FEBRUARY 17
1972:President Richard Nixon begins a week-long trip to the People's Republic of China,
becoming the first U.S. president to visit the world's most populous
nation. Nixon's visit, which includes meetings with Chairman Mao Zedong
and Premier Zhou Enlai, is a major step toward normalizing relations
between the two nations. Full diplomatic relations will be established
in 1979.
1904: Giacomo Puccini's opera Madame Butterlfly premieres at La Scala theater in Milan, Italy. The opera tells the tragic story of Japanese geisha Cio-Cio San and her doomed love affair with American sailor B.F. Pinkerton. Although the production is originally met with boos from the audience, a reworked version of the opera will be greeted by rave reviews three months later.
1947: The Voice of America begins broadcasting Russian-language radio programming to the Soviet Union to provide Soviet citizens with positive news and information about the United States during the Cold War.
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