303 Roman Emperor Diocletian begins his policy of persecuting Christians, razing the church at Nicomedia
1455 Johannes Gutenberg prints his first Bible (estimated date)
1540 Francisco Vázquez de Coronado’s expedition sets off from Mexico in search of the 7 cities of Cibola
1758 Jonathan Edwards receives a smallpox vaccination from which he contracts the disease. He will die in March.
1836 Alamo besieged for 13 days until March 6 by Mexican army under General Santa Anna; entire garrison eventually killed
1904 United States acquires control of the Panama Canal Zone for $10 million
1945 US Marines raise the American flag on top of Mt. Suribachi, Iwo Jima. Pulitzer Prize-winning photo of which by Joe Rosenthall later became iconic, inspiring the Marine Corps War Memorial sculpture
1954 1st mass inoculation against Polio with the Jonas Salk vaccine takes place at Arsenal Elementary School in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
1998 Osama bin Laden publishes a fatwa declaring jihad against all Jews and Crusaders
HISTORICAL EVENTS TODAY
TODAY IN FILM & TV
1996 “Trainspotting” directed by Danny Boyle based on the book by Irvine Welsh, starring Ewan McGregor, Robert Carlyle and Jonny Lee Miller opens in cinemas in the UK and Ireland
TODAY IN MUSIC
1963 Luciano Pavarotti makes his debut at the Vienna State Opera in “La traviata”
TODAY IN SPORT
1968 Wilt Chamberlain becomes 1st NBAer to score 25,000 points
DO YOU KNOW THIS FACT ABOUT TODAY?
1997 Scientists in Scotland announce they have cloned an adult mammal, producing a lamb named “Dolly”
WOULD YOU BELIEVE THIS FACT ABOUT TODAY?
1886 “The Times” of London publishes world’s 1st classified ad
FAMOUS WEDDING
1974 Future US Governor Jeb Bush (21) weds Columba Bush (20) in Austin, Texas
