Giant Pandas Arrive in USA
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PrintThe two Giant Pandas, Hsing-Hsing and Ling-Ling, arrive at Andrews Air Force Base at 5 a.m. and are transported to the National Zoological Park. President Nixon had announced on March 13 that the pandas would reside at the National Zoo, " gift from all the people of China to all the people of the United States." On April 20 the pandas were officially presented, with Mrs. Nixon and members of Congress in attendance. The public began coming at a rate of 1,200 people an hour, with 24,000 visitors coming to see the animals on their first weekend.
Chronology of Smithsonian History
Institutional History Division, Smithsonian Institution Archives, 600 Maryland Avenue, S.W., Washington, D.C. 20024-2520, SIHistory@si.edu
April 16, 1972
China