On This Day in History February 21, 2020

Historical Events 1173  Pope Alexander III canonizes Thomas Becket, Archbishop of Canterbury 1613  Michael Romanov, son of Patriarch of Moscow, elected first Russian Tsar of the house of Romanov 1804  1st locomotive, Richard Trevithick's, runs for the 1st time, along the tramway of the Penydarren Ironworks in Merthyr Tydfil, Wales 1916  World War I: Battle of Verdun begins with a German offensive, leads to an estimated 1 million casualties and becomes the longest battle of the entire war (9 months) 1922  Britain declares Egypt a sovereign state 1972  Richard Nixon becomes the first US President to visit China, normalizing relations between the countries in a meeting with Chinese leader Mao Zedongin Beijing More Historical Events Famous Birthdays Alan Rickman (1946 - 2016) Jennifer Love Hewitt 41st Birthday Nina Simone (1933 - 2003) Robert Mugabe (1924 - 2019) More Famous Birthdays Famous Deaths Frederick Banting (1891 - 1941) Malcolm X (1925 - 1965) More Famous Deaths