February 23. Just a few items today. Insignificant really...
1455. This is the date generally understood to be the date on which the first Gutenberg Bible was published. The method of printing, by moveable type, is quite possibly the most important discovery of teh second millenium given that it led to the profileration of books.
1778. Prussian office Baron von Steuben arrives at Valley Forge and agrees to join the Continental Army. His drilling techniques are critical in saving the undisciplined army in the coming months and years, and his drill manual remains the standard American drill manual for over 30 years until the War of 1812.
1836. The Battle of the Alamo.
1847. The United States crushes the numerically superior Mexicans in the Battle of Buena Vista, one of the more important battles of the Mexican-American war.
1903. Cuba leases Guantanomo Bay to the United States in perpetuity.
1917. The February Revolution begins in St. Petersburg, the first of Russia's cities to experience revolutionary uprisings which will directly lead to the overthrow of the Romanov Dynasty and the fall of the Tsarist system. By October of the same year, a second wave of revolutionary uprisings (the October Revolution) sweeps the Communists into power.
1919. Benito Mussolini forms the Fascist Party in Italy.
1945. During the Battle of Iwo Jima, a group of United States Marines reaches the top of Mount Suribachi and raises the American flag there. The photograph goes on to win the Pulitzer Prize and becomes an enduring symbol in America. It is possibly the most reproduced photograph in history.
1947. The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) is founded.
1954. The first mass innoculation of children against polio is begun.