Wednesday, February 19, 2014

History for February 19

History for February 19 - On-This-Day.com
Birth anniversary of Nicolaus Copernicus (1473-1543).


Happy Birthday! Lou Christie, Jeff Daniels, Smokey Robinson



1846 - The formal transfer of government between Texas and the United States took place. Texas had officially become a state on December 29, 1845. 


1878 - Thomas Alva Edison patented a music player (the phonograph). 


1881 - Kansas became the first state to prohibit all alcoholic beverages.  


1942 - U.S. President Roosevelt signed an executive order giving the military the authority to relocate and intern Japanese-Americans. 


1945 - During World War II, about 30,000 U.S. Marines landed on Iwo Jima. 


1985 - Cherry Coke was introduced by the Coca-Cola Company. 


1986 - The U.S. Senate approved a treaty outlawing genocide. The pact had been submitted 37 years earlier for ratification. 


1986 - The Soviet Union launched the Mir space station. 


1987 - A controversial, anti-smoking publice service announcement aired for the first time on television. Yul Brynner filmed the ad shortly before dying of lung cancer. Brynner made it clear in the ad that he would have died from cigarette smoking before ad aired. 


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 and sentenced to more than 24 years in prison. 


2008 - Fidel Castro resigned the Cuban presidency. His brother Raul was later named as his successor.


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