On this day: February 20
POSTED: 04:12 PM PST Feb 19, 2013
UPDATED: 11:00 PM PST Feb 19, 2013
The Post Office is born, World War II gets its first flying ace, John Glenn becomes the first American to orbit the Earth, and a fire at a Great White concert leaves 100 dead, all on this day.
Rainbow Productions
1927: Actor Sidney Poitier, who became the first black person to win an Academy Award for Best Actor, for his role in 1963's "Lilies of the Field" (pictured), is born in Miami, Fla. Poitier is also known for his roles in movies such as "The Defiant Ones," "A Raisin in the Sun," To Sir, with Love," "In the Heat of the Night" and "Guess Who's Coming to Dinner" and also directed a number of popular movies, including "A Piece of the Action," "Uptown Saturday Night," "Let's Do It Again" and "Stir Crazy."
