February 21 - What happened today?

Home What happened today in history? Blamepro's Almanac for February 21
In the headlines today:

1995	Steve Fossett, a Chicago stockbroker, becomes the first person to make a solo balloon flight across the Pacific, landing in Leader, Saskatchewan, Canada.
1976	Florence Ballard, member of Diana Ross and the Supremes, dies in Detroit at age 32.
1975	Former US Attorney General John Mitchell and White House aides H.R. Haldeman and John Ehrlichman receive prison terms for their roles in the Watergate cover-up.
1973	Israeli jet fighters shoot down a Libyan Airlines passenger plane over the Sinai Desert, killing more than 100 people.
1967	The Beatles record overdubs to complete Fixing A Hole, a song that will ultimately appear on their Sergeant Pepper album, at EMI Studios in London. (photo credit: Capitol Records)
1965	Civil rights activist Malcolm X is assassinated at age 39 by Black Muslims in New York City.
1947	Inventor Edwin Land gives a public demonstration of the Polaroid Land camera, which self-develops a black-and-white photo in 60 seconds.
1925	The premiere issue of The New Yorker magazine appears on newsstands.
1916	The Battle of Verdun (France) begins during WWI.
1904	The National Ski Association of America is founded.
1885	The Washington Monument, one of the world's tallest masonry structures at 555 feet in height, is dedicated.
1878	The first US telephone directory is distributed in New Haven, Connecticut.
1853	$3 gold pieces are authorized in the US.