Today in History

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Today in History

Tue, 02/23/2021 - 13:11
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Today is the 54th day of 2021 and the 65th day of winter.

TODAY’S HISTORY: In 1778, Baron von Steuben joined the U.S. encampment at Valley Forge, Pennsylvania, to help train the Continental Army.

In 1942, a Japanese submarine fired artillery shells at coastal targets near Santa Barbara, California.

In 1945, American Marines raised the American flag on the island of Iwo Jima.

In 1954, the first mass vaccination of children against polio began in Pittsburgh.

In 1991, President George H.W. Bush announced the beginning of an allied ground offensive in Iraq.

TODAY’S BIRTHDAYS: W.E.B. Du Bois (1868-1963), author/activist; Victor Fleming (1889-1949), filmmaker; Tom Osborne (1937- ), football coach; Peter Fonda (1940-2019), actor; Fred Biletnikoff (1943- ), football player; Michael Dell (1965- ), businessman; Kelly Macdonald (1976- ), actress; Josh Gad (1981- ), actor; Aziz Ansari (1983- ), actor/comedian; Emily Blunt (1983- ), actress; Skylar Grey (1986- ), singer-songwriter; Dakota Fanning (1994- ), actress.

TODAY’S FACT: Von Steuben Day is celebrated in mid-September with parades in many U.S. cities. Chicago’s Von Steuben Day parade was featured in the 1986 film “Ferris Bueller’s Day Off.”

TODAY’S SPORTS: In 1968, Wilt Chamberlain became the first NBA player to score 25,000 career points.

TODAY’S QUOTE: “The worker must work for the glory of his handiwork, not simply for pay; the thinker must think for truth, not for fame.” -- W.E.B. Du Bois

TODAY’S NUMBER: 6,825 -- American soldiers who died taking Iwo Jima in 1945.

TODAY’S MOON: Between first quarter (Feb. 19) and full moon (Feb. 27).