On this day: February 19
POSTED: 04:31 PM PST Feb 18, 2013
UPDATED: 11:00 PM PST Feb 18, 2013
Rescuers reach the Donner Party, Edison patents the phonograph, the Soviet Union launches the Mir space station, and Fidel Castro resigns as Cuban president, all on this day.
National Park Service
1945: During World War II, the Battle of Iwo Jima begins with about 30,000 United States Marines landing on the island of Iwo Jima. The invasion had the goal of capturing the entire island, including its three airfields, to provide a staging area for attacks on the Japanese main islands. The island was declared secured by American forces 25 days after the battle began.
