Today in History — Sunday, Feb. 19, 2023
By The Associated Press, UPI, Wikipedia, History Timelines and other sources
Today is Sunday, Feb. 19, the 50th day of 2023. There are 315 days left in the year.
Beatles history, Feb. 19:
• 1964, A British company shipped a half ton of Beatle wigs to the U.S. An American reporter later asked John Lennon, “How do you feel about teenagers imitating you with Beatle wigs?” John replied “They’re not imitating us because we don’t wear Beatle wigs.”
• 1965, The Beatles recorded“You’re Going To Lose That Girl” for the Help soundtrackin two takes at EMI Studios, Abbey Road..
• 1971, Paul McCartney released “Another Day” as his debut single in the U.K.
• 1971, In London’s Royal Courts of Justice, Paul McCartney’s lawsuit against his fellow ex-Beatles begins. McCartney’s suit seeks to remove Allen Klein as manager of the group’s financial affairs.
• 1972, Paul McCartney released “Give Ireland Back to the Irish,” his commentary about the Britain-Ireland conflict. The song was immediately banned by the BBC, but the notoriety the song received from the banning only increased its popularity and the record soared into the U.K. Top 20.
• 1981, George Harrison is ordered to pay ABKCO Music $587,000 for “subconscious plagiarism” of his song “My Sweet Lord” with Ronnie Mack’s song “He’s So Fine.”
• 1996, Former Kansas City/Oakland A’s owner Charlie O. Finley died in Chicago at the age of 77. Finley persuaded Beatles’ manager Brian Epstein to have The Beatles play a concert at Municipal Stadium in Kansas City, Mo., on Sept. 17, 1964. He paid The Beatles $150,000.
• 2002, George Harrison’s former brother-in-law was barred from selling Beatles’ memorabilia. Carl Roles was accused of stealing boxes of clothing, records and other memorabilia from Harrison’s Los Angeles home in the 1970s. Roles attempted to sell the items the day after Harrison died in 2001.
Elvis Presley history Feb. 19:
• 1969, Elvis Presley recorded the Eddie Rabbit song “Kentucky Rain.”
• 1971, Elvis Presley hit himself in the mouth with a microphone and chipped a tooth. The cause was a fan that had rushed on stage.
• 2010, In Las Vegas, Cirque du Soleil’s “Viva Elvis” production world premiered at the Aria Resort & Casino at CityCenter.
Harry Nilsson history, Feb. 19:
• 1972, Although Harry Nilsson had written songs that were recorded by The Turtles, Rick Nelson, Blood Sweat And Tears, Lulu, The Monkees and Three Dog Night, he had his only U.S. No. 1 hit with “Without You,” a tune written by Pete Ham and Tom Evans of Badfinger. Mariah Carey also had a No. 1 hit with the song.
Music history, Feb. 19:
• 1736, Handel’s “Alexander’s Feast” premieres at the Covent Garden Theatre, London.
• 1940, Smokey Robinson, American singer and songwriter, was born. He was famous for his songs “Shop Around,” “You’ve Really Got a Hold on Me,” “Tears of a Clown” and "Tracks of My Tears.”
• 1942, Tommy Dorsey and his orchestra recorded “I’ll Take Tallulah.”
• 1943, Lou Christie (“Lightnin’ Strikes”) is born in Pennsylvania.
• 1944, The Five Red Caps’ debut on the charts “I Learned A Lesson I’ll Never Forget,” hit the R&B list reaching #3 and #14 pop.
• 1947, CBS radio premiered Villa-Lobos’ “Bachianas Brasilieras No. 3.”
• 1949, No. 1 R&B Song 1949: “Boogie Chillen,” John Lee Hooker.
• 1949, Blind vocalist Al Hibbler hit the R&B charts with “Lover, Come Back To Me,” reaching No. 9.
• 1955, Etta James charted with “The Wallflower” (sometimes called “Roll With Me Henry”), reaching No. 1 R&B for four weeks. The song was an answer record to Hank Ballard’s “Work With Me, Annie,” while Georgia Gibbs copied James’s version for a pop version called “Dance With Me, Henry.” James would go on to have 30 R&B hits with her last one being a cover of Big Brother and the Holding Company’s (aka Janis Joplin and band) “Piece of My Heart.”
• 1956, The Five Satins recorded “In The Still Of The Night” in the basem*nt of Saint Bernadette Church in New Haven, Conn.
• 1958, The Miracles released their first single, “Got A Job,” an answer song for The Silhouettes’ “Get A Job.”
• 1962, Rock musician Chuck Berry reported to the Federal Penitentiary in Terre Haute, Ind., after his conviction for violating the Mann Act (in 1959) was affirmed. After serving for 20 months of his three-year sentence, he was released on Oct. 18, 1963, and revived his career.
• 1962, Tenor saxophonist Gene Ammons and Sonny Stitt recorded the album “Soul Summit.”
• 1966, The Mamas & Papas performed “California Dreamin’” and Bob Lind performed “Elusive Butterfly” on American Bandstand.
• 1970, Songwriters Tommy Boyce and Bobby Hart, who wrote several songs for The Monkees, appeared on the Bewitched episode “Serena Stops The Show.” Boyce and Hart also appeared on an episode of “I Dream of Jeannie.”
• 1971, The Addrisi Bros. performed “We’ve Got to Get It On Again” on American Bandstand.
• 1973, Joseph Szigeti (born in 1892), Hungarian-born U.S. violinist, died.
• 1974, Dick Clark staged the first American Music Awards as an alternative to the industry-dominated Grammy Awards. The winners of the American Music Awards are determined by the votes of music fans. “Tie A Yellow Ribbon” by Tony Orlando and Dawn won for favorite pop single that year.
• 1974, KISS made their TV debut on Don Kirshner’s Rock Concert.
• 1976, Rick Stevens, former lead vocalist for Tower of Power, was arrested in San Jose, Calif., for his role in a triple slaying after a drug deal went awry. Stevens was later convicted of murder and sentenced to death. In 2012, Stevens was paroled by Gov. Jerry Brown after 36 years in prison.
• 1977, A video of Queen performing “Tie Your Mother Down” was aired on American Bandstand.
• 1977, Brick performed “Dazz” on American Bandstand.
• 1978, Emerson, Lake & Palmer performed at the Lubbock Municipal Coliseum in Lubbock, Texas.
• 1980, AC/DC vocalist Bon Scott died after choking on his vomit after an all-night drinking binge in London. He was 33. His death came just months after the band scored its first North American success with the album “Highway to Hell.”
• 1981, Rolling Stone magazine published its first article on Prince entitled “Will The Little Girls Understand?”
• 1982, Ozzy Osbourne is arrested in San Antonio, Texas, for urinating on the cenotaph at the Alamo while wearing one of his wife Sharon’s dresses after she had hidden all of his clothes in an effort to stop him from going out.
• 1983, Phil Everly performed “Who’s Gonna Keep Me Warm Tonight” and Jeffrey Osborne performed “On The Wings of Love” and “Eenie Meenie” on American Bandstand.
• 1984, Prince recorded the song “Pop Life.”
• 1987, Sheila E’s self-titled third album was released on Paisley Park Records.
• 1990, Janet Jackson’s video “Rhythm Nation 1814” was certified Gold and double Platinum by the RIAA.
• 1991, Public Enemy boycotted the 1991 Grammy Awards because the rap award was not going to be presented during the live TV ceremony.
• 1995, Motley Crue drummer Tommy Lee married actor Pamela Anderson of the TV show “Baywatch” four days after they met. The wedding was on a beach in Cancun, and the bride wore white — a bikini. Lee and Anderson divorced in 1998.
• 1996, Icelandic singer Bjork attacked a news reporter as she arrives at Bangkok International Airport.
• 1996, Prince won the Best International Male Artist category at the 15th annual Brit Awards.
• 1996, London police arrested singer Jarvis co*cker of Pulp for allegedly attacking three children performing with Michael Jackson at the Brit Awards. co*cker admitted he walked on stage but denied he touched any children.
• 1997, The Trinity Broadcasting Network canceled Pat Boone’s “GospelAmerica” show after viewers complained about Boone’s appearance on the American Music Awards. He had been promoting his “In a Metal Mood” album by wearing a dog collar and black leather. The show was later reinstated.
• 1997, A judge in New York dismissed a $7 million lawsuit a fan filed against Motley Crue for hearing loss suffered at one of their concerts. The judge said the fan knew the concert would be loud going into it.
• 2004, The family of Johnny Cash blocked an attempt by advertisers to use his hit song “Ring of Fire” to promote hemorrhoid-relief products.
• 2004, Prince appeared on the Tavis Smiley Show. The performance segment included a duet with Wendy Melvoin on the song “Reflection.”
• 2021, Celebrity/reality TV star Kim Kardashian West filed for divorce from rap singer/songwriter/celebrity Kanye West in Los Angeles after 6 1/2 years of marriage.
U.S. presidency/cabinet/Congress/Supreme Court history, Feb. 19:
• 1803, The U.S. Congress voted to accept Ohio’s borders and constitution.
• 1807, Former Vice President Aaron Burr, accused of treason, was arrested in the Mississippi Territory, in present-day Alabama. Burr was acquitted at trial.
• 1934, The U.S. Army Air Corps began delivering mail after President Franklin D. Roosevelt canceled private contracts that had come under suspicion. The hastily arranged, ill-equipped military flights claimed the lives of a dozen pilots, sparking a public outcry before they were dropped several months later.
• 1963, U.S. President John F. Kennedy said the Soviet Union has agreed to withdraw several thousands of its 17,000 troops from Cuba.
• 1975, Significant reforms to the U.S. Freedom of Information Act went into effect. Both the House and the Senate overrode a veto by U.S. President Gerald R. Ford in November.
• 1976, President Gerald R. Ford, calling the issuing of the internment order for people of Japanese ancestry in 1942 “a sad day in American history,” signed a proclamation formally confirming its termination.
• 1979, For the first time, the U.S. House of Representatives began televising its sessions live, initially on a closed-circuit network to TV sets in the offices of Congressional representatives, as a means of transmitting the broadcasts at any time, and at no charge, to U.S. television networks. The system would begin transmission the next month on cable TV on the Cable-Satellite Public Affairs Network (C-SPAN).
• 1981, The U.S. government released a report detailing how the “insurgency in El Salvador has been progressively transformed into a textbook case of indirect armed aggression by communist powers.” The report was another step indicating that the new administration of Ronald Reagan was prepared to take strong measures against what it perceived to be the communist threat to Central America.
• 1981, U.S. President Ronald Reagan had a breakfast meeting with editors and broadcasters from all over the United States.
• 1984, U.S. President Ronald Reagan spoke to the Grand Marshall of the Daytona 500 race. The conversation was broadcast over the track’s PA system prior to the start of the race.
• 1985, U.S. President Ronald Reagan met with veterans of the 28th Marine Regiment on the 40th anniversary of their landing on Iwo Jima.
• 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.
• 1987, President Ronald Reagan lifted remaining economic sanctions against Poland.
• 1987, New York Gov. Mario Cuomo declared that he would not run for president in the next election.
• 1990, U.S. Defense Secretary Dick Cheney, snubbed by Philippine President Corazon Aquino, met in Manila with Defense Minister Fidel Ramos to discuss the future of U.S. bases in the country.
• 1991, President George H. Bush told reporters a Soviet proposal to end the Persian Gulf War fell “well short of what would be required.”
• 1992, The U.S. Labor Department reported consumer prices rose by just 0.1% in January.
• 1993, President Bill Clinton’s economic plan won praise from Federal Reserve Chairman Alan Greenspan. The president, visiting Hyde Park, N.Y., suggested the United States might have to consider a national sales tax “not too long in the future,” then said he meant in 10 years or so.
• 1994, With Bosnian Serbs facing a NATO deadline to withdraw heavy weapons encircling Sarajevo or face air strikes, U.S. President Bill Clinton delivered an address from the Oval Office reaffirming the ultimatum.
• 1996, Republican presidential hopefuls argued taxes, trade and negative ads in a final burst of contentious campaigning on the eve of New Hampshire’s leadoff primary, with Bob Dole the principal target.
• 1999, President Bill Clinton posthumously pardoned Henry O. Flipper, the first black graduate of West Point, whose military career was tarnished by a racially motivated discharge.
• 1999, The U.S. Commerce Dept. reported that the 1998 trade deficit soared to $168.8 billion.
• 2000, Gov. George W. Bush, R-Texas, beat Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., in the South Carolina Republican presidential primary 53% to 42%.
• 2001, President George W. Bush opened a museum dedicated to the 1995 Oklahoma City bombing.
• 2002, President George W. Bush opened a two-day visit to South Korea. Bush urged the “despotic regime” in North Korea to reunite with the free South.
• 2003, Rep. Dick Gephardt, D-Mo., announced his second candidacy for president with a pledge to repeal most of President George W. Bush’s tax cuts.
• 2004, The AFL-CIO endorsed Sen. John Kerry, D-Mass., for president.
• 2005, Former Presidents George H.W. Bush and Bill Clinton visited a Thai fishing village that had been devastated by the December 2004 tsunami.
• 2005, The USS Jimmy Carter, the last of the Seawolf class of attack subs, was commissioned at Groton, Conn.
• 2008, President George W. Bush, visiting Rwanda, pleaded with the global community for decisive action to stop grisly ethnic violence plaguing other African nations like Kenya and Sudan.
• 2008, Democrat Barack Obama cruised past Hillary Rodham Clinton in the Wisconsin primary and Hawaii caucuses.
• 2009, President Barack Obama made a quick visit to Canada, his first trip outside the U.S. since taking office. He reassured Prime Minister Stephen Harper that the U.S. was not cultivating a protectionist streak despite its economic difficulties.
• 2014, President Barack Obama, in Mexico for a North American summit, urged Ukraine to avoid violence against peaceful protesters or face consequences. Shortly after Obama’s remarks, Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych’s office said he and opposition leaders had agreed on a truce.
• 2018, President Donald Trump endorsed Mitt Romney in Utah’s Senate race, a sign that the two Republicans were burying the hatchet after a strained relationship.
• 2019, President Donald Trump directed the Pentagon to develop plans for a new Space Force within the Air Force, accepting less than the full-fledged department he had wanted.
• 2019, Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders said he would again seek the Democratic presidential nomination in 2020.
• 2019, Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg returned to the Supreme Court bench, eight weeks after surgery for lung cancer.
• 2020, President Donald Trump announced that Richard Grenell, the U.S. ambassador to Germany, would become acting director of national intelligence.
• 2021, The United States officially returned to the Paris climate accord. President Joe Biden told a virtual gathering of European leaders that the world “can no longer delay or do the bare minimum to address climate change.
• 2022, Vice President Kamala Harris said the world had arrived at “a decisive moment in history” and that the United States was committed to Ukraine’s sovereignty against the threat of what the West called an imminent threat of invasion by Russia. Russia invaded Ukraine on Feb. 24.
World War I history, Feb. 19:
• 1915, British and French warships launched their initial attack on Ottoman forces in the Dardanelles, a strait in northwestern Turkey. The Gallipoli Campaign that followed proved disastrous for the Allies.
World War II history, Feb. 19:
• 1933, Herman Goring, Nazi Prussian minister, banned all Catholic newspapers.
• 1942, 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.
• 1942, Imperial Japanese warplanes raided the Australian city of Darwin and attacked nearby military bases. At least 243 people were killed. Eight ships and 23 aircraft were destroyed.
• 1944, 823 British bombers attacked Berlin.
• 1945, Operation Detachment began during World War II as more than 30,000 U.S. Marines began landing on Iwo Jima, where they commenced a successful month-long battle to seize control of the island from Japanese forces.
• 2004, Nazi-hunter Simon Wiesenthal is awarded an honorary knighthood in recognition of a “lifetime of service to humanity.”
Korean War, Feb. 19:
• 1952, Both sides agreed to recommend that a political conference to settle the Korean War should be held within three months of an armistice.
• 1953, Boston Red Sox star Ted Williams crash-lands his fighter plane after flying a combat mission during the Korean War. The heroic Williams survives the landing and will return to play 37 games for the Red Sox late in the 1953 season. Williams had missed all but six games of the 1952 season, as well as all of the 1943-45 seasons while serving in the Armed Forces.
Vietnam War history, Feb. 19:
• 1952, The French launched an offensive at Hanoi.
• 1965, 14 Vietnam War protesters were arrested for blocking U.N. doors in New York.
• 1965, Dissident officers move several battalions of troops into Saigon on this day with the intention of ousting Gen. Nguyen Khanh from leadership. General Khanh escaped to Dalat with the aid of Air Vice Marshal Nguyen Cao Ky, commander of the South Vietnamese Air Force, who then threatened to bomb Saigon and the Tan Son Nhut Airport unless the rebel troops were withdrawn. Ky was dissuaded from this by Gen. William Westmoreland, Commander of U.S. Military Assistance Command Vietnam, who told Ky that more political instability might have a negative impact on continued U.S. aid.
• 1966, Sen. Robert F. Kennedy, D-N.Y., suggested that the U.S. offer the Vietcong a role in governing South Vietnam.
Persian Gulf Wars, Feb. 19:
• 2003, An Iranian military plane carrying 275 members of the elite Revolutionary Guards crashed in southeastern Iran, killing all on board.
Afghanistan Wars history, Feb. 19:
• 2013, The United Nations said the number of U.S. drone strikes in Afghanistan had risen sharply in 2012 compared with 2011. The United Nations said the number of U.S. drone strikes in Afghanistan had risen sharply in 2012 compared with 2011.
U.N. history, Feb. 19:
• 1998, U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan set out for Iraq on a last-chance peace mission, saying he was “reasonably optimistic” about ending the standoff over weapons inspections without the use of force.
• 1998, Four U.N. observers were kidnapped in Georgia. The kidnappers were surrounded by heavily armed troops and surrendered after a week.
Civil Rights/Human Rights/Voting Rights/Women’s Rights history, Feb. 19:
• 1968, Mississippi state troopers used tear gas to stop Alcorn A&M demonstrations.
• 1995, A day after being named the new chairwoman of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, Myrlie Evers-Williams outlined her plans for revitalizing the civil rights organization, saying she intended to take the group back to its roots.
Science/space travel/exploration/aviation/invention history, Feb. 19:
• 1473, Astronomer Nicolaus Copernicus was born in Torun, Poland.
• 1878, Thomas Edison received a U.S. patent for “an improvement in phonograph or speaking machines.”
• 1959, A USAF rocket-powered rail sled attained Mach 4.1 (4,970 kph) in New Mexico.
• 1960, China successfully launches the T-7, its first sounding rocket.
• 1967, The American space probe Lunar Orbiter 3 sent back the first detailed pictures of the far side of the Moon, not visible from the Earth.
• 1986, The Soviet Union launched the Mir space station into orbit. Mir meant peace.
• 2002, NASA’s Mars Odyssey space probe begins to map the surface of Mars using its thermal emission imaging system.
Terrorism history, Feb. 19:
• 1988, A group calling itself the “Organization of the Oppressed on Earth” claimed responsibility for the kidnapping in Lebanon of U.S. Marine Lt. Col. William R. Higgins. Higgins was later slain by his captors.
• 1992, Irish Republican Army member Joseph Doherty was deported from the United States to Northern Ireland following a nine-year battle for political asylum. Doherty was imprisoned for the killing of a British army commando in 1980. He was freed in 1998 under the Good Friday Agreement.
• 1994, Gunmen killed 18 young African National Congress supporters in Natal province, South Africa, the first major act of violence in a Zulu anti-election campaign.
• 1995, Dozens are injured when landowners attack hundreds of parishioners guarding the cathedral in San Cristobal de Las Casas, Mexico, accusing their bishop of fomenting the Zapatista rebellion.
• 2005, Eight suicide bombers struck in quick succession in Iraq in a wave of attacks that killed dozens.
• 2007, Two bombs explode on a train headed from India to Pakistan, sparking a fire that kills 66 people in an attack officials say was aimed at undermining the peace process between the rivals.
Mass shootings history, Feb. 19:
• 1997, In southwestern Alaska, Evan Ramsey (16) opened fire with a 12-gauge shotgun as students assembled in a high school lobby, killing a principal and 16-year-old classmate in Bethel, a town of 6,000. Ramsey was sentenced to a 198-year prison term.
Today’s Highlights in History:
On Feb. 19, 1846, The Texas state government was formally installed in Austin, Texas, with J. Pinckney Henderson taking the oath of office as governor.
On Feb. 19, 1881, Kansas becomes the first U.S. state to prohibit all alcoholic beverages.
On Feb. 19, 1914, 4-year old Charlotte May Pierstorff is mailed by train from Grangeville, Idaho, to her grandparents’ house 73 miles away.
On Feb. 19, 1917, Carson McCullers, author of “The Heart Is a Lonely Hunter” and “The Member of the Wedding,” was born Lula Carson Smith in Columbus, Ga.
On Feb. 19, 1920, The Netherlands joined the League of Nations.
On Feb. 19, 1922, Vaudeville star Ed Wynn became the first big name in show business to sign for a regular radio show.
On Feb. 19, 1928, Canada wins the gold medal in hockey at the Winter Olympics in St. Moritz, Switzerland. Canada, represented by the 1926 Toronto University team, receives a bye to the final round. The Canadians then beat Sweden 11-0, Britain 14-0 and Switzerland 13-0.
On Feb. 19, 1934, A blizzard began inundating the northeastern United States, with the heaviest snowfall occurring in Connecticut and Massachusetts.
On Feb. 19, 1935, Lou Gehrig signed a contract with the New York Yankees for $30,000 — $7,000 less than he asked for — but still making him the highest-paid player. The 32-year-old first baseman will hit .329 and 30 home runs driving in 119 runs for the second-place Yankees.
On Feb. 19, 1937, The New York Giants opened their spring training camp in Havana, Cuba.
It was 83 years ago today — On Feb. 19, 1940 …
• Smokey Robinson, American singer and songwriter, was born. He was famous for his songs “Shop Around,” “You’ve Really Got a Hold on Me,” “Tears of a Clown” and "Tracks of My Tears.”
It was 82 years ago today — On Feb. 19, 1941 …
• George Orwell (Eric Blair) published his essay “The Lion and the Unicorn: Socialism and the English Genius,” expressing his opinions on the situation in wartime Britain.
It was 81 years ago today — On Feb. 19, 1942 …
• The New York Yankees announced that they would admit 5,000 uniformed servicemen free to each of their home ball games during the coming season.
• Hal Trosky, whose season ended last August when he injured his finger and suffering from migraine headaches that cannot be treated, retires as first baseman of the Indians. Trosky will come back to play for the Chicago White Sox in 1944 and 1946, but the Hall of Fame-type brilliance he showed in the 1930s is gone.
It was 80 years ago today — On Feb. 19, 1943 …
• Lou Christie (“Lightnin’ Strikes”) is born in Pennsylvania.
It was 79 years ago today — On Feb. 19, 1944 …
• The Five Red Caps’ debut on the charts “I Learned A Lesson I’ll Never Forget,” hit the R&B list reaching #3 and #14 pop.
It was 78 years ago today — On Feb. 19, 1945 …
• During a holdup attempt at a pawn shop on Washington Street in Boston, Mass., a man shot and killed the shop’s proprietor and his wife. He then shot and mortally wounded Patrolman Frank B. Callahan of the Boston Police Department when Callahan tried to stop him. A fellow officer shot and killed the suspect; Callahan would die of his wounds the following day.
It was 77 years ago today — On Feb. 19, 1946 …
• New York Giants’ outfielder Danny Gardella becomes the first major leaguer to announce he is jumping to the outlaw Mexican League, the first shot in the series of events that will dominate baseball even more than the return of all the war veterans. His attempt to return to Major League Baseball a few years later will initiate a major court battle.
It was 76 years ago today — On Feb. 19, 1947 …
• CBS radio premiered Villa-Lobos’ “Bachianas Brasilieras No. 3.”
It was 75 years ago today — On Feb. 19, 1948 …
• The Conference of Youth and Students of Southeast Asia Fighting for Freedom and Independence convenes in Calcutta, India.
It was 74 years ago today — On Feb. 19, 1949 …
• Mass arrests of communists took place in India.
• Ezra Pound is awarded the first Bollingen Prize in poetry by the Bollingen Foundation and Yale University.
It was 73 years ago today — On Feb. 19, 1950 …
• A total of 29 people had lost their lives when a crash occurred in Rockville Center, N.Y. Additionally, 105 people were injured. An investigation had begun regarding this issue-an action taken by federal, state, and county authorities. It was known that one train had passed through a red light without stopping while heading east on one track. Consequently, it had hit an oncoming Long Island passenger train.
It was 72 years ago today — On Feb. 19, 1951 …
• A popular revolution in Nepal overthrows the 104-year rule of the Rana political dynasty and restores the royal family’s power.
It was 71 years ago today — On Feb. 19, 1952 …
• Amy Tan, novelist (The Joy Luck Club, The Kitchen God’s Wife), was born.
It was 70 years ago today — On Feb. 19, 1953 …
• Georgia approves the first literature censorship board in the United States.
• William Inge’s film “Picnic,” filmed in Hutchinson, Kan., premiered in New York City.
It was 69 years ago today — On Feb. 19, 1954 …
• 19-year-old Roberto Clemente signed with the Brooklyn Dodgers for one year at $5,000 with a $10,000 signing bonus. The Dodgers beat out a number of other clubs in the Clemente sweepstakes. They’ve outspent the prior two entrants, their cross-river rivals in Manhattan and the Bronx and simply beaten the Milwaukee Braves to the punch. By far the biggest spenders of the bunch (by all accounts exceeding Brooklyn’s offer by at least 150%), the Milwaukee Braves were just a tad tardy, Clemente having already accepted the Dodgers’ terms. The Dodgers may have won the first battle, but they will lose Clemente’s services in one year to the Pittsburgh Pirates when they failed to protect him in the 1954 Rule V Draft.
• Transfer of Crimea: The Soviet Politburo of the Soviet Union orders the transfer of the Crimean Oblast from the Russian SFSR to the Ukrainian SSR. It was a gift from Russia by Premier Nikita Khrushchev. In 2004, ethnic Russians made up a majority of the population.
• The Ford Thunderbird (or T-Bird) appeared as a prototype but did not start selling until late in 1954, costing $2,900.
It was 68 years ago today — On Feb. 19, 1955 …
• An explosion aboard the submarine Pomodon at Hunters Point in San Francisco left two sailors dead and three more presumed dead.
• Kit Hing Hui (33), aka the “Phantom of Playland,” was arrested while trying to break into the Golden Gate View in San Francisco. The World War II veteran had lived in two caves at Lands End near San Francisco since 1949.
• Bernie “Boom Boom” Geoffrion of the Montreal Canadiens scored five goals in a 10-2 victory over the New York Rangers.
It was 67 years ago today — On Feb. 19, 1956 …
• The Five Satins recorded “In The Still Of The Night” in the basem*nt of Saint Bernadette Church in New Haven, Conn.
It was 66 years ago today — On Feb. 19, 1957 …
• The Kansas City Athletics shipped pitchers Art Ditmar, Bobby Shantz and Jack McMahan and infielders Clete Boyer, Curt Roberts and Wayne Belardi to the New York Yankees. In return, the Athletics received pitchers Mickey McDermott, Tom Morgan, Rip Coleman and Jack Urban, outfielder Irv Noren and infielders Billy Hunter and Milt Graff.
It was 65 years ago today — On Feb. 19, 1958 …
• Hail the size of baseballs was reported with flash lightning over parts of Minneapolis, Minn.
It was 64 years ago today — On Feb. 19, 1959 …
• An agreement was signed by Britain, Turkey and Greece granting Cyprus its independence.
It was 63 years ago today — On Feb. 19, 1960 …
• California Gov. Edmund G. Brown gave a 60-day stay of execution for San Quentin inmate Caryl Chessman (39), convicted sex offender and best-selling author of “The Red Light Bandit.” The governor hoped to quiet public sentiment in Latin America for President Dwight D. Eisenhower’s impending visit.
• University of California Regents retracted the following question from an English aptitude test for high school applicants: “What are the dangers to a democracy of a national police organization, like the FBI, which operates secretly and is unresponsive to public criticism.” FBI director J. Edgar Hoover had organized a covert public relations campaign and put pressure on California Gov. Edmund G. Brown to retract the question.
It was 62 years ago today — On Feb. 19, 1961 …
• Police battle with supporters of murdered Congolese premier Patrice Lumumba outside the Belgian embassy in London.
It was 61 years ago today — On Feb. 19, 1962 …
• Rock musician Chuck Berry reported to the Federal Penitentiary in Terre Haute, Ind., after his conviction for violating the Mann Act (in 1959) was affirmed. After serving for 20 months of his three-year sentence, he was released on Oct. 18, 1963, and revived his career.
It was 60 years ago today — On Feb. 19, 1963 …
• “The Feminine Mystique” by Betty Friedan was first published by W.W. Norton & Co. The book reawakened the feminist movement in the United States as women’s organizations and consciousness-raising groups spread.
It was 59 years ago today — On Feb. 19, 1964 …
• The French movie musical “The Umbrellas of Cherbourg” premiered in France.
• Actor Peter Sellers married actor Britt Ekland in London.
It was 58 years ago today — On Feb. 19, 1965 …
• The National Football League began using six officials during games.
It was 57 years ago today — On Feb. 19, 1966 …
• The Mamas & Papas performed “California Dreamin’” and Bob Lind performed “Elusive Butterfly” on American Bandstand.
It was 56 years ago today — On Feb. 19, 1967 …
• The American space probe Lunar Orbiter 3 sent back the first detailed pictures of the far side of the Moon, not visible from the Earth.
It was 55 years ago today — On Feb. 19, 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.
• The U.K. High Court awards compensation to 62 children born with thalidomide-induced deformities. Thalidomide was available in the U.K. from 1958 to late 1961. In many cases, children born with deformities were confirmed. In 1973, a much larger settlement was agreed following the discovery that more than 400 children were affected.
It was 54 years ago today — On Feb. 19, 1969 …
• Elvis Presley recorded the Eddie Rabbit song “Kentucky Rain.”
It was 53 years ago today — On Feb. 19, 1970 …
• Major League Baseball Commissioner Bowie Kuhn announces the suspension of Detroit Tigers’ ace Denny McLain, effective April 1, for McLain’s alleged involvement in a bookmaking operation. The suspension will last three months, setting off what will basically be a lost season for the two-time Cy Young Award winner (who won 31 games in 1968 and 24 in 1969).
It was 52 years ago today — On Feb. 19, 1971 …
• The television chat show “Parkinson” debuts on BBC1.
It was 51 years ago today — On Feb. 19, 1972 …
• The Asama-Sansō hostage standoff begins in Japan.
It was 50 years ago today — On Feb. 19, 1973 …
• Joseph Szigeti (born in 1892), Hungarian-born U.S. violinist, died.
It was 49 years ago today — On Feb. 19, 1974 …
• KISS made their TV debut on Don Kirshner’s Rock Concert.
It was 48 years ago today — On Feb. 19, 1975 …
• Significant reforms to the U.S. Freedom of Information Act went into effect. Both the House and the Senate overrode a veto by U.S. President Gerald R. Ford in November.
It was 47 years ago today — On Feb. 19, 1976 …
• Britain slashed welfare spending.
It was 46 years ago today — On Feb. 19, 1977 …
• Rod Gilbert of the New York Rangers gets his 1,000th career point with a goal in a 5-2 loss to the New York Islanders.
• The Oakland A’s sold relief pitcher Paul Lindblad to the Texas Rangers for $400,000, calling into question Bowie Kuhn’s policy on player sales. Kuhn had previously voided an Oakland sale of players (on June 18, 1976) as “not being in the best interest of baseball,” but had not specified the maximum amount allowable in a player sale.
It was 45 years ago today — On Feb. 19, 1978 …
• Egyptian forces raided Larnaca International Airport in an attempt to intervene in a hijacking, without authorization from the Republic of Cyprus authorities. The Cypriot National Guard and Police forces killed 15 Egyptian commandos and destroyed the Egyptian C-130 transport plane in open combat.
It was 44 years ago today — On Feb. 19, 1979 …
• For the first time, the U.S. House of Representatives began televising its sessions live, initially on a closed-circuit network to TV sets in the offices of Congressional representatives, as a means of transmitting the broadcasts at any time, and at no charge, to U.S. television networks. The system would begin transmission the next month on cable TV on the Cable-Satellite Public Affairs Network (C-SPAN).
It was 43 years ago today — On Feb. 19, 1980 …
• AC/DC singer Bon Scott is found dead in a car parked outside a friend’s flat on East Dulwich. Speculation is that he asphyxiated after a night of drinking.
It was 42 years ago today — On Feb. 19, 1981 …
• Rolling Stone magazine published its first article on Prince entitled “Will The Little Girls Understand?”
It was 41 years ago today — On Feb. 19, 1982 …
• Atlanta’s 127-122 four-overtime win over Seattle equals the fourth-longest game in NBA history and the second longest since the 24-second clock.
It was 40 years ago today — On Feb. 19, 1983 …
• Fernando Valenzuela wins his salary arbitration case with the Dodgers and becomes the first player to win a $1 million salary through the process. The Dodgers had offered Valenzuela $750,000 for this season.
It was 39 years ago today — On Feb. 19, 1984 …
• Phil and Steve Mahre of the United States become the first brothers to finish 1-2 in an Olympic event, the men’s slalom on the final day of competition at the Winter Games in Sarajevo, Yugoslavia. The Soviet Union beats Czechoslovakia 2-0 to win the gold medal in hockey.
• Cale Yarborough sweeps into the lead two turns before the finish to win the Daytona 500. He becomes the second driver to win consecutive Daytona 500s. Richard Petty was the other.
It was 38 years ago today — On Feb. 19, 1985 …
• William J. Schroeder becomes the first recipient of an artificial heart to leave the hospital.
• 150 people were killed when a Spanish jetliner crashed approaching Bilbao, Spain.
• The British soap opera “EastEnders” debuted on BBC Television.
• Mickey Mouse was welcomed in China.
It was 37 years ago today — On Feb. 19, 1986 …
• Barry Seal (born in 1939), gunrunner, drug trafficker and covert CIA operative extraordinaire, was murdered in a hail of bullets by Medellin cartel hit men outside a Salvation Army shelter in Baton Rouge, La. He had testified in federal court in Las Vegas, Fort Lauderdale and Miami for the U.S. government against leaders of the Medellin drug cartel.
• In the San Francisco Bay Area, water breached a levee on the 8,800-acre Tyler Island wiping out crops and nearly destroying the Mello family’s farming business.
• Akkaraipattu massacre: The Sri Lankan Army massacred 80 Tamil farm workers in eastern Sri Lanka.
• King Hussein of Jordan severed ties with the Palestinian Liberation Organization.
It was 36 years ago today — On Feb. 19, 1987 …
• A controversial anti-smoking ad aired for the first time on TV and featured Yul Brynner (1920-1985), who died shortly after from lung cancer.
• After signing a contract as a free agent with the Oakland A’s less than a month ago, former Cy Young Award winner and MVP pitcher Vida Blue unexpectedly retired from baseball. Blue also pitched for the Kansas City Royals and San Francisco Giants.
It was 35 years ago today — On Feb. 19, 1988 …
• The San Diego Padres signed veteran shortstop Dickie Thon, released by Houston last month.
It was 34 years ago today — On Feb. 19, 1989 …
• Iran’s Ayatollah Khomeini rejected the apology of “Satanic Verses” author Salman Rushdie, exhorting Muslims to “send him to hell” for committing blasphemy.
It was 33 years ago today — On Feb. 19, 1990 …
• About 500 protesters break into government headquarters in Bucharest, Romania, calling for resignation of President Ion Iliescu.
It was 32 years ago today — On Feb. 19, 1991 …
• Russian Federation President Boris Yeltsin delivered an unprecedented public appeal for Soviet President Mikhail S. Gorbachev to resign.
It was 31 years ago today — On Feb. 19, 1992 …
• In San Francisco, p*rn entrepreneur Jim Mitchell (48) was found guilty of voluntary manslaughter in the Feb 27, 1991, rifle slaying of his brother Artie Mitchell at Artie’s home in Corte Madera.
It was 30 years ago today — On Feb. 19, 1993 …
• A packed ferry carrying up to 1,500 people sinks in stormy seas off Haiti, and only 285 people are known to have survived.
• Wendel Suckow edges two-time world champion Georg Hackl of Germany by 0.106 seconds to capture the first world luge championship medal of any kind for the United States.
• The Perry Mason TV movie “The Case of the Skin-Deep Scandal” aired.
It was 29 years ago today — On Feb. 19, 1994 …
• American speedskater Bonnie Blair won the fourth Olympic gold medal of her career as she won the 500-meter race in Lillehammer, Norway.
It was 28 years ago today — On Feb. 19, 1995 …
• Motley Crue drummer Tommy Lee married Baywatch actor Pamela Anderson on a beach in Mexico.
• The Toronto Blue Jays assigned manager Cito Gaston and his coaching staff to work with minor league players until the strike is settled so that they will not have to deal with replacement players.
It was 27 years ago today — On Feb. 19, 1996 …
• The World Health Organization (WHO) confirms that the Ebola virus killed 13 villagers in Gabon.
• Charles Barkley of Phoenix becomes one of 10 players with 20,000 points and 10,000 rebounds in the NBA when he grabs 14 rebounds in a 98-94 victory over Vancouver.
• Patrick Roy of the Colorado Avalanche became the second youngest NHL goaltender and 12th overall to reach 300 career victories.
It was 26 years ago today — On Feb. 19, 1997 …
• Detroit’s daily newspapers accepted a back-to-work offer from employees who had been on strike for 19 months, but the strikers charged the conditions for return amounted to a lockout.
It was 24 years ago today — On Feb. 19, 1998 …
• At the Nagano Olympics, Austrian Hermann Maier won the men’s giant slalom while Hilde Gerg of Germany won the women’s slalom.
It was 24 years ago today — On Feb. 19, 1999 …
• The U.S. Commerce Dept. reported that the 1998 trade deficit soared to $168.8 billion.
It was 23 years ago today — On Feb. 19, 2000 …
• Vancouver’s Mark Messier has two assists and earns the 2,000th point of his career in the Canucks’ 3-1 victory over Ottawa. The 2,000 points includes the NHL playoffs and a brief stint in the defunct World Hockey Association, in which he had one goal and 10 assists.
It was 22 years ago today — On Feb. 19, 2001 …
• A five-mile exclusion zone is placed around an abbatoir near Brentwood, England, after a suspected case of foot-and-mouth disease is detected.
• Clashes between ethnic Albanian rebels and Serbian security forces flare in Lucane, Yugoslavia — a tense southern region bordering Kosovo — a day after an explosion rips through a police van, killing three Serb officers.
It was 21 years ago today — On Feb. 19, 2002 …
• In Salt Lake City, a win by bobsledders Jill Bakken and Vonetta Flowers gave the United States 21 medals in the Winter Games. Flowers became the first black athlete ever to strike gold at the Winter Olympics.
• Peru’s justice minister ruled out a presidential pardon for Lori Berenson after the Supreme Court confirmed the American woman’s 20-year sentence for aiding leftist rebels.
It was 20 years ago today — On Feb. 19, 2003 …
• Seventh-day Adventist Pastor Elizaphan Ntakirutimana, 78, and his son Gerard Ntakirutimana, 45, a doctor, are convicted of genocide and crimes against humanity in Rwanda by the U.N. International Criminal Tribunal. The pastor, the first clergyman convicted by the tribunal, is sentenced to 10 years in prison. His son receives 25 years.
It was 19 years ago today — On Feb. 19, 2004 …
• Former Enron Corp. chief executive Jeffrey Skilling was brought to court in handcuffs, charged with fraud, insider trading and other crimes in connection with the energy trader’s colossal collapse. Skilling was later convicted of 19 counts and sentenced to 24 years and four months in prison, but a federal judge in 2013 shaved a decade off that sentence. Skilling was released in February 2019 after serving 12 years.
It was 18 years ago today — On Feb. 19, 2005 …
• A private banker who had millions hidden in his home in Ireland is freed without immediately being charged, as police search financial records nationwide for clues into an alleged Irish Republican Army money-laundering ring and links to a massive Belfast bank robbery.
• Lindsay Kennedy becomes the first woman to play in a men’s Major Indoor Soccer League game. Kennedy, a St. Louis forward, participates in the final 76 seconds of Milwaukee’s 7-3 win over the Steamers at Savvis Center.
• Schreiner ends its NCAA-record losing streak at 83 games, beating Sul Ross State 75-69 in a women’s basketball game. It’s the Division III Mountaineers first win since Jan. 17, 2002, when they also beat Sul Ross.
It was 17 years ago today — On Feb. 19, 2006 …
• A gas explosion in northern Mexico killed 65 miners.
• Jimmie Johnson wins a two-lap shootout to claim the Daytona 500, capping a roller-coaster week that saw NASCAR kick his crew chief Chad Knaus out of competition for making an illegal modification to Johnson’s car.
• The East rallies from 21 points down for a 122-120 victory over the West in the NBA All-Star Game. Cleveland’s LeBron James scores 29 points, making the 21-year-old star the youngest MVP in the game’s history.
It was 16 years ago today — On Feb. 19, 2007 …
• Hundreds of gay couples were granted the same legal rights, if not the title, as married couples as New Jersey became the third state to offer civil unions.
• The West defeated the East 153-132 in the 56th NBA All-Star Game before 15, 694 fans in Las Vegas.
It was 15 years ago today — On Feb. 19, 2008 …
• An ailing Fidel Castro resigned the Cuban presidency after nearly a half-century in power. Fidel’s brother Raul was later named to succeed him.
It was 14 years ago today — On Feb. 19, 2009 …
• A jury in Moscow, Russia, voted unanimously to acquit three men in the killing of investigative reporter Anna Politkovskaya.
• The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 89.68 to 7465.95, a new six-year low
• The California state Senate approved a long-awaited budget intended to wipe out a $42 billion deficit, possibly steering the state clear of a fiscal disaster.
It was 12 years ago today — On Feb. 19, 2010 …
• In a televised 13-minute statement, golfer Tiger Woods admitted infidelity and acknowledged receiving therapy.
• The FBI concluded that Army scientist Bruce Ivins acted alone in the 2001 anthrax mailings that killed five people, and formally closed the case.
• Pope Benedict XVI approved sainthood for Mother Mary MacKillop, who became Australia’s first saint.
• A junta that seized power in a coup in the West African nation of Niger names a platoon commander as its leader, hours after soldiers announced on State TV that their group was in charge of the uranium-rich country.
It was 12 years ago today — On Feb. 19, 2011 …
• Security forces in Libya and Yemen fired on pro-democracy demonstrators as the two hard-line regimes struck back against the wave of protests that had already toppled autocrats in Egypt and Tunisia.
• The world’s dominant economies, meeting in Paris, struck a watered-down deal on how to smooth out trade and currency imbalances blamed for a global financial crisis.
• The Republican-controlled U.S. House agreed to cut $61 billion from hundreds of federal programs and shelter coal companies, oil refiners and farmers from new government regulations.
It was 11 years ago today — On Feb. 19, 2012 …
• Three skiers were killed when an avalanche swept them about a quarter-mile down an out-of-bounds canyon at Stevens Pass, Wash., but a fourth skier caught up in the slide was saved by a safety device.
• 44 inmates were killed in a prison riot in Apodaca, northern Mexico.
• Iran halts oil shipments to Britain and France in an apparent pre-emptive blow against the European Union, after the bloc imposed sanctions on Iran’s crucial fuel exports.
• The Detroit Red Wings win their 23rd straight home game, breaking the NHL overall record with a 3-2 victory over the San Jose Sharks. The streak was snapped four days later when the Vancouver Canucks defeated the Red Wings, 4-3. The Boston Bruins closed the 1929-30 season with 20 victories at home and won their first two the following season.
• American star Hannah Kearney’s all-discipline record for consecutive World Cup victories ends at 16 with a semifinal loss in a dual moguls event at Naeba, Japan. Kearney’s streak began in Lake Placid, N.Y., on Jan. 22, 2011.
• Steven Holcomb and brakeman Steve Langton win the two-man bobsled in Lake Placid, N.Y., the first time the U.S. captures this event at the world championships.
It was 10 years ago today — On Feb. 19, 2013 …
• A bail hearing began in Pretoria, South Africa, for double-amputee Olympian Oscar Pistorius, charged with killing girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp on Valentine’s Day. The defense said Pistorius had mistaken Steenkamp for an intruder while prosecutors said he had deliberately opened fire on Steenkamp as she cowered behind a locked bathroom door.
It was 9 years ago today — On Feb. 19, 2014 …
• On Day 13 of the Sochi Games, Norway wins the first Olympic mixed relay in biathlon at the Sochi Games and Ole Einar Bjoerndalen becomes the most decorated Winter Olympian with 13 medals. Ted Ligety wins the giant slalom, becoming the first American man to win two Olympic gold medals in Alpine skiing.
It was 8 years ago today — On Feb. 19, 2015 …
• President Barack Obama urged delegates from 63 countries at a summit on violent extremism to “confront the warped ideology” espoused by terror groups, particularly using Islam to justify violence.
It was 7 years ago today — On Feb. 19, 2016 …
• The bodies of two women, one man and an infant were found outside a burning home near Edgerton, Mo. A suspect was charged with murder.
• Serbian officials said two of their embassy staffers held hostage since Nov. 2015 had died in U.S airstrikes on an Islamic State camp in western Libya.
• Damian Lillard scores a career-high 51 points and has seven assists and six steals to lead the Portland Trail Blazers to a stunningly dominant 137-105 victory over the NBA-leading Golden State Warriors.
• The Federal Bureau of Investigations arrested Major League Baseball player agent Bart Hernandez on charges of human trafficking and conspiracy stemming from his association with two convicted fraudsters and their role in extorting large amounts of money from Cuban players seeking to defect to the United States. A lawsuit filed by outfielder Leonys Martin prompted the FBI investigation.
It was 6 years ago today — On Feb. 19, 2017 …
• Three former elite U.S. gymnasts, including 2000 Olympian Jamie Dantzscher, appeared on CBS’ “60 Minutes” to say they were sexually abused by Dr. Larry Nassar, a volunteer team physician for USA Gymnastics. Nassar would be sentenced to decades in prison after hundreds of girls and women said he sexually abused them under the guise of medical treatment.
• A SpaceX rocket soared from NASA’s long-idled moonshot pad, sending up space station supplies from the exact spot where astronauts embarked on the lunar landings nearly a half-century earlier.
• Hundreds of scientists, environmental advocates and their supporters held a rally in Boston to protest what they saw as increasing threats to science and research.
• More than a thousand people of various faiths rallied in New York City for an “I Am A Muslim Too” event to support Muslim Americans.
• Anthony Davis had an All-Star Game for the record books, scoring 52 points as the Western Conference beat the Eastern Conference 192-182 — the highest-scoring game in league history. The 52 points were 10 more than Wilt Chamberlain’s All-Star record that had stood for 55 years.
It was 5 years ago today — On Feb. 19, 2018 …
• Syrian government forces began a bombing campaign in the northeastern suburbs of Damascus, the last major stronghold for rebels in the area of the capital. The campaign left hundreds dead.
• Nigeria said that 110 girls went missing, presumed kidnapped by Boko Haram after an attack on a school in Dapchi in Yobe state.
• The U.S. women’s Olympic hockey team reached the title game, shutting out Finland 5-0 in the semifinals. A French ice dancer at the Winter Olympics in South Korea suffered a wardrobe malfunction when her glittering emerald costume came unhooked at the neckline, exposing her left breast live on television. Gabriella Papadakis and her partner still managed to finish the program in second place.
• Major League Baseball Commissioner Rob Manfred announced that he has come to an agreement with the Major League Baseball Players Association on pace of play initiatives. Contrary to what he had announced a month earlier, the Commissioner retreated from his threat of imposing a pitch clock unilaterally. However, the two sides agree to place limits on the number of mound visits and to reduce the allotted time between innings.
• The Boston Red Sox signed slugging outfielder/designated hitter J.D. Martinez to a five-year contract worth $110 million. The Arizona Diamondbacks, Martinez’s former team, who were hoping to retain him, choose a more modest path as a replacement in the outfield, signing former Kansas City outfielder Jarrod Dyson for two years and $7.5 million.
It was 4 years ago today — On Feb. 19, 2019 …
• Mikaela Shiffrin wraps up the season-long slalom World Cup title, three days after winning her record fourth straight world title in the discipline. It’s Shiffrin’s 57th career win and 14th of the season, matching the record for most World Cup victories in a single campaign, set by Swiss great Vreni Schneider in the 1990s.
• Manny Machado, formerly of the Baltimore Orioles and Los Angeles Dodgers, signed the biggest free agent contract in history, agreeing to a 10-year deal worth $300 million with the San Diego Padres. This tops the $275 million given by the New York Yankees to Alex Rodriguez following the 2007 season. There were many teams interested in the infielder’s services, but only the unlikely Padres, in the middle of a rebuild, were willing to to give the kind of long-term commitment that Machado was seeking.
It was 3 years ago today — On Feb. 19, 2020 …
• About 500 passengers left the Diamond Princess cruise ship in Japan at the end of a two-week quarantine that failed to stop the spread of the coronavirus among passengers and crew. The number of confirmed cases aboard the ship topped 600. The number of deaths in China from the virus rose past 2,000. Iran’s state-run IRNA news agency said the virus had killed two Iranian citizens.
• A man who had posted an online rant calling for the “complete extermination” of various races and cultures shot and killed nine people, most of them Turkish, in an attack on a hookah bar and other sites near Frankfurt, Germany. He later was found dead at his home along with his mother.
It was 2 years ago today — On Feb. 19, 2021 …
• Southern cities slammed by winter storms that left millions without power for days were dealing with water pipes ruptured by record-low temperatures. The breaks created a shortage of clean drinking water, shut down airports and left hospitals scrambling.
• U.S. officials scrambled to reinforce the nation’s cyber defenses following a sweeping hack that may have exposed government and corporate secrets to Russia.
• In a softening of four-year WADA ban on Russia from all international sport, Russia to compete under acronym “ROC” after name of the Russian Olympic Committee.
It was 1 year ago today — On Feb. 19, 2022 …
• Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, facing a sharp spike in violence in and around territory held by Russia-backed rebels and increasingly dire warnings that Russia plans to invade, called for Russian President Vladimir Putin to meet him and seek a resolution to the crisis.
• China’s Sui Wenjing and Han Cong captured the Olympic gold medal that eluded them by a razor-thin margin four years earlier, edging Russian rivals Evgenia Tarasova and Vladimir Morozov to win the pairs figure skating competition at the Beijing Games.
• Russians Alexander Bolshunov and Ivan Yakimushkin earned gold and silver, respectively, in the cross-country skiing 50-kilometer freestyle mass start final in the Winter Olympics in Beijing. Norway’s Simen Hegstad Krueger took bronze.
Notable deaths, Feb. 19 …
• 1972, Tedd Pierce, U.S. animator and cartoon writer who wrote many of the Bugs Bunny episodes of “Looney Tunes,” died at 65.
• 1994, Director Derek Jarman dies aged 52.
• 1995, Calder Willingham (born in 1922), novelist, scriptwriter (The Graduate), died of lung cancer in New Hampshire.
• 1997, Chinese leader Deng Xiaoping, who guided the country from political chaos and economic ruin toward prosperity in the post-Mao era, dies in Beijing at age 92.
• 2001, Movie producer-director Stanley Kramer died in Woodland Hills, Calif., at age 87. His work included 35 films.
• 2007, Film and television actor/singer Janet Blair died in Santa Monica, Calif., at age 85.
• 2013, Donald Richie, a Tokyo-based expert on Japanese cinema, died at age 88.
• 2016, Harper Lee, author of “To Kill a Mockingbird,” died in Monroeville, Ala., at age 89.
• 2019, Former Brooklyn Dodgers pitcher Don Newcombe, who was one of the first black players in the major leagues and went on to win the Rookie of the Year, MVP and Cy Young awards, died at 92 after a long illness.
• 2019, Designer Karl Lagerfeld, whose creations at Chanel and Fendi had an unprecedented impact on the entire fashion industry, died in Paris.
Notable birthdays, Feb. 19 (passed away):
• Polish astronomer Nicolaus Copernicus in 1473 (died 1543)
• English author-dramatist David Garrick in 1717 (died 1779)
• Italian composer Luigi Boccherini in 1743 (died 1805)
• Romanian sculptor Constantin Brancusi in 1876 (died 1957)
• Actor/singer Elisabeth Welch in 1904 (died 2003)
• Former Australian prime minister Sir William McMahon in 1908 (died 1988)
• Actor Merle Oberon in 1911 (died 1979)
• Composer/director Saul Chaplin in 1912 (died 1997)
• Jockey Eddie Arcaro in 1916 (died 1997)
• Novelist Carson McCullers in 1917 (died 1967)
• Actor Faye McKenzie in 1918 (died 2019)
• Actor/singer George Rose in 1920 (died 1988)
• Actor Lee Marvin in 1924 (died 1987)
• Television/movie director John Frankenheimer in 1930 (died 2002)
•Sportscaster Dave Niehaus in 1935 (died 2010)
• MLB player/coach Russ Nixon in 1935 (died 2016)
• Singer/songwriter Bobby Rogers (Smokey Robinson and the Miracles) in 1940 (died 2013)
* Actor Michael Nader (Dynasty, All My Children) in 1945 (died 2021)
• Nuclear technician/activist Kaen Silkwood in 1946 (died 1974)
• Actor/singer Jackie Curtis in 1947 (died 1985)
• Singer/songwriter/pianist Eddie Hardin in 1949 (died 2015)
• MLB pitcher Dave Cheadle in 1952 (died 2012)
• Singer/songwriter/rapper/musician Falco (Rock Me Amadeus, Der Kommissar) in 1957 (died 1998)
• Bass player Frank Watkins in 1968 (died 2015)
Today’s birthdays — Sunday, Feb. 19, 2023 …
Singer Smokey Robinson is 83. Singer and actor Carlin Glynn is 83. Former Sony Corp. Chairman Howard Stringer is 81. Singer Lou Christie is 80.
Guitarist/singer/songwriter Paul Dean (Loverboy) is 77. Drummer Pierre Van Den Linden (Focus) is 77. Rock musician Tony Iommi (Black Sabbath, Heaven and Hell) is 75. Bassist Mark Andes (Canned Heat, Spirit, Firefall, Heart, Mirabal, son of late actor Keith Andes, who played Akuta in Star Trek episode 2.5 The Apple) is 74. Guitarist Andy Powell (Wishbone Ash) is 73. Actor Stephen Nichols is 72. Author Amy Tan is 71. Former Argentine President Christa Fernandez is 70.
Actor Jeff Daniels is 68. Rock singer-musician Dave Wakeling (The Beat) is 67. Talk show host Lorianne Crook is 66. Actor Ray Winstone is 66. Actor Leslie David Baker is 65. NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell is 64. Britain’s Prince Andrew is 63. Tennis Hall of Famer Hana Mandlikova is 61. Singer Seal is 60. Actor Jessica Tuck is 60.
Country musician Ralph McCauley (Wild Horses) is 59. Rock musician Jon Fishman (Phish) is 58. Actor Justine Bateman (Family Ties, Satisfaction) is 57. Actor Benicio Del Toro is 56. Keyboardist Kate Radley Ashcroft (Spiritualized) is 56. Actor Bellamy Young is 53. Actor Eric Lange is 50.
Rock musician Daniel Adair (Nickelback) is 48. Model David Gandy is 43. Singer Beth Ditto (Mary Beth Patterson) is 42.
Pop singer-actor Haylie Duff is 38. Actor Arielle Kebbel is 38. Christian rock musician Seth Morrison (Skillet) is 35. Actor Luke Pasqualino is 33. Actor Victoria Justice is 30.
Tennis player Katharina Gerlach is 25. Actor David Mazouz (Gotham) is 22.
Actor Millie Bobby Brown (Stranger Things) is 19.
Thoughts for Today — Sunday, Feb. 19, 2023 …
“I attribute my success to this — I never gave or took any excuse.” — Florence Nightingale (born on May 12, 1820, died on Aug. 13, 1910), English social reformer, statistician and the founder of modern nursing. Known as “The Lady with the Lamp.” Thanks to Chuck Hurt at Forallthings and StarNetSports.
“Music expresses that which cannot be put into words and that which cannot remain silent.” — Victor Hugo (born on Feb. 26, 1802, died on May 22, 1885), French poet, novelist, essayist, playwright and dramatist of the Romantic movement. Thanks to Mary Landers at Forallthings and StarNetSports.
“I was smart enough to go through any door that opened.” — Joan Rivers (born on June 8, 1933, died on Sept. 4, 2014), comedian, actor, writer, producer and television host. Thanks to Mary Landers at Forallthings and StarNetSports.
“When you are honest and open with young people, they let you in.” — Basketball Hall of Fame member Earvin “Magic” Johnson (born on Aug. 14, 1959).
“I love my rejection slips. They show me I try.” — Sylvia Plath (born on Oct. 27, 1932, committed suicide on Feb. 11, 1963). Thanks to Mary Landers at Forallthings and StarNetSports.
“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 (born 1897, in Atchison, Kan.; disappeared July 2, 1937; declared dead on Jan. 5, 1939),
“In the Grand Canyon, Arizona has a natural wonder ... Leave it as it is. You can not improve on it. The ages have been at work on it, and man can only mar it.” — U.S. President Theodore Roosevelt (1858-1919).
“Passion and prejudice govern the world; only under the name of reason.” — John Wesley, English theologian (1703-1791).
“Look at everything as though you were seeing it for the first time or the last time. Then your time on earth will be filled with glory.” — Betty Smith, American author (1896-1972).
