TODAY IN HISTORY
TODAY IS TUESDAY, FEB. 19, the 50th day of 2019. There are 315 days left in the year.
TODAY’S HIGHLIGHT IN HISTORY: On this date in 1968, the children’s program “Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood,” created by and starring Fred Rogers, made its network debut on National Educational Television, a forerunner of PBS, beginning a 31-season run.
In 1807, former Vice President Aaron Burr, accused of treason, was arrested in the Mississippi Territory, in present-day Alabama. (Burr was acquitted at trial.)
In 1846, the Texas state government was formally installed in Austin, with J. Pinckney Henderson taking the oath of office as governor.
In 1881, Kansas prohibited the manufacture and sale of alcoholic beverages.
In 1942, during World War II, President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed Executive Order 9066, which paved the way for the relocation and internment of people of Japanese ancestry, including U.S.-born citizens. Imperial Japanese warplanes raided the Australian city of Darwin; at least 243 people were killed.
In 1945, Operation Detachment began during World War II as some 30,000 U.S. Marines began landing on Iwo Jima, where they commenced a successful monthlong battle to seize control of the island from Japanese forces.
In 1963, “The Feminine Mystique” by Betty Friedan was first published by W.W. Norton & Co.
In 1986, the U.S. Senate approved, 83-11, the Genocide Convention, an international treaty outlawing “acts committed with intent to destroy, in whole or in part, a national, ethnical, racial or religious group,” nearly 37 years after the pact was first submitted for ratification.
In 1997, Deng Xiaoping, the last of China’s major Communist revolutionaries, died at age 92.
In 2006, Israel halted the transfer of hundreds of millions of dollars in tax money to the Palestinians after Hamas took control of the Palestinian parliament.
In 2008, an ailing Fidel Castro resigned the Cuban presidency after nearly a halfcentury in power; his brother Raul was later named to succeed him.
TODAY’S BIRTHDAYS: Singer Smokey Robinson and actress Carlin Glynn are 79. Former Sony Corp. Chairman Howard Stringer is 77. Singer Lou Christie is 76. Actor Stephen Nichols is 68. Author Amy Tan is 67. Actor Jeff Daniels is 64. Rock singer-musician Dave Wakeling is 63. Talk show host Lorianne Crook and actor Ray Winstone are 62. Actor Leslie David Baker is 61. NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell is 60. Britain’s Prince Andrew is 59. Tennis Hall-of-Famer Hana Mandlikova is 57. Singer Seal and actress Jessica Tuck are 56. Rock musician Jon Fishman (Phish) is 54. Actress Justine Bateman is 53. Actor Benicio Del Toro is 52. Actress Bellamy Young is 49. Rock musician Daniel Adair is 44. Pop singer-actress Haylie Duff and actress Arielle Kebbel are 34.