February 23, 1959 (Monday)
- On his 91st birthday, W. E. B. Du Bois addressed a crowd of thousands at Peking University and was afterward given a party by Foreign Minister Chen Yi. The day before, the African-American author had been given an official state reception by China's Prime Minister Zhou Enlai.
- Died: Luis Palés Matos, 60, Puerto Rican poet
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