The year was 1972, the president Nixon. He’d made a historic trip to the People’s Republic of China, as he was the first U.S. President to do so. The mission: to stabilize diplomatic relations between the two countries. The result: success. The two countries were able to amicably communicate once more. As a gesture of thanks and goodwill, Mao Zedong, the Chairman of the People’s Republic at the time, gifted two giant pandas to Nixon: Hsing-Hsing (a one-and-a-half-year-old male) and Ling-Ling (a two-and-a-half-year-old female). They arrived at their new home, the National Zoo, on this date in 1972. Hsing-Hsing and … Continue reading →