Iconic World War II Photos

1945

U.S. flag raised on Iwo Jima

Born on This Day

Writer and Civil Rights Leader W.E.B. Du Bois

W.E.B. Du Bois

1868 - 1963

Sociologist and author activist who co-founded the NAACP and wrote the civil rights classic "The Souls of Black Folk."

Peter Fonda

Peter Fonda

1940 - 2019

Actor and member of the Fonda acting dynasty best known for his role in 1960s counterculture classic "Easy Rider."

"The Watched" - Photocall

Dakota Fanning

1994 -

Actress who gained fame as child in "I Am Sam" and later starred in "War of the Worlds" and "The Twilight Saga."

1974

FEB

23

Sister Janet Mead's musical recording of The Lord's Prayer makes it onto the Billboard Top 100. It charts for 13 weeks, eventually reaching #4 and going gold. Nominated for a 1975 Grammy for best inspirational performance, she lost to Elvis Presley.

Timeline

Also on This Day in History

Discover more of the major events, famous births, notable deaths and everything else history-making that happened on February 23rd

1778

Friedrich von Steuben arrives at Valley Forge

Friedrich Wilhelm Rudolf Gerhard August, Freiherr von Steuben, a Prussian military officer, arrives at General George Washington’s encampment at Valley Forge on February 23, 1778 and commences training soldiers in close-order drill, instilling new confidence and discipline in the demoralized Continental Army.

1861

Abraham Lincoln arrives in Washington, D.C.

On February 23, 1861, President-elect Abraham Lincoln arrives in Washington, D.C., amid secrecy and tight security. With seven states having already seceded from the Union since Lincoln’s election, the threat of civil war hung in the air.

1868

W.E.B. Du Bois is born

On February 23, 1868, William Edward Burghardt (W.E.B.) Du Bois is born in Great Barrington, Massachusetts. Du Bois would become a brilliant scholar, an influential proponent of civil rights and a co-founder of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People.

W.E.B. Du Bois

1885

Convicted murderer gets spared from death when gallows malfunction

On February 23, 1885, a 19-year-old man named John Lee is sent to the gallows in Exeter, England, for the murder of Emma Keyse, a rich older woman for whom he had worked. Although he insisted he was innocent, Lee had been convicted and sentenced to death by hanging. However, after the noose was put around his neck and the lever that would release the floor beneath his feet was pulled, something malfunctioned and Lee was not dropped.

1940

Woody Guthrie writes “This Land Is Your Land”

Folk singer Woody Guthrie writes one of his best-known songs, “This Land is Your Land.” It would become one of America's most famous folk songs.

1954

Children receive first polio vaccine

On February 23, 1954, a group of children from Arsenal Elementary School in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, receive the first injections of the new polio vaccine developed by Dr. Jonas Salk. Thanks to the vaccine, by the 21st century polio cases were reduced by 99 percent worldwide.

1958

Formula One champ kidnapped

On February 23, 1958, five-time Formula One champion Juan Manuel Fangio of Argentina is kidnapped in Cuba by a group of Fidel Castro’s rebels.

1978

It’s a tie for Song of the Year at the 20th annual Grammy Awards

On February 23, 1978, Grammy voters make history by failing to settle on a winner for the year's Best Song. Instead, Barbra Streisand’s “Love Theme from A Star Is Born (Evergreen)” and Debby Boone’s “You Light Up My Life” were both awarded the Best Song Grammy—the first tie in that category in Grammy history.

1980

Eric Heiden speed skates into Olympic history

On February 23, 1980, speed skater Eric Heiden wins the 10,000-meter race at the Winter Olympics in Lake Placid, New York, setting a world record with his time and winning an unprecedented fifth gold medal at the games.

2014

Jason Collins, first openly gay athlete to play in NBA, makes U.S. sports history

On February 23, 2014, Brooklyn Nets center Jason Collins becomes the first openly gay athlete to play in a game in the United States’ four major professional leagues. The 35-year-old journeyman plays 10 scoreless minutes, recording two rebounds and five fouls in the Nets’ 108-102 victory over the Los Angeles Lakers.

2020

Ahmaud Arbery is shot dead while out jogging

Ahmaud Arbery, a 25-year-old Black man, is shot dead by a white father and son while out for a jog in a suburb of Brunswick, Georgia on February 23, 2020.

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