On February 21st, the world marked the 176th anniversary of the publication of “The Communist Manifesto” by Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels, a text that continues to shape political discourse. The original pamphlet, published in London in 1848, outlined a theory of class struggle and a call for a proletarian revolution.
The anniversary arrives as geopolitical tensions remain high, with ongoing conflict in Ukraine. In 2022, Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered troops into separatist regions of eastern Ukraine, a move widely condemned internationally. This action, framed by Russia as a “peacekeeping” operation, preceded a full-scale invasion days later.
Elsewhere, historical milestones were observed. The Washington Monument, dedicated on February 21, 1885, stands as a tribute to America’s first president. The 555-foot-high marble obelisk commemorates George Washington’s leadership during the Revolutionary War.
In 1916, the Battle of Verdun commenced in northeastern France, marking the beginning of a protracted and devastating conflict. The battle, lasting nearly ten months, resulted in the deaths of over one million soldiers from both the German and French armies, becoming the longest battle of World War I.
The date also holds significance in the realm of scientific discovery. In 1953, Francis Crick and James Watson unveiled their groundbreaking discovery of the double helix structure of DNA, a pivotal moment in the understanding of genetics. It would take another three decades to produce a clear, direct picture of the DNA molecule.
The legacy of political activism was also remembered. February 21st marks the anniversary of the assassination of Malcolm X in 1965, a prominent figure in the Black Muslim movement. He was killed at a rally in New York City, and while several men were convicted of the murder, convictions were later undermined by new evidence.
Diplomatic history was made on this date in 1972, when Richard Nixon became the first U.S. President to visit the People’s Republic of China, initiating a period of normalized relations. More recently, in 2014, President Barack Obama met with the Dalai Lama at the White House, despite warnings from China that such a meeting would damage U.S.-China relations. The White House reiterated the U.S. Position that Tibet is part of the People’s Republic of China and does not support Tibetan independence.
In Berlin, the Marx-Engels Forum, a public park established in honor of the 20th anniversary of the German Democratic Republic, features a monument to Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels. The monument consists of bronze figures of Marx sitting and Engels standing, alongside four double steles with images burned into the stainless steel.
The Hayabusa-2 probe, a Japanese space agency mission, touched down on asteroid Ryugu on February 21, 2019, marking the first time a probe successfully deployed working rovers onto an asteroid.