Apr
16

April 16, 1972

Ling-Ling (left) and Hsing-Hsing, the National Zoological Park's giant pandas, play together in their outside enclosure.

April 16, 1972: Two giant pandas, Hsing-Hsing (male) and Ling-Ling (female), arrive at Andrews Air Force Base at 5 AM. The pandas are gifts to the United States of America from the People’s Republic of China following President Richard M. Nixon’s historic visit to China. The pandas are officially presented to the National Zoological Park on April 20, 1972.

Courtesy of Smithsonian Institution Archives

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Posted: 16 April 2012
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