On this day in 1965, Malcolm X was assassinated in New York City at the age of 39 by assassins identified as Black Muslims. He was about to address the OAAU in Manhattan’s Audubon Ballroom when a man in the 400-person audience rushed forward and shot him once in the chest with a sawed-off shotgun as two other men charged the stage firing semi-automatic handguns. Malcolm X was pronounced dead at 3:30 pm, shortly after arriving at Columbia Presbyterian Hospital.
The Audubon Ballroom stage after the murder. Circles on backdrop mark bullet holes.
Malcolm X (Little) (1925–1965)
On this day in 1972, President Richard M. Nixon arrived in China for an official trip. He was the first U.S. president to visit the People’s Republic of China since it was established in 1949. This was an important event because the United States was seeking to improve relations with a Communist country during the Cold War.
President and Mrs. Nixon visit the Great Wall of China.
President Nixon and Prime Minister Zhou Enlai, left, in Shanghai at the end of Nixon’s visit.