Page One

Today is Thursday, Feb. 21, the 52nd day of 2002. There are 313 days left in the year. 

Today’s Highlight in History: 

On Feb. 21, 1965, former Black Muslim leader Malcolm X, 39, was shot to death in New York by assassins identified as Black Muslims. 

On this date: 

In 1878, the first telephone directory was issued, by the District Telephone Co. of New Haven, Conn. 

In 1885, the Washington Monument was dedicated. 

In 1916, the World War I Battle of Verdun began in France. 

In 1925, The New Yorker magazine made its debut. 

In 1947, Edwin H. Land publicly demonstrated his Polaroid Land camera, which could produce a black-and-white photograph in 60 seconds. 

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

In 1973, Israeli fighter planes shot down a Libyan Airlines jet over the Sinai Desert, killing more than 100 people. 

In 1986, Larry Wu-tai Chin, the first American found guilty of spying for China, killed himself in his Virginia jail cell. 

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

In 2000, consumer advocate Ralph Nader announced his entry into the presidential race, bidding for the nomination of the Green Party. 

Ten years ago: 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 United States the bronze. John Frohnmayer announced his resignation as chairman of the National Endowment for the Arts. 

Five years ago: Whitewater prosecutor Kenneth Starr reversed his decision to resign. The space shuttle Discovery returned to earth after a mission to upgrade the Hubble Space Telescope. A bomb exploded at a gay and lesbian nightclub in Atlanta, injuring five people. 

One year ago: The Supreme Court ruled that state workers cannot use an important federal disability-rights law to win money damages for on-the-job discrimination. At the Grammy Awards, Steely Dan won album of the year for “Two Against Nature,” plus best pop album and best pop performance by a duo or group for “Cousin Dupree”; controversial rapper Eminem won three awards, all in rap categories. 

Today’s Birthdays: Fashion designer Hubert de Givenchy is 75. Movie director Bob Rafelson is 69. Singer Nina Simone is 69. Actor Gary Lockwood is 65. Actor-director Richard Beymer is 63. Actor Peter McEnery is 62. Recording executive David Geffen is 59. Actor Alan Rickman is 56. Actress Tyne Daly is 56. Tricia Nixon Cox is 56. Sen. Olympia J. Snowe, R-Maine, is 55. Rock musician Jerry Harrison (The Heads) is 53. Actor William Petersen is 49. Actor Kelsey Grammer is 47. Country singer Mary-Chapin Carpenter is 44. Actor Jack Coleman is 44. Actor Christopher Atkins is 41. Rock singer Ranking Roger is 41. Actor William Baldwin is 39. Rock musician Michael Ward is 35. Blues musician Corey Harris is 33. Country singer Eric Heatherly is 32. Rock musician Eric Wilson (Sublime) is 32. Actress Jennifer Love Hewitt is 23. Singer Charlotte Church is 16.