Friday, February 19th
The 050th day of 2010.
There are 315 days left in the year.
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Today's Highlights in History
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On Feb. 19, 1945, during World War II, some 30,000 United States Marines landed on the Western Pacific island of Iwo Jima, where they encountered ferocious resistance from Japanese forces. The Americans took control of the strategically important island after a month-long battle. (Go to article.)
On Feb. 19, 1912, Stan Kenton, the American bandleader who was an innovator in the progressive jazz style of the 1950's, was born. Following his death on Aug. 25, 1979, his obituary appeared in The Times. (Go to obit. | Other Birthdays)
Editorial Cartoon of the Day
On February 19, 1876, Harper's Weekly featured a cartoon about the New York state government. (See the cartoon and read an explanation.)
On this date in:
1473 The astronomer Copernicus was born in Torun, Poland.
1878 Thomas Edison received a patent for his phonograph.
1881 Kansas became the first state to prohibit all alcoholic beverages.
1942 President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed an executive order giving the military the authority to relocate and intern Japanese-Americans.
1959 An agreement was signed by Britain, Turkey and Greece granting Cyprus its independence.
1986 The U.S. Senate approved a treaty outlawing genocide, 37 years after the pact had first been submitted for ratification.
1997 Deng Xiaoping, the last of China's major Communist revolutionaries, died in Beijing at age 92.
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. (He was later convicted and sentenced to more than 24 years in prison.)
2004 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.
2005 Eight suicide bombers struck in quick succession in Iraq in a wave of attacks that killed dozens.
2005 The USS Jimmy Carter, the last of the Seawolf class of attack submarines, was commissioned at Groton, Conn.
2007 New Jersey became the third state to offer civil unions to gay couples.
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. .
2008 Toshiba, creator of the HD DVD, conceded to Sony's rival Blu-ray format.
Current Birthdays
Smokey Robinson turns 70 years old today.
AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill R&B singer-songwriter Smokey Robinson turns 70 years old today.
62 Tony Iommi
Rock musician (Black Sabbath)
58 Amy Tan
Author
55 Jeff Daniels
Actor
53 Ray Winstone
Actor
50 Prince Andrew
Member of the British royal family
48 Hana Mandlikova
Tennis Hall of Famer
47 Seal
Rock singer
44 Justine Bateman
Actress ("Family Ties")
43 Benicio Del Toro
Actor
25 Haylie Duff
Singer, actress ("7th Heaven")
Historic Birthdays
Stan Kenton
2/19/1912 - 8/25/1979
American jazz bandleader, pianist and composer
(Go to obit.)
70 Nicolaus Copernicus
2/19/1473 - 5/24/1543
Polish astronomer
61 David Garrick
2/19/1717 - 1/20/1779
English actor, producer, dramatist and comanager of the Drury Lane Theatre
62 Luigi Boccherini
2/19/1743 - 5/28/1805
Italian composer and cellist
73 Elie Ducommun
2/19/1833 - 12/7/1906
Swiss writer, editor and Nobel Peace Prize winner
82 Rudolf Stammler
2/19/1856 - 4/25/1938
German jurist and teacher
68 Svante Arrhenius
2/19/1859 - 10/2/1927
Swedish Nobel Prize-winning physical chemist
68 Merle Oberon
2/19/1911 - 11/23/1979
English/American film actress
81 Eddie Arcaro
2/19/1916 - 11/14/1997
American jockey
50 Carson McCullers
2/19/1917 - 9/29/1967
American author
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SOURCE: The Associated Press
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