christian Dior, French Fashion designer (d.1957)
1915 – Ann Sheridan, American actress and singer (died in 1967)
1924 – Robert Mugabe, Zimbabwean politician, 2nd President of Zimbabwe (died in 2019)
1927 – Erma Bombeck, American journalist and author (died in 1996)
1933 – Nina Simone, American singer-songwriter (died in 2003)
1934 – Rue McClanahan, American actress (died in 2010)
1940 – John Lewis, American activist and politician
1943 – David Geffen, American businessman, co-founded DreamWorks and Geffen Records
1946 – Anthony Daniels, English actor and adjunct professor
1946 – Alan Rickman, English actor (died in 2016)
1947 – Olympia Snowe, American politician
1949 – Frank Brunner, American comic book illustrator
1949 – Jerry Harrison, American singer-songwriter
1955 – Kelsey Grammer, American actor
1958 – Mary Chapin Carpenter, American singer-songwriter
1961 – Christopher Atkins, American actor
1963 – William Baldwin, American actor, Brother
1977 – Kevin Rose, American businessman, founded Digg
1979 – Jennifer Love Hewitt, American actress
1979 – Jordan Peele, American actor, producer, and screenwriter
1986 – Charlotte Church, Welsh singer-songwriter
1987 – Eliott Page, Canadian actor
1989 – Corbin Bleu, American actor, model, dancer
1996 – Sophie Turner, English actress

February 21st History

1848
The Communist Manifesto, written by Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels, was published in London by a group of German-born revolutionary known as the Communist League.

1866
Lucy B. Hobbs became the first woman to graduate from a dental school.

1878
The first telephone directory in the US, listing about 50 names, was issued by the New Haven Telephone Company in New Haven, Connecticut.

1885
The Washington Monument was dedicated. It was opened to the public about three years later. At 555 feet 5 1/8 inches, it was the tallest structure in the world until the Eiffel Tower was completed in 1889. The 555-foot-high marble obelisk was first proposed in 1783 and had countless delays, including the American Civil War.

1925
The New Yorker magazine began publication.

1947
A year before it became commercially available, Edwin Land demonstrated the Polaroid Land Camera to the Optical Society of America in New York City.

1948
The National Association for Stock Car Racing – NASCAR – was founded.

1953
The structure of the DNA molecule was discovered by Francis Crick and James D. Watson

1958
The internationally recognized peace symbol was designed by Gerald Holtom as the logo for the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament.

1965
Malcolm X was assassinated by (reputedly) members of the Nation of Islam in the Audubon Ballroom in New York City.

1967
Apollo 1 (planned for February 21, 1967, but a cabin fire during a launch rehearsal test led to the deaths of the crew) Crew: Virgil “Gus” Grissom, Edward H. White, and Roger B. Chaffee

1986
The first Legend of Zelda game was released.

1991
Lost in Yonkers premiered in NYC at the Richard Rodger Theatre.

1997
The all-digital Wheel of Fortune board was introduced.

2004
#1 Hit February 21, 2004February 27, 2004: Twista featuring Kanye West and Jamie Foxx – Slow Jamz

2009
#1 Hit February 21, 2009 – February 27, 2009: Eminem featuring Dr. Dre and 50 Cent – Crack a Bottle

Today’s Random Trivia and Shower Thoughts

“The doctors are trying a new treatment. You have been in a coma for a year now. They say this might appear somehow in your dreams. Please wake up. We love you.” #what?

The Capital of Peru is Lima

Biggest film of 1976: Rocky (Drama) earned ~ $117,000,000

A group of Baboons is called a Troop or Flange.

On April 18, 1930, the BBC announced, “There is no news today,” and played piano music instead.

Whoever figured out that a few stalks of wheat, a glass of milk, a tomato, and a ground-up pig could be turned into pepperoni pizza is probably the greatest genius to have ever lived.

“I’m as mad as hell, and I’m not going to take this anymore!” – Howard Beale (Peter Finch) #moviequotes

Happiness is not hard to find. It’s beside you, it’s in front of you, it’s at your back, it’s around you, it’s just a matter of appreciation.

“37!?!” – Dante #moviequotes

Elephants, in their natural habitat, usually sleep for only 2 hours a day.

The highest point on the moon is 6,358 feet higher (1938 meters) than Mount Everest.

Funerals really aren’t “fun” at all. “Saderals” makes more sense.

US President #43 George W. Bush (2001-2007) Continued the legacy of Bushisms. Had the highest and lowest approval ratings with 92% (ABC) and 19% (American Research Group) of any president. “The Decider”

“Laughter is the shortest distance between two people.” – Victor Borge

Kiribati, an island chain in the Pacific Ocean, is the only country in the world that is situated within all four hemispheres of the globe.

Jane Seymour – Real Name: Joyce Frankenberg

There are two US states where the temperature has never surpassed 100 degrees F: Alaska and Hawaii.

Ice cream in pain when a brain-freeze occurs. #haha

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