February 21 is the 52nd day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. There are 313 days remaining until the end of the year (314 in leap years). This date is slightly more likely to fall on a Tuesday, Thursday or Sunday (58 in 400 years each) than on Friday or Saturday (57), and slightly less likely to occur on a Monday or Wednesday (56
+ 1878 – The first telephone directory is issued in New Haven, Connecticut.
+ 1885 – The newly completed Washington Monument is dedicated.
+ 1948 – NASCAR is incorporated.
+ 1965 – Malcolm X is assassinated at the Audubon Ballroom in New York City.
+ 1972 – United States President Richard Nixon visits the People's Republic of China to normalize Sino-American relations.
( Births )
+ 1936 – Barbara Jordan, American lawyer and politician (d. 1996)
+ 1955 – Kelsey Grammer, American actor, singer, and producer
+ 1958 – Mary Chapin Carpenter, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
+ 1967 – Leroy Burrell, American runner and coach
+ 1979 – Jennifer Love Hewitt, American actress and producer