Today in History

Today is Monday, Feb. 21, the 52nd day of 2022. There are 313 days left in the year. This is Presidents Day.

Today's Highlight in History:

On Feb. 21, 1975, former Attorney General John N. Mitchell and former White House aides H.R. Haldeman and John D. Ehrlichman were sentenced to 2 1/2 to 8 years in prison for their roles in the Watergate cover-up (each ended up serving 1 1/2 years).

On this date:

In 1437, James I, King of Scots, was assassinated; his 6-year-old son succeeded him as James II.

In 1885, the Washington Monument was dedicated.

In 1911, composer Gustav Mahler, despite a fever, conducted the New York Philharmonic at Carnegie Hall in what turned out to be his final concert (he died the following May).

In 1964, the first shipment of U.S. wheat purchased by the Soviet Union arrived in the port of Odessa.

In 1965, minister and civil rights activist Malcolm X, 39, was shot to death inside Harlem's Audubon Ballroom in New York. (Three men identified as members of the Nation of Islam were convicted of murder and imprisoned; all were eventually paroled. The convictions of two of the men were dismissed in November 2021; prosecutors said new evidence had undermined the case against them.)

In 1972, President Richard M. Nixon began his historic visit to China as he and his wife, Pat, arrived in Beijing.

In 1973, Israeli fighter planes shot down Libyan Arab Airlines Flight 114 over the Sinai Desert, killing all but five of the 113 people on board.

In 1992, Kristi Yamaguchi of the United States won the gold medal in ladies' figure skating at the Albertville Olympics; Midori Ito of Japan won the silver, Nancy Kerrigan of the U.S. the bronze.

In 1995, Chicago adventurer Steve Fossett became the first person to fly solo across the Pacific Ocean by balloon, landing in Leader, Saskatchewan, Canada.

In 2018, the Rev. Billy Graham, a confidant of presidents and the most widely heard Christian evangelist in history, died at his North Carolina home; he was 99.

In 2019, teachers in Oakland, California, went on strike in the latest in a wave of teacher activism that had included walkouts in Denver, Los Angeles and West Virginia.

In 2020, a temporary truce between the United States and the Taliban in Afghanistan took effect, setting the stage for the two sides to sign a peace deal the following week.

Ten years ago: The 17-nation eurozone approved a $170 billion bailout for Greece, which received the news with a mixture of relief and foreboding.

Five years ago: President Donald Trump condemned recent threats against Jewish community centers in the U.S. as "painful reminders" of lingering prejudice and evil; the president also denounced "bigotry, intolerance and hatred in all of its very ugly forms" during his first visit to the new Smithsonian Black history museum. Conservative writer Milo Yiannopoulos resigned as an editor for Breitbart News, apologizing for comments he'd made in video clips in which he appeared to defend sexual relationships between men and boys as young as 13.

One year ago: Hospitals across the southern United States grappled with ruptured water pipes and patient transfers as the region carried on with efforts to recover from the winter weather that paralyzed parts of the nation. Police in Liberty, New York, said an expectant father was killed when a device he was building for a gender reveal party exploded. Novak Djokovic beat Daniil Medvedev in three sets to win his ninth Australian Open championship and 18th Grand Slam title.

Today's Birthdays: Movie director Bob Rafelson is 89. Actor Gary Lockwood is 85. Actor-director Richard Beymer is 83. Actor Peter McEnery is 82. Film/music company executive David Geffen is 79. Actor Tyne Daly is 76. Actor Anthony Daniels is 76. Tricia Nixon Cox is 76. Former Sen. Olympia J. Snowe, R-Maine, is 75. Rock musician Jerry Harrison (The Heads) is 73. Actor Christine Ebersole is 69. Actor William Petersen is 69. Actor Kelsey Grammer is 67. Singer/guitarist Larry Campbell is 67. Country singer Mary Chapin Carpenter is 64. Actor Kim Coates is 64. Actor Jack Coleman is 64. Actor Christopher Atkins is 61. Actor William Baldwin is 59. Sen. Mark Kelly, D-Ariz., is 58. Rock musician Michael Ward is 55. Actor Aunjanue Ellis is 53. Blues musician Corey Harris is 53. Country singer Eric Heatherly is 52. Rock musician Eric Wilson is 52. Rock musician Tad Kinchla (Blues Traveler) is 49. Singer Rhiannon Giddens (Carolina Chocolate Drops) is 45. Actor Tituss Burgess is 43. Actor Jennifer Love Hewitt is 43. Comedian-actor Jordan Peele is 43. Actor Brendan Sexton III is 42. Singer Charlotte Church is 36. Actor Ashley Greene is 35. Actor Elliot Page is 35. Actor Corbin Bleu is 33. Actor Hayley Orrantia is 28. Actor Sophie Turner is 26.