Today in History

Today is Sunday, Feb. 23, the 54th day of 2020. There are 312 days left in the year.

Today's Highlight in History:

On Feb. 23, 1945, during World War II, U.S. Marines on Iwo Jima captured Mount Suribachi, where they raised two American flags (the second flag-raising was captured in the iconic Associated Press photograph.)

On this date:

In 1822, Boston was granted a charter to incorporate as a city.

In 1836, the siege of the Alamo began in San Antonio, Texas.

In 1848, the sixth president of the United States, John Quincy Adams, died in Washington D.C., at age 80.

In 1861, President-elect Abraham Lincoln arrived secretly in Washington to take office, following word of a possible assassination plot in Baltimore.

In 1870, Mississippi was readmitted to the Union.

In 1903, President Theodore Roosevelt signed an agreement with Cuba to lease the area around Guantanamo Bay to the United States.

In 1942, the first shelling of the U.S. mainland during World War II occurred as a Japanese submarine fired on an oil refinery near Santa Barbara, California, causing little damage.

In 1954, the first mass inoculation of schoolchildren against polio using the Salk vaccine began in Pittsburgh as some 5,000 students were vaccinated.

In 1965, film comedian Stan Laurel, 74, died in Santa Monica, California.

In 1995, the Dow Jones industrial average closed above the 4,000 mark for the first time, ending the day at 4,003.33.

In 1998, 42 people were killed, some 2,600 homes and businesses damaged or destroyed, by tornadoes in central Florida.

In 2005, a jury was selected in Santa Maria, California, to decide Michael Jackson's fate on charges that he'd molested a teenage boy at his Neverland Ranch. (Jackson was later acquitted.)

Ten years ago: The House Energy and Commerce Committee, looking into cases of sudden, unintended acceleration of Toyota automobiles, heard tearful testimony from Rhonda Smith of Sevierville, Tennessee, who said her Lexus had raced out of control to speeds up to 100 miles an hour. Dutch skater Sven Kramer lost the Olympic gold medal to Lee Seung-hoon of South Korea when coach Gerard Kemkers sent him the wrong way on a changeover during the 10,000-meter speedskating race at Vancouver, causing Kramer to be disqualified.

Five years ago: A jury in New York found the Palestinian Authority and Palestine Liberation Organization liable for their roles in terrorist attacks in Israel between 2002 and 2004 in which Americans were killed or injured; the Palestinians said later they would appeal the ruling. Tapping the anxieties of aging baby boomers, President Barack Obama called for tougher standards on brokers who manage retirement savings accounts. Veterans Affairs Secretary Robert McDonald apologized for misstating during a "CBS Evening News" segment that he had served in the military's special forces.

One year ago: Venezuelan security forces fired tear gas on protesters trying to deliver humanitarian aid from Colombia and Brazil, leaving two people dead and hundreds injured, as a U.S.-backed campaign to force President Nicolas Maduro from power met strong resistance. Storms raked parts of the Southeast; a woman was killed as a tornado hit Columbus, Mississippi. Actress Katherine Helmond, known for playing matriarchs on the ABC sitcoms "Who's the Boss?" and "Soap," died at her home in Los Angeles at the age of 89.

Today's Birthdays: Pro and College Football Hall of Famer Fred Biletnikoff is 77. Author John Sandford is 76. Country-rock musician Rusty Young is 74. Actress Patricia Richardson is 69. Former NFL player Ed "Too Tall" Jones is 69. Rock musician Brad Whitford (Aerosmith) is 68. Singer Howard Jones is 65. Rock musician Michael Wilton (Queensryche) is 58. Country singer Dusty Drake is 56. Actress Kristin Davis is 55. Tennis player Helena Sukova is 55. Actor Marc Price is 52. TV personality/businessman Daymond John (TV: "Shark Tank") is 51. Actress Niecy Nash is 50. Rock musician Jeff Beres (Sister Hazel) is 49. Country singer Steve Holy is 48. Rock musician Lasse (loss) Johansson (The Cardigans) is 47. Film and theater composer Robert Lopez is 45. Actress Kelly Macdonald is 44. Rapper Residente (Calle 13) is 42. Actor Josh Gad is 39. Actress Emily Blunt is 37. Actor Aziz Ansari is 37. Actor Tye White (TV: "Greenleaf") is 34. Actress Dakota Fanning is 26.

Thought for Today: "Men are more often bribed by their loyalties and ambitions than by money." -- Robert H. Jackson, U.S. Supreme Court Justice (1892-1954).

Copyright 2020, The Associated Press. All rights reserved.