First American to Orbit the Earth February 20, 1962 John Glenn in the Friendship 7. Glenn circled the globe three times in 4 hours and 56 minutes, reaching speeds of more than 17,000 miles per hour. The successful mission concluded with a splashdown and recovery in the Atlantic Ocean, 800 miles southeast of Bermuda.

Battle of Iwo Jima February 19, 1945 U.S. troops land on Iwo Jima. With more than 7,000 U.S. troops killed, it was one of the costliest battles of World War II. The famous raising of the flag on Mt. Suribachi would take place four days later. The battle lasted till March 26th.

First Cow to Fly in an Airplane February 18, 1930 A cow named Elm Farm Ollie becomes the first cow to fly in an airplane. The 72-mile trip from Bismarck, Missouri, to St. Louis was part of the International Air Exposition in St. Louis. Elm Farm Ollie was milked mid-flight and her milk was placed in paper cartons and pa...

Prohibition February 17, 1933 The Blaine Act is passed by the U.S. Senate, leading to the end of the prohibition of alcohol in the U.S. Federal prohibition had been in effect as per the 18th Amendment since 1920 and while it did not prohibit the consumption of alcohol, it did ban the sale, manufacture, and transportati...

King Tut and the Mummy's Curse February 16, 1923 King Tutankhamen's burial chamber is unsealed by archaeologist Howard Carter. There he found King Tutankhamen's sarcophagus. Carter had discovered the tomb the previous November. Several weeks after discovering the tomb, Carter and Lord Carnarvon, who financed the excava...