Today's Highlight in History:
On Feb. 19, 1945, some 30,000 U.S. Marines began landing on Iwo Jima, where they commenced a successful month-long battle to seize control of the island from Japanese forces.
An unidentified correspondent reports from the sceneOn this date:
In 1473, astronomer Nicolaus Copernicus was born in Torun, in north-central Poland.
In 1803, Congress voted to accept Ohio's borders and constitution.
In 1807, Aaron Burr, a former U.S. vice president, was arrested in Alabama on charges of plotting to annex Spanish territory in Louisiana and Mexico to be used toward the establishment of an independent republic.
In 1846, the Texas state government was formally installed in Austin, with J. Pinckney Henderson taking the oath of office as governor.
In 1878, Thomas Edison received a patent for his phonograph.
In 1881, Kansas prohibited the manufacture and sale of alcoholic beverages.
In 1909, the National Committee for Mental Hygiene, a precursor to Mental Health America, was founded by Clifford W. Beers. [Most of the inhabitants of this country are probably mentally iller than they were 101 yrs. ago. We know we are. — Ed.]
In 1934, the US Army Air Corps began delivering mail after President Franklin D. Roosevelt canceled private contracts that had come under suspicion. (The hastily arranged, ill-equipped military flights claimed the lives of a dozen pilots, sparking a public outcry before they were dropped several months later.)
In 1942, President Franklin D. Roosevelt authorized the military to relocate and intern U.S. residents, including native-born Americans, of Japanese ancestry.
In 1959, an agreement was signed by Britain, Turkey and Greece granting Cyprus its independence.
In 1983, 13 people were found shot to death at a gambling club in Seattle's Chinatown in what became known as the "Wah Mee Massacre." (Two Chinese immigrants were convicted of the killings and sentenced to life in prison.)
In 1986, the U.S. Senate approved a treaty outlawing genocide, 37 years after President Harry Truman first sought approval of the accord. Also in 1986, the Soviet Union launched the Mir space station. It was occupied for 10 of the its 15 years in orbit.
In 1991, Russian Federation President Boris Yeltsin demanded the resignation of Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev.
In 1997, Deng Xiaoping, the last of China's major Communist revolutionaries, died at age 92.
In 1999, President Bill Clinton posthumously pardoned Henry O. Flipper, the first black graduate of West Point, whose military career had been tarnished by a racially motivated discharge.
In 2000, George W. Bush defeated John McCain in the South Carolina Republican primary.
In 2002, Vonetta Flowers became the first black athlete ever to win a gold medal at the Winter Olympics when she and Jill Bakken took top honors in bobsledding in Salt Lake City.
In 2003, all 289 people aboard an Iranian military transport plane were killed when it crashed in a mountainous region of southeastern Iran.
In 2004, former Enron Corp. chief executive Jeffrey Skilling was charged with fraud, insider trading and other crimes in connection with the energy trader's collapse. (Skilling was later convicted of 19 counts and sentenced to 24 years and four months in prison; a federal appeals court upheld his convictions, but vacated the prison term and ordered that he be resentenced.) The AFL-CIO endorsed Democrat John Kerry for president. After sanctioning more than 2,800 gay marriages, the city of San Francisco sued the state of California, challenging its ban on same-sex marriages.
In 2005, eight suicide bombers struck in quick succession in Iraq in a wave of attacks that killed dozens. Former Presidents George H.W. Bush and Bill Clinton visited a Thai fishing village that had been devastated by the December 2005 tsunami. The USS Jimmy Carter, the last of the Seawolf class of attack subs, was commissioned at Groton, Conn. Iran was reported to be making ready for a possible U.S. attack or at least appearing to prepare for war to dissuade Washington from such an attack. Also in 2005, U.S. Roman Catholic officials said they received 1,092 charges of clergy sex abuse, most involving boys.
In 2006, more than 1,000 people were listed as missing two days after a landslide wiped out a village on the Philippine island of Leyte.
In 2007, European environment ministers called or a 20 percent cut in carbon dioxide emissions by EU member states by 2020. New Jersey became the third state to offer civil unions to gay couples.
In 2008, an ailing Fidel Castro resigned the Cuban presidency after nearly a half-century in power; his brother Raul was later named to succeed him. Toshiba, creator of the HD DVD, conceded to Sony's rival Blu-ray format. [This explains why the Just Another Blog™ HD DVD playing devil-box was so reasonably priced. — Ed.] President George W. Bush, visiting Rwanda, pleaded with the global community for decisive action to stop grisly ethnic violence plaguing other African nations like Kenya and Sudan. Barack Obama cruised past Hillary Rodham Clinton in the Wisconsin primary and Hawaii caucuses.
In 2009, President Barack Obama made a quick visit to Canada, his first trip outside the U.S. since taking office; he reassured Prime Minister Stephen Harper that the U.S. was not cultivating a protectionist streak despite its economic difficulties. A jury in Moscow voted unanimously to acquit three men in the killing of investigative reporter Anna Politkovskaya.
Today's Birthdays: Singer Smokey Robinson is 70. Singer Bobby Rogers (Smokey Robinson & the Miracles) is 70. Actress Carlin Glynn is 70. Sony Chairman, CEO and President Howard Stringer is 68. Singer Lou Christie is 67. Actor Michael Nader is 65. Rock musician Tony Iommi (Black Sabbath, Heaven and Hell) is 62. Author Amy Tan is 58. Actor Jeff Daniels is 55. Rock singer-musician Dave Wakeling is 54. Talk show host Lorianne Crook is 53. Actor Ray Winstone is 53. NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell is 51. Britain's Prince Andrew is 50. Tennis Hall-of-Famer Hana Mandlikova is 48. Singer Seal is 47. Country musician Ralph McCauley (Wild Horses) is 46. Rock musician Jon Fishman (Phish) is 45. Actress Justine Bateman is 44. Actor Benicio Del Toro is 43. Rock musician Daniel Adair is 35. Pop singer-actress Haylie Duff is 25.
Those Born On This Date Include: British actor David Garrick (1717); Romanian sculptor Constantin Brancusi (1876); jockey Eddie Arcaro (1916); novelist Carson McCullers (1917); & actor Lee Marvin (1924).
Today In Entertainment February 19
In 1922, vaudeville star Ed Wynn became the first big name in show business to sign for a regular radio show.
In 1958, The Miracles released their first single, "Got A Job," an answer song for The Silhouette's "Get A Job."
In 1972, Paul McCartney and Wings released "Give Ireland Back to the Irish," a commentary about the Britain-Ireland conflict. It was banned by the BBC, but still reached the top 20 in England.
In 1974, Dick Clark staged the first American Music Awards as an alternative to the industry-dominated Grammy Awards. The winners of the American Music Awards are determined by the votes of music fans. "Tie A Yellow Ribbon" by Tony Orlando and Dawn won for favorite pop single that year.
In 1977, Fleetwood Mac released the album "Rumours." It sold more than 17 million copies.
In 1980, AC/DC vocalist Bon Scott died after choking on his own vomit after an all-night drinking binge in London. He was 33. His death came just months after the band scored its first North American success with the album "Highway to Hell."
In 1981, a New York Supreme Court judge ruled George Harrison "subconsciously plagiarized" the song "He's So Fine" by The Chiffons for his hit, "My Sweet Lord." Harrison was ordered to pay $587,000.
In 1995, Motley Crue drummer Tommy Lee married Pamela Anderson of the TV show "Baywatch" on a beach in Cancun. The bride wore white -- a bikini. They've since divorced.
In 1996, London police arrested singer Jarvis Cocker of Pulp for allegedly attacking three children performing with Michael Jackson at the Brit Awards. Cocker admitted he walked on stage but denied he touched any children.
In 1997, the Trinity Broadcasting Network canceled Pat Boone's "GospelAmerica" show after viewers complained about Boone's appearance on the American Music Awards. He had been promoting his "In a Metal Mood" album by wearing a dog collar and black leather. The show was later reinstated. Also in 1997, a judge in New York dismissed a $7 million lawsuit a fan filed against Motley Crue for hearing loss suffered at one of their concerts. The judge said the fan knew the concert would be loud going in to it.
Thought for Today: "There is, I think, nothing in the world more futile than the attempt to find out how a task should be done when one has not yet decided what the task is." — Alexander Meiklejohn, American educator (1872-1964).
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