On This Day in History - February 19th - Almanac

Today is Wednesday, Feb. 19, the 50th day of 2020 with 316 to follow.

The moon is waning. Morning stars are Jupiter, Mars, Saturn and Venus. Evening stars are Mercury, Neptune, Uranus and Venus.

Those born on this date are under the sign of Pisces. They include Polish astronomer Nicolaus Copernicus in 1473; Romanian sculptor Constantin Brancusi in 1876; actor Merle Oberon in 1911; novelist Carson McCullers in 1917; actor Lee Marvin in 1924; television/movie director John Frankenheimer in 1930; singer William "Smokey" Robinson in 1940 (age 80); singer Lou Christie in 1943 (age 77); author Amy Tan in 1952 (age 68); former Argentine President Cristina Fernandez in 1953 (age 67); actor Jeff Daniels in 1955 (age 65); NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell in 1959 (age 61); Britain's Prince Andrew in 1960 (age 60); singer Seal, born Henry Olusegun Adeola Samuel, in 1963 (age 57); actor Justine Bateman in 1966 (age 54); actor Benicio Del Toro in 1967 (age 53); actor Bellamy Young in 1970 (age 50); actor Eric Lange in 1973 (age 47); actor Haylie Duff in 1985 (age 35); tennis player Katharina Gerlach in 1998 (age 22); actor David Mazouz in 2001 (age 19); actor Millie Bobby Brown in 2004 (age 16).

On this date in history:

In 1878, Thomas Edison patented the first gramophone.

In 1922, vaudeville star Ed Wynn became the first big name in show business to sign for a regular radio show.

In 1942, as a security measure during World War II, the U.S. government began relocating Japanese-Americans living in coastal Pacific areas to internment camps in remote areas of several states. They were allowed to return to their homes in January 1945.

In 1945, U.S. Marines landed on the island of Iwo Jima, opening one of the major battles in the Pacific during World War II.

In 1981, the United States blamed insurgency in El Salvador on communist powers arming leftist guerrillas.

In 1986, the Soviet Union launched the Mir space station. It was occupied for 10 of its 15 years in orbit.

In 1997, China's "paramount leader" Deng Xiaoping died at age 92.

In 2003, all 289 people aboard an Iranian military transport plane were killed when it crashed in a mountainous region of southeastern Iran.

In 2005, U.S. Roman Catholic officials said they received 1,092 charges of clergy sex abuse, most involving boys.

In 2008, Cuban President Fidel Castro, 81, who temporarily handed power to his brother, Raul, in July 2006, because of illness, stepped down permanently after 49 years in power. Raul, 76, then formally succeeded him.

In 2019, Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., announced he was running for president a second time as a Democrat.

A thought for the day: "I want to do it because I want to do it. Women must try to do things as men have tried. When they fail, their failure must be but a challenge to others." -- American aviator Amelia Earhart