Today In History

Today is Tuesday, Feb. 19, the 50th day of 2019. There are 315 days left in the year.

TODAY’S HIGHLIGHT

› 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.

ON THIS DATE

› 1473: Astronomer Nicolaus Copernicus was born in Torun, Poland.

› 1807: Former Vice President Aaron Burr, accused of treason, was arrested in the Mississippi Territory, in present-day Alabama. (Burr was acquitted at trial.)

› 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.

› 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.

› 1997: Deng Xiaoping, the last of China’s major Communist revolutionaries, died at age 92.

TODAY’S BIRTHDAYS

Singer Smokey Robinson is 79. Actress Carlin Glynn is 79. Former Sony Corp. Chairman Howard Stringer is 77. Singer Lou Christie is 76. Actor Michael Nader is 74. Rock musician Tony Iommi (Black Sabbath, Heaven and Hell) is 71. 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 is 62. Actor Ray Winstone is 62. Actor Leslie David Baker is 61. Britain’s Prince Andrew is 59. Tennis Hall of Famer Hana Mandlikova is 57. Country musician Ralph McCauley (Wild Horses) is 55. 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 is 34. Actress Arielle Kebbel is 34. Christian rock musician Seth Morrison (Skillet) is 31. Actor Luke Pasqualino is 29. Actress Victoria Justice is 26. Actor David Mazouz (TV: “Gotham”) is 18. Actress Millie Bobby Brown is 15.