The FReeper Foxhole Remembers The Bataan Death March - Feb 20th, 2003

http://home.pacbell.net/fbaldie/In_Retrospect.html ^ | Maj. Richard M. Gordon (USA Ret.)

[SAMWolf]

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Bataan, Corregidor,
and the Death March:
In Retrospect

Introduction: This article was submitted by Richard M. Gordon of Burnt Hills, NY, who writes, "While numerous articles have been written on Bataan, Corregidor, and 'The Death March,' I believe that my article dispels several myths found in other writings…I am a firm believer in historical accuracy. The myth concerning who was on the Bataan Death March must be dispelled." Gordon was a defender of Bataan, a survivor of the Death March, Camps O'Donnell, and Cabanatuan. He is writing a book on his experiences in the Philippines from October 1940 to October 1945, when he was liberated in Japan.

The recollection of these historic events should elicit memories of the early dark days of World War II. Our fleet had just been crippled at Pearl Harbor. Hong Kong and Singapore had fallen. Whatever the Japanese military had touched "turned to gold." The one bright spot in those dismal days was the Philippine Islands, where Americans and Filipinos were making a stand on Bataan, Corregidor, and the southern islands of the Philippines. Such resistence would disrupt the Japanese military timetable of the conquest of the South Pacific and gain valuable time for the United States to recover from Japan's initial onslaught.

Each event, however, was different from the other and the difference often spelled life or death for the participants. Bataan was not synonymous with Corregidor, mistaken belief to the contrary. As a result of this misbelief for the past 40-odd years, many have assumed Bataan, Corregidor, and the Death March to be interrelated. Corregidor had very little relationship with Bataan; it had no connection with the Death March whatsoever. Such a mistaken belief has been spawned by numerous writings.

An example of such misinformation can be found in the writings of a noted historian, William Manchester, author of "American Caesar," a biography of General Douglas MacArthur. Manchester is widely accepted as a "meticulous researcher," yet he commits an unforgivable sin in his writing on the subject of Corregidor. In his book, Manchester writes, "On May 6, a terrible silence fell over Corregidor. White flags were raised from every flagstaff that was still standing and the triumphant Japanese moved their eleven thousand captives to Bataan. The next day began the brutal Death March."

Aside from the error in the number of prisoners taken on Corregidor, Manchester made several glaring mistakes in the above quote. Error number one, the captives were not taken to Bataan, but, instead, to Manila, where they were forced to march through the streets of that city to impress the Filipino with the might of the Japanese military forces. Error number two by Manchester: When Corregidor fell on May 6, 1942, the last of the Death Marchers had already entered the hellhole called Camp O'Donnell on April 24, 1942, twelve days before the surrender of Corregidor. The POWs, from the Death March, arrived in Camp O'Donnell everyday from April 12, 1942 up to April 24, 1942. After the 24th of April, a few scattered groups did arrive. Error number three: Captives on Corregidor did not leave the island for two weeks' time, pending the surrender of Fil-American forces in the southern islands of the Philippines.

Manchester, however, is not alone in his misconception of what occurred in the days following the fall of Bataan, and its subsequent Death March. In 1982, a joint resolution of Congress, perhaps following Manchester's writings of 1980, made the same mistake when honoring the men of Bataan and Corregidor who made the Death March. Obituaries of men who were captured on Corregidor often indicate that the individual made the Death March. Such information obviously comes from the relatives of the deceased, who also were misinformed.



One can readily see how powerful myths can be. Someone once said, "When history becomes legend, print the legend." The Corregidor garrison did not participate in the Death March, despite any belief to the contrary.

About 1,200 survivors of Bataan are alive today. In perhaps ten years, they will all be gone. Most, if not all, would like to leave behind them the truth that was Bataan. To do less would dishonor those men who died in both events.

April 9, 1989, has been selected, as "Former Prisoner of War Day." Obviously that date has been selected to recall the day that Bataan fell, with the subsequent capture of the largest military force in US military history. It is important, however, to point out that the "Battling Bastards of Bataan" did not surrender, as some of us are prone to say, but were surrendered. A vast difference exists between the two terms. In fairness to the men of Bataan, and Corregidor, the difference must be emphasized. Specific orders were given to the Bataan garrison to surrender. Initially, some commanders refused to do so and were threatened with court-martial if they failed to obey a lawful order.



The reasons for the surrender order, given by Major General Edward P. King, commanding officer of the forces on Bataan, were many. Time and space do not allow a lengthy explanation of the situation that compelled General King to give such an order. Suffice to say that only two days' rations for his troops remained. Medication to treat the countless number of Bataan defenders suffering from the deleterious effects of malaria were exhausted. Ammunition of every type was about to run out. Weak, diseased, starving soldiers lacked the physical strength to mount a counter-attack ordered by General Jonathan Wainwright, on Corregidor. Continuous aerial bombardment and artillery barrages for several consecutive days, unanswered, had left the men of Bataan reeling like a prize fighter who had absorbed too many punches. To prevent a "slaughter" of his troops, General King opted to surrender. Later, in a gathering of his men in prison, Camp O'Donnell, King told them, "You did not surrender, I did. That responsibility is mine and mine alone."

To begin to understand the fall of Bataan and the aftermath, the Death March, one must know what led to its fall. When the Japanese invaded the Philippine Islands in December 1941, with their 14th Army consisting of two full divisions (the 16th and 18th), five anti-aircraft battalions, three engineering regiments, two tank regiments, and one battalion of medium artillery, led by Lt. General Masaharu Homma, they faced a defending force of ten divisions of the Philippine Army. Numerically speaking, the advantage belonged to the defenders. What appears to be an advantage, however, was in reality a disadvantage: one that hastened the fall of Bataan and one that contributed to thousands of deaths in O'Donnell's prison camp.



At the end of the first week in December 1941, the Philippine forces consisted of 20,000 regulars and 100,000 totally raw reservists, most of whom were called to the colors within the three months preceding the war. The training of their artillerymen, so vital in any military action, did not take place until after the outbreak of hostilities. Many of these troops were illiterate and lacked the ability to communicate with each other. The enlisted men spoke their native dialect, depending on the area they were from; the officers spoke English, Spanish, or the so-called national language, Tagalog. Unfortunately, Tagalog was spoken mainly in and around Manila, the country's capital. Weapons such as the British Enfield rifle of World War I were obsolete. Uniforms consisted of fiber helmets (the men were never issued steel helmets), canvas shoes, short-sleeve shirts, and short pants, hardly suitable for the jungles of Bataan and their surprisingly cold nights.

In addition to the Philippine Army, Bataan's forces consisted of 11,796 Americans and several regiments of Philippine Scouts who had been part of the United States Army in the Philippines for many years prior to the war. These were magnificent soldiers, well trained, loyal, and dedicated to the war effort. Led by American officers, they repeatedly distinguished themselves in the four months of combat. Adding to the number of military in Bataan were civilians who fled the advancing Japanese. They entered Bataan of their own free will, yet they had to be fed from military supplies.



Forced to feed such a large number of military and civilians, food became an immediate and critical problem to the command. Tons of precious rice were left in the warehouses upon the withdrawal into Bataan and were destroyed by the Japanese. Americans accustomed to "stateside chow" found themselves (mid-January) on half-rations along with the Filipino soldiers. A month later, these rations were cut again (1,000 calories per day) and consisted of rice and fish, or what little meat could be found. Most of the meat came from the horses and mules of the 26th Cavalry, Philippine Scouts, or the Philippine beast of burden, the carabao, or water buffalo. Occasionally monkeys, snakes, ECT, supplemented the diet. Malaria ran rampant in Bataan, one of the most heavily mosquito-infested areas in the world at that time. Medication to offset the effects of that disease began to disappear early in the campaign.

[SAMWolf]

On April 3, 1942, General Homma finally launched his long-awaited (by both the Japanese high command and the Americans) final push to crush the Philippines. He easily broke through the final line of resistance of the Fil-American troops on Bataan, but he did so because of the deplorable state of the defending forces facing him.

Food supplies stored on Corregidor often never found their way to the front lines of Bataan, being stolen by hungry rear area troops while the food was enroute in trucks. Hijacking became a common practice along the way. Here may be found the first difference between Bataan and Corregidor. Corregidor troops did not go hungry until their capture by the Japanese. Consequently, the men of Corregidor entered captivity in relatively good health and with very few cases of malaria on record.

Such differences were to have a major impact on who was to survive the prison camps that were to follow. Comparing rosters of units serving on Bataan and Corregidor, it was determined that the chances of surviving imprisonment were two in three, if captured on Corregidor, and one in three if captured on Bataan, an obvious substantiation of the differences between the two groups at the time of their capture.

On Corregidor, there were 15,000 American and Filipino troops, consisting of anti-aircraft and coastal defenses, along with the Fourth Marine Regiment, recently arrived from China (December 1941), less a detachment stationed on Bataan, as part of a Naval Battalion. Despite some writings to the contrary, again dealing in "legends," the Fourth Marine Regiment did not participate in the defense of Bataan. Their mission was beach defense on Corregidor. Approximately 43 Marines arrived in Camp O'Donnell after completing the Death March.

Of the 11,796 American soldiers on Bataan on April 3,1942, about 1,500 remained wounded or sick in Bataan's two field hospitals after the surrender. Others, relatively few, made their way across the two miles of shark-infested waters to Corregidor, where they were assigned to beach defense. About 9,300 Americans reached Camp O'Donnell after completing the Death March. About 600-650 Americans died on the March. Of the 66,000 Filipino troops, Scouts, Constabulary and Philippine Army units, it can be said the approximately 2,500 of them remained in the hospitals of Bataan; about 1,700 of them escaped to Corregidor, and a small number of them remained on Bataan as work details for the Japanese after the surrender.

Those captured on Bataan on or about April 9,1942, were in the general area of the town of Mariveles, at the southern tip of the Bataan peninsula. Large fields outside this town were used as staging areas for the thousands of captives, American and Filipino, gathered together.

Mass confusion reigned in these areas and when darkness fell, it became impossible to recognize anyone. In a brief period of time buddies were soon separated and, in many cases, never to see one another again. Two friends from the same unit entered one of these fields and did not know of each other's survival for over 40 years.

Each morning, groups of several hundred would be hustled out on Bataan's, one time, concrete road (National Road) leading north out of the peninsula and began the exodus to prison camp. No design or plans for the group ever materialized. Each sunrise, shouting, shooting, bayoneting, by Japanese, would assemble anyone they could to make up the marching groups.

As a result, individuals generally found themselves among perfect strangers, even if they were fellow Americans. Consequently, a "dog eat dog, every man for himself" attitude soon prevailed. Few helped one another on the March. Those belonging to the same military unit were fortunate, with their buddies helping when needed.

During one group's march, volunteers were sought to carry a stretcher containing a colonel wounded in both legs and unable to walk. Four men offered to help. After hours of carrying the man in a scorching hot sun with no stops and no water, they asked for relief from other marchers. No one offered to pick up the stretcher. Soon, the original four bearers, put down the man and went off on their own. The colonel was last seen by the side of the road begging to be carried by anyone.

After the first day of marching, without food or water, men began to drop out of column. Japanese guards would rush up, shouting commands in Japanese to get back in the group. When that approach failed, shots rang, out killing those who would not or could not rise. Many of those failing to obey the order to march were beheaded by sword wielding-Japanese guards, usually officers and non-coms.

Such actions on the part of the Japanese brought many captives to their feet and they continued the march for awhile longer. As each day and night passed without water, the marchers began to break from their group to run to anything that resembled water. Most often they would hurl themselves into a water puddle alongside of the road and lap up, similar to a cat lapping milk from a saucer, the so-called water. The puddles were used by the carabao to coat themselves with mud as a protection against the huge flies constantly about them. Upon rising from the puddle, the water would assume a "clear" state. Needless to say, the water was not potable and drinking of it soon brought on cramps, diarrhea, and eventually dysentery caused by the numerous flies found in the puddle. Such acts continued for each day of the March, lasting from five to ten days, depending upon where one joined the March, and continued until the marchers reached the town of San Fernando, Pampamga, P.I., a distance for most marchers of over 100 kilometers.

Upon reaching San Fernando, the prisoners were forced into 1918 model railroad boxcars (40X8) used in France during World War I. With over 100 men in each car, the Japanese then closed the doors on the prisoners. There was no room to sit down or fall down. Men died in the sweltering cars. Upon arriving in Capas, Tarlac, almost four hours later, the men detrained for Camp O'Donnell, another ten kilometer walk.

Official figures estimate that between 44,000 and 50,000 of the Filipinos arrived at O'Donnell after completing the March. Between 12,000 and 18,000 of their number are unaccounted for. What happened to them is unknown, but a safe guess is that between 5,000 to 10,000 of them lost their lives on the Death March. The death toll for both Filipinos and Americans, however, did not cease upon reaching O'Donnell. Instead, during the first forty days of that camp's existence, more that 1,500 Americans were to die. At least 25,000 Filipinos died by July 1942 in the same camp. All of the deaths were the direct result of malnutrition on Bataan, disease, and the atrocities committed by the Japanese on the March.

Shortly after the last of these prisoners entered O'Donnell (April 24,1942), Corregidor fell on May 6. Battered by constant shell fire from Bataan and aerial bombardment, with their supplies running out, Wainwright, successor to MacArthur as commanding officer of the United States forces in the Philippines, decided his situation was hopeless and surrendered Corregidor and the troops in the southern part of the Philippines. With the establishing of a beach head on Corregidor by the Japanese, he avoided a "bloodbath" that would have most certainly occurred had the Japanese fought their way from the beach to Malinta Tunnel, where most of the defenders of the island had withdrawn.

After two weeks of the famous Japanese "sun treatment" for prisoners, in the sun-baked areas of Corregidor, these troops were taken across Manila Bay to Manila and then by train to Prison camp Cabanatuan, Cabanatuan, P.I. The men were in that camp when the Bataan survivors arrived from Camp O'Donnell in June 1942. The extremely high death rate in that camp prompted the Japanese to make such a move, and thereby allowed the American medical personnel to treat the Filipino prisoners remaining behind until their release beginning in July 1942. The condition of the prisoners arriving in Cabanatuan was such as to shock their fellow Americans from Corregidor. In a short period of time, however, they, too, would feel the full effects of Japanese captivity.

It was not, however, until June 1942 that the men of Bataan and Corregidor began to share a common experience. During the first nine months of Cabanatuan's existence, when the vast majority of the camp's 3,000 American deaths occurred, most of the deaths were men of Bataan, still suffering from the effects of Bataan, the Death March, and Camp O'Donnell. That the men of Corregidor were more fortuitous than their fellow Americans in avoiding starvation, pestilence, and atrocities up to this point is beyond question.

It is the author's hope that by this writing we have contributed to the dispelling of some myths, provided some insight, and recognized those who died on Bataan, and its subsequent Death March. If we leave nothing else behind us, when we leave this earth, let us at least leave behind the truth that was Bataan. Americans on both Bataan and Corregidor share one common bond: they were both prisoners of the Japanese, but so were those captured on Wake Island and elsewhere in the South Pacific. Each group played a distinctive, vital role in World War II.

[SAMWolf]

Glenn Frazier, Baton Rouge Convention 1998


Glenn on Bataan Death March, April 10, 1942

Glenn D Frazier of South Pasadena Florida (Tampa Bay) joined the U.S. Army on July 3rd, 1941. Asking for a duty in the Philippines Glenn was assigned to the 75th Ordinance Company in Manila P.I. His job as a Sergeant, was to get ammo to and from the front lines at the Battle of the Points in January of 42. After being captured in Bataan on April 9th, 1942 at the age of 17, Glenn spent 3 ½ years in Camp O`Donald and Billibid P.I. Glenn also survived the Bataan Death March that lasted 6 days and 7 nights with no food and only a sips of water. On the morning of September 3rd, 1945 21 POW’s including Glenn that were located in a Japan Prison Camp 500 miles by railroad from Tokyo escaped by train to Tokyo, having no trouble with the Japanese they rode all morning to Tokyo. On the morning of September 4th, after riding trains all night, they arrived at General MacArthur's Headquarters in Yokohama, Japan. As they approached the Grand Hotel (MacArthur's Headquarters) Glenn remembers seeing Old Glory flying above him and the sight of that sent chills up and down his back.

Message to Future Generations:
Bataan Death March.

Yea though I walked 106 miles through the valley and in the shadow of death, I feared the evil of the imperial Japanese soldier.
They had the guns and bayonets to use against me.
All I had was the love and faith that god would comfort me.
I knew the Lord was my shepherd.
They forbid me to lay down in green pastures for six days and seven nights.
I was marched by running water but was forbidden a drink.
The Japanese prepared their tables before me but I was forbidden food.
They maketh me march without mercy. But only God could restoreth my soul.
He leadeth me step by step along the way in the face of my enemies.
He promised to anoint my head with love and understanding and even though my cup was empty.
I knew it would be filled in his name’s sake.
I knew that goodness and mercy would follow me.
My life would be spared in his name.
I knew that even though the path was long and hard, it was the path of righteousness for his name sake.

By Glenn Frazier - Survivor of the Bataan Death March.

[SAMWolf]

'Sleep my sons, your duty done,
For Freedom's light has come.
Sleep in the silent depths of the sea,
Or in your bed of hallowed sod.
Until you hear at dawn,
The low clear reveille of God'

-- The poet is unknown.
It is inscribed on the monument to the Pacific War Dead, in Corregidor, Philippines. Each May 6th, the sun is in such a position that it's rays fall into the center of the monument, exactly at noon.

[SAMWolf]

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[SAMWolf]

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On This Day In History


Birthdates which occurred on February 20:
1494 Johan Friis chancellor (Denmark, helped establish Lutheranism)
1507 Gentile Bellini Italian artist (Sultan Mohammed II)
1523 Jan Blahoslav Czechoslovakian humanist/bishop (Bohemian brothers)
1632 Thomas Osborne Duke of Leeds, English PM (1690-94)/founder (Tories)
1633 Jan de Baen portrait painter/etcher
1656 Johannes Schenck German/Netherlands composer, baptised
1734 Franz Ignaz Beck composer
1745 Johann Peter Salomon composer
1751 Johann Heinrich Voß writer, poet, translator
1752 Charles Broche composer
1763 Adalbert Gyrowetz composer
1770 Ferdinando Carulli composer
1784 Adam Black Edinburgh Scotland, politician/publisher
1790 Joseph II Emperor of the Holy Roman empire, dies
1791 Carl Czerny Vienna Austria, pianist/composer (Schule der Virtuosen)
1796 Eduard W van Dam van Isselt Dutch military/liberal politician
1802 Charles-Auguste de Beriot Belgian violinist/composer
1803 Friedrich Theodor Frohlich composer
1805 Angelina Grimke reformer/abolitionist/politician/lawyer
1808 Daumier Marseilles France, artist
1809 Albertus J Duymaer van Twist Governor-General of Netherlands-Indies
1809 Henry Walton Wessells Brigadier General (Union volunteers), died in 1889
1816 Josef Michal Ksawery Jan Poniatowski composer
1820 Mahlon Dickerson Manson Brigadier General (Union volunteers), died in 1895
1827 Edward Stuyvesant Bragg Brigadier General (Union volunteers), died in 1912
1835 Allessandro d'Ancona Italian philologist
1838 James Barbour Terrill Brigadier General (Confederate Army), died in 1864
1844 Ludwig Eduard Boltzmann Austria, physicist (statistical mechanics)
1844 Mihály von Munkácsy [Michael von Lieb], Hungarian painter
1852 Nikolai Garin [Michailovski] Russian author (Tjoma Kartashov)
1854 Louis F M van Westerhoven actor/singer/opera director (Youth)
1861 Nicolaas van Meeteren Curaçao, folklorist
1870 Pieter Cornelis Boutens Holland, mystic poet/scholar (Verzen)
1874 Mary Garden Aberdeen Scotland, opera star
1876 Fyodor Akimenko composer
1881 Pedro Muñoz Seca Spanish playwright (Vengeanza de Don Mendo)
1883 Shiga Naoya Japan, novelist (Road Through the Dark Night)
1886 Béla Kun Czehul Romania, head of Hungarian Soviet Republic (1919)
1887 Hesketh Pearson England, biographer/playwright (Writ for Libel)
1887 David McKinley Williams composer
1888 Dame Marie Rambert Warsaw, English ballet producer/director/teacher
1888 Georges Bernanos France, novelist (Diary of a Country Priest)
1889 Levko Mykolayevich Revutsky composer
1893 Russel Crouse journalist/novelist/playwright (Life with Father)
1895 Freida Geiken autobiographer (National Historic Taping)
1896 Henri de Lubac French theologist/anti-fascist
1897 Ivan Albright Illinois, painter (The Door, The Window)
1898 Enzo Ferrari Italy, sportscar manufacturer (Ferrari)
1899 Cornelius Vanderbilt Whitney Long Island NY, railroad tycoon
1899 Leon Woizikowski Polish dancer/ballet master (Ballets Russes)
19-- Claudette Wells St Louis MO, actress (Square Pegs)
1900 Graham Spry St Thomas Ontario, Canadian radio pioneer
1900 Antonio Veretti composer
1900 Jean Negulesco
1901 Louis I Kahn Estonia, architect (Bryn Mawr dormitory)
1901 Ali Muhammad Naguib Khartoum, President of Egypt (1952-54)
1901 Cecil H King Irish/British daily newspaper publisher (Daily Mirror)
1901 Henry Eyring Mexican/US chemist
1901 René Jules Dubos France, US microbiologist/environmentalist/author (Health & Disease)
1902 Ansel Adams photographer (1966 ASMP Award)
1903 Ella Maillart explorer
1903 Karel Janacek composer
1903 Pierre Charles Belgian heavyweight boxer
1904 Aleksei N Kosygin Soviet premier (1964-80)
1904 Armin Loos composer
1904 Bramwell Fletcher Yorkshire England, actor (White Cargo, Mummy)
1905 Jascha Golowanjuk Swedish writer (Acrobat)
1907 Malcolm Atterbury Philadelphia PA, actor (Jonas-Thicker than Water, Apples Way)
1907 Nadine Conner California, soprano (Carmen, Pamina-Magic Flute)
1907 Owain Jenkins company director
1908 Grigori Yakovlevich Bakhchivangi test pilot (BI-1)
1908 Rosalind Laura Burke aviatrix
1910 Julian Trevelyan English Surrealist painter/collage maker
1910 Millicent Fenwick (Representative-R-NJ 1975-82)
1911 Robert Guyn McBride Tucson AZ, composer (Mexican Rhapsody)
1911 Margot Grahame
1913 Jozef Kresanek composer
1913 Mary Durack poet
1913 Nadine Conner US, opera singer (Carmen, La Bohéme)
1913 Rex Tucker TV writer/director
1914 John Daly South Africa, newscaster/TV game show host (What's My Line)
1914 Marion Kettlewell British director (WRNS)
1914 Willem J H Baart Dutch vicar (Cuentanan di Nanzi)
1915 Philip Friend Horsham England, actor (Vulture, Fur Collar)
1916 Paul Tripp New York NY, TV host (Mr I Magination)
1916 Julius Juzeliunas composer
1917 Frederick Page CEO (British Aerospace Aircraft Group)
1920 Armin Schibler Dutch Swiss composer (Devil in the Winter Palace)
1920 Liesbeth Tonckens [Wilhelmina], actress/lecturer (Free People)
1921 Joseph Albert Walker Washington DC, test pilot (X-15)
1921 Nurv Shiner singer
1921 Ruth Gipps British conductor/composer
1923 Forbes Burnham premier Guyana (1964-85)
1924 Gloria Vanderbilt don't my jeans look great, poor little rich girl
1925 Alex La Guma Cape Town South Africa, novelist (A Walk in the Night)
1925 Pramudya Ananta Tur Javanese author (Anak semua bangsa)
1925 Robert Altman Kansas City MO, director (Nashville, MASH)
1926 Cameron Rusby British Vice-Admiral
1926 Edgar Meuli cricketer (opened New Zealand batting in Test vs South Africa 1953)
1926 Kenneth H Olsen US, engineer/founder (Digital Equipment Corp)
1926 Robert Eugene Richards Illinois, pole vaulter (Olympics-gold-48, 52, 56)
1927 Sidney Poitier Miami FL, actor (Porgy & Bess, A Raisin in the Sun, Guess Who's Coming To Dinner)
1927 Roy Cohn lawyer, "grand inquisitor" (for Senator Joseph McCarthy)
1928 Elroy Face baseball pitcher (Pittsburgh Pirates)
1928 Donald Longmore British cardiac surgeon
1929 Toshiro Mayuzumi Yokohama Japan, composer (Sphenogramme)
1929 Amanda Blake [Beverly Louise Neill], Buffalo NY, actress (Kitty Russell-Gunsmoke)
1930 Bill Walker British MP
1930 Patricia Smith New Haven CT, actress (Bob Newhart Show, Into Thin Air)
1933 Hannes Postma Dutch graphic artist
1934 Bobby Unser auto racer (1968, 75, 81 Indianapolis 500)
1934 Lady Wharton
1936 Larry Hovis Wapito WA, comedian (Gomer Pyle, Hogan's Heroes)
1936 Marj Dusay [Mahoney] Russell KS, actress (Kate-Bret Maverick, Alex-Guiding Light, Myrna-Capitol)
1936 Roy Beggs British MP
1937 David Ackles Illinois, singer/songwriter (American Gothic)
1937 Nancy Wilson Chillicothe OH, jazz singer (Feel Like Making Love)
1937 Robert Huber München, Germany, biochemist (Nobel 1988)
1937 Roger Penske auto racer
1938 Jack Bicknell WLAF head coach (Barcelona Dragons)
1938 Mona Mitchell Lady-in-Waiting to Princess Alexandra
1939 Roy George Elroy Josephs jazz dance teacher
1940 Christoph Eschenbach Breslau Germany, pianist/conductor
1940 Barbara Laine Ellis Olympia WA, singer (Fleetwoods)
1940 Jimmy Greaves British broadcaster/soccer player
1940 RA Weiss director (Institute of Cancer Research)
1940 V Payne British headmistress (Malvern Girls' College)
1941 Buffy Sainte-Marie Maine, folksinger (Now That the Buffalo Are Gone)
1942 Charlie Gillett Lancashire, rock broadcaster (Sound of the City)
1942 Phil Esposito NHL player/coach/GM (Bruins, Rangers)
1942 Claude Miller director (Garde a Vue, Little Thief, Wild Child)
1942 David O'Dowd Chief Constable (Northamptonshire)
1942 Mitch McConnell (Senator-R-KY, 1985- )
1943 Aleksandr Pavlovich Alexandrov Russian, cosmonaut (Soyuz T-9, TM-3)
1943 Antonio Inoki [Kanji Rikidozan], wrestler (NJPW/JWA)
1943 Lord McNally
1943 Mike Leigh dramatist/director (High Hopes, Secrets & Lies)
1944 Lew Soloff Brooklyn NY, rocker (Blood Sweat & Tears)
1944 Roger Knapman British MP
1944 Willem van Hanegem Dutch soccer champion/coach (Feyenoord)
1945 Alan Hull singer/composer
1945 Andrew Bergman director/screenwriter (Soapdish, Honeymoon in Vegas)
1945 Henry Polic II Pittsburgh PA, actor (When Things Were Rotten, Webster)
1946 Sandy Duncan Henderson TX, actress (Hogan Family, Pinocchio, Who's Afraid of Virginia Wolfe?)
1946 Brenda Blethyn actress (Secrets & Lies)
1946 J[erome] Geils New York NY, rock guitarist/vocalist (J Geils Band-Freeze-Frame, Centerfold)
1946 Mieke H A Boers-Wijnberg Dutch MP (CDA)
1947 Jennifer O'Neill Rio de Janeiro Brazil, actress (Summer of '42)
1947 Peter Strauss Croton-on-Hudson NY, actor (Rich Man Poor Man, Secret of NIMH, Space Hunter)
1947 André van Duin [Kyvon], Dutch entertainer (Bloemkoole)
1948 A C Fabian astronomer
1948 Barry Wordsworth conductor
1948 Billy Zoom musician
1948 Gerda Boykin LPGA golfer
1948 John Browne group chief executive, British Petroleum Company
1949 Eddie Hemmings cricket off-spinner (immense England)
1949 Ivana Trump Gottwaldov Czechoslovakia, ex-wife of Donald Trump (1st Wives Club)
1950 John Voldstad Oslo Norway, actor (Darryl-Newhart)
1950 Walter Becker New York NY, rock bassist (Steely Dan-Peg)
1951 Edward Albert Los Angeles CA, actor (Jeff-Falcon Crest, Butterflies are Free)
1951 Bonnie Lauer LPGA golfer
1951 Gordon Brown British MP
1951 Kathy Baillie Morristown NJ, country vocalist (Baillie and the Boys-Oh Heart)
1951 Phil Neal English soccer player
1951 Randy California [Wolfe], Los Angeles CA, guitarist (Spirit-I Got a Line on You)
1952 Catherine Cummins Clintwood VA, 1st of 5 siblings born on 2/20
1953 Carol Cummins Clintwood VA, 2nd of 5 siblings born on 2/20
1953 Riccardo Chailly Milan Italy, conductor (West Berlin Symphony Orchestra)
1954 Patty Hearst Shaw San Francisco CA, famous kidnap hostage (Tanya)
1954 Anthony Stewart Head actor (Buffy Vampire Slayer)
1954 Jon Brant rock bassist (Cheap Trick)
1954 Vasili Vasilyevich Tsibliyev Russian colonel/cosmonaut (Soyuz TM-17, TM-25)
1955 Kelsey Grammer St Thomas Virgin Islands, actor (Fraiser Crane-Cheers/Fraiser)
1956 Charles Cummins Clintwood VA, 3rd of 5 siblings born on 2/20
1958 Carol Ficatier Auscene France, playmate (December, 1985)
1958 James Wilby Burma, actor (Howards End, Maurice)
1959 Bill Gullickson US baseball pitcher (Detroit Tigers)
1959 Joel Rifkind New York serial killer
1959 Scott Evans Brayton racing car driver
1960 Mark Reilly [Matt Bianco], rocker (Indio-Big Harvest)
1960 Kee Marcello rocker (Europe-Final Countdown)
1961 Claudia Cummins Clintwood VA, 4th of 5 siblings born on 2/20
1961 Imogen Stubbs Rothbury England, actress (Summer Story)
1961 Steve Lundquist US swimmer (Olympics-2 gold-1984)
1962 Adam Schreiber NFL center/guard (Atlanta Falcons, New York Giants)
1962 Joel Ellis rocker
1962 Ria Coyne Scranton PA, comedienne (Betsy-Batman Forever)
1963 Charles Barkley Leads AL, NBA forward (Houston Rockets, Phoenix Suns, Philadelphia 76ers, Olympics-gold-96, All Star 1987-90)
1963 Ian Brown English rock vocalist (Stone Roses-Made of Stone)
1963 William Baldwin New York, actor (Backdraft, Sliver, Flatliners)
1964 Christian Ruuttu Lappeenranta Finland, hockey forward (Team Finland)
1964 French Stewart New Mexico, actor (Harry Solomon-Third Rock From the Sun)
1964 Jeffrey Allan Maggert Columbia MO, PGA golfer (1993 Walt Disney)
1964 Terry Ilous rock vocalist (XYZ, Cannibal Jacket)
1965 Federica Moro Carate Brianza Italy, Miss Italy (1982)
1966 Cecilia Cummins Clintwood VA, 5th of 5 siblings born on 2/20
1966 Cindy Crawford Dekalb IL, super model (Sports Illustrated Swimsuit)
1966 Britt Hager NFL linebacker (Denver Broncos, St Louis Rams)
1966 Dennis Allen Mitchell Cherry Point NC, 100 meter/200 meter (Olympics-silver-96)
1966 Derek Lilliquist US baseball pitcher (Cleveland Indians, Atlanta Braves)
1967 Rebekka Lynn Armstrong Bakersfield CA, playmate (September 1986)
1967 Andrew Shue South Orange NJ, actor (Billy-Melrose Place)
1967 Broderick Thomas NFL linebacker (Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Minnesota Vikings, Dallas Cowboys)
1967 Chris Singleton NFL linebacker (Miami Dolphins)
1967 Kurt Cobain rock vocalist (Nirvana)/husband of Courtney Love
1967 Kurt Knudsen US baseball pitcher (Detroit Tigers)
1967 Lili Taylor actress (Ransom, Short Cuts)
1967 Theresa Luke Vancouver British Columbia, rower (Olympics-96)
1967 Tom Waddle NFL player (Chicago Bears/Cincinnati Bengals)
1968 Lorraine Olivia Geneva IL, playmate (November 1990)
1968 Bennie Goods CFL defensive tackle (Edmonton Eskimos)
1969 [Touchdown] Tommy Vardell NFL running back (Cleveland Browns, Detroit Lions)
1970 Bryan Robinson defensive end (St Louis Rams)
1970 Cheyenne Brando Papeete Tahiti, daughter of Marlon
1970 Jeff Robinson NFL defensive end (Denver Broncos, St Louis Rams)
1970 Leo Stefan Chelyabinsk Russia, hockey forward (Team Germany)
1971 Jari Litmanen soccer player (Ajax)
1971 Shalanda Burt US murderess
1972 Corinna Harney Bremerhaven Germany, playmate (August 1991)
1972 Tom Gough 200½ lbs (91 kg) US weightlifter (Olympics-14th-1996)
1973 Vladimir Iiic WLAF defensive end (Barcelona Dragons, Rhein Fire)
1974 Katerina Kroupova Olomouc Czechoslovakia, tennis star (1994 Futures-Sofia-Bulgaria)
1975 Brendan Witt Humboldt, NHL defenseman (Washington Capitals)
1975 Brian Littrell singer (Backstreet Boys)
1975 Ismael Kirui Marakwet Kenya, 5k runner
1976 Dave Scatchard Hinton Alberta Canada, NHL center (New York Islanders, Vancouver Canucks)
1977 Sarah Ryan Adelaide Australia, swimmer (Olympics-96)
1977 Stephon Marbury NBA guard (Minnesota Timberwolves)
1977 Veronica Ledesma Miss Argentina-Universe (1996)
1978 Andrea Moody Abbotsford British Columbia, 4X100 swimmer (Olympics-96)

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Deaths which occurred on February 20:
1054 Yaroslav I the Wise, ruler (Kiev), dies
1194 Tancredo of Lecce King of Sicily, dies
1431 Martinus V [Oddo Colonna], Italian Pope, dies
1569 Mark van Vaernewijck Flemish nobleman/politician, dies at 50
1595 Ernst archduke of Austria, dies at 41
1626 John Dowland composer, dies
1628 Gregor Aichinger German composer/organist, dies at about 63
1656 James Ussher Irish bible scholar/Anglican archbishop, dies at 76
1667 David ben Samuel Halevi rabbi/author (Shulchan Aruch), dies
1707 Aurangzeb Mogul emperor of India (1658-1707), dies
1731 Frederich Karl Erbach composer, dies at 50
1737 Elizabeth Rowe poet, dies
1746 Guillaume Coustou Sr French sculptor (Mary Leszczynska), dies at 68
1773 Charles Emanuel I King of Sardinia/Duke of Savoy (CE III), dies at 71
1786 Johann Wolfgang Kleinknecht composer, dies at 70
1788 Gijsbert John van Hardenbroeck Dutch regent (Utrecht), dies at 68
1790 Joseph II Emperor of Holy Roman empire, dies at 48
1809 Johann Joseph Emmert composer, dies at 76
1810 Andreas Hofer military leader (fought Napoleon's France), executed at 42
1810 Johann Friedrich Kranz composer, dies at 57
1817 Martin de Ron composer, dies at 27
1845 Pavel Ivanovich Dulgorukov composer, dies at 57
1848 [Willem] Alexander prince of Netherlands/General-Major, dies at 29
1851 Josef Alois Ladurner composer, dies at 81
1855 Joseph Hume social reformer, dies
1860 Henry Drummond English banker/religious leader, dies at 69
1892 Hermann Kopp German chemist (Law of Kopp), dies at 74
1895 Frederick Douglass escaped slave, anti-slavery leader, dies at 78
1904 Gustav Adolf Heinze composer, dies at 83
1907 [Ferdinand-Frederic-]Henri Moissan chemist (Nobel 1906), dies at 54
1910 Boetros Ghali Egyptian premier, murdered
1911 Alexander Alexandrovich Kopilov composer, dies at 56
1911 Peter Nicolai von Wilm composer, dies at 76
1916 Klas Pontus Arnoldson Swedish politician (Nobel 1908), dies at 71
1920 Robert E Peary US pole explorer (North Pole, 6/4/1909), dies at 63
1936 John Hope president of Atlanta University, dies at 67
1937 "Barlow" Carkeek Australia cricket wicketkeeper (1912 series), dies
1942 Guido Gasperini composer, dies at 76
1946 Hugh Allen musician, dies
1951 Howard Brockway composer, dies at 80
1958 Thurston Hall actor (Mr Schuyler-Topper), dies at 75
1959 Ray McDonald dancer, dies of barbiturate overdose at 38
1960 Leonard Woolley archaeologist, dies
1961 Otto E Huiswoud [Frank Billings], editor (Negro Worker), dies at 67
1961 Percy Aldridge Grainger Australian/US composer/pianist, dies at 78
1962 Halliwell Hobbes dies at 64
1964 R T Stanyforth English cricket wicketkeeper (South Africa 1927-28), dies
1966 Chester W Nimitz US Admiral (WWII), dies at 80
1968 Anthony Asquith dies
1969 Ernest Ansermet Swiss conductor/composer, dies at 85
1969 Jack Ingram actor (Law of the West), dies of heart attack at 66
1970 Albert Louis Wolff composer, dies at 86
1972 Herbert Menges composer, dies at 69
1972 Walter Winchell writer/actor (Dondi, Love & Hisses), dies at 74
1973 Brigitte Reimann writer, dies at 39
1973 Joseph Szigeti Hungarian/US violinist, dies at 80
1973 Maurice Dallimore actor (Collector), dies at 60
1974 David Monrad Johansen composer, dies at 85
1975 Edgar "Cookie" Fairchild bandleader (Jerry Colonna Show), dies at 76
1975 Robert Strauss actor (Sergeant Gruzewsky-Mona McCluskey), dies at 61
1975 Lillian Fontaine actress (Suddenly it's Spring), dies at 88
1976 Kathryn Kuhlman religious leader/faith healer, dies
1978 Vitorino Nemésio Portuguese author (Presença), dies at 76
1980 Alice Lee Roosevelt Longworth eldest daughter of Theodore Roosevelt, dies in Washington DC at 96
1983 James G Richardson (Tim Cassidy-Sierra), dies at 37 in ski accident
1983 Ray Vitte actor (Doc, Cody-Quest), killed by police at 33
1984 Fikret Dzhamil Amirov composer, dies at 61
1985 Clarence Nash voice of Donald Duck, dies at 80 of leukemia, in California
1986 Francisco Paolo Mignone composer, dies at 88
1986 Jacobus G Rietkerk Dutch foreign minister (VVD), dies at 58
1987 Ivan Brkanovic composer, dies at 80
1992 Andrew Schenck conductor, dies of melanoma at 51
1992 Dick York actor (Bewitched), dies of emphysema at 63
1992 Joan Dixon actress (Hot Lead, Bunco Squad, Gunplay), dies at 66
1993 Ferruccio Lamborghini Italian auto-designer (Lamborghini), dies at 76
1994 Derek Jarman English director (Last of England), dies at 52
1994 Manuel F "Garincha" dos Santos soccer player (Brazil), dies at 49
1995 John Humphreys Whitfield Italianist, dies at 88
1995 Shlomo Averbach Rabbi, buried in Jerusalem, 250,000 attend
1996 Jeffrey Kindersley Quill Test pilot, dies at 83
1996 Michael Herford Wooller TV/film producer, dies at 69
1996 Toru Takemitsu composer, dies at 65
1996 Walter Charles Marshall scientist, dies at 63

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On this day...
1525 Swiss & German mercenaries desert François I's army
1547 King Edward VI of England was enthroned following death of Henry VIII
1613 Gerard Reynst appointed Dutch Governor-General of East-Indies
1653 Defeat of Dutch fleet under Admiral Van Tromp by Admiral Blake off Portsmouth
1673 1st recorded wine auction held (London)
1710 Johan Willem Friso becomes viceroy of Groningen Netherlands
1725 10 sleeping Indians scalped by whites in New Hampshire for £100/scalp bounty
1732 Estates of Holland ratifies Treaty of Vienna
1737 French minister of Finance, Chauvelin, resigns
1745 Bonnie Prince Charlie's troops occupy Fort August, Scotland
1746 Bonnie Prince Charlie occupies Castle of Inverness
1768 1st American chartered fire insurance company receives charter (Pennsylvania)
1792 US postal service created; postage 6¢-12½¢, depending on distance
1809 Supreme Court rules federal government power greater than any state
1811 Austria declares bankruptcy
1816 Rossini's opera "The Barber of Seville" premieres in Rome
1823 English Captain James Weddell reaches 74º 15' S, 1520 km from South Pole
1831 Polish revolutionaries defeat Russians in battle of Growchow
1832 Charles Darwin visits Fernando Noronha in Atlantic Ocean
1835 Concepción, Chile destroyed by earthquake
1839 Congress prohibits dueling in District of Columbia
1846 British occupy Sikh citadel of Lahore
1856 John Rutledge, Liverpool-New York steamer, hits iceberg; many die
1861 Dept of Navy of Confederacy forms
1861 Steeple of Chichester Cathedral blown down during a storm
1864 Civil War Battle of Olustee, Florida
1865 M I T establishes 1st US collegiate architectural school
1869 Tennessee Governor W C Brownlow declares martial law in Ku Klux Klan crisis
1872 Hydraulic electric elevator patented by Cyrus Baldwin
1872 Luther Crowell patents a machine that manufactures paper bags
1872 Metropolitan Museum of Art opens (New York NY)
1872 Silas Noble & JP Cooley patents toothpick manufacturing machine
1873 University of California gets its 1st Medical School (University of California/San Francisco)
1877 1st cantilever bridge in US completed, Harrodsburg KY
1877 International Association (minor baseball league) organizes
1887 1st minor league baseball association organizes (Pittsburgh)
1887 Germany, Austria-Hungary & France end Triple Alliance
1890 Amsterdam Theater destroyed by fire
1895 Congress authorizes a US mint at Denver CO
1899 Illinois Tel & Tel granted franchise for Chicago freight tunnel system
1901 1st territorial legislature of Hawaii convenes
1902 Heavy surf breaks over Seal Rocks & damages Sutro Baths, San Francisco
1903 Nick Young remains as NL president as AG Spalding ends challenge
1912 Argentina beat the MCC in their inaugural cricket 1st-class fixture
1915 Panama-Pacific International Exposition opens in San Francisco
1917 Ammunitions ship explodes in Archangelsk harbor, about 1,500 die
1917 Kern, Bolton & Wodehouse's musical "Oh, Boy!" premieres in New York NY
1919 French premier Clemenceau injured during assassination attempt
1921 Riza Khan Pahlevi seizes control of Iran
1922 WOR-AM in New York City NY begins radio transmissions
1922 Marc Connelly & George Kaufman's "To the Ladies" premieres in New York NY
1922 Vilnius, Lithuania, agrees to separate from Poland
1923 Christy Mathewson becomes president of Boston Braves
1927 Golfers in South Carolina arrested for violating Sabbath
1929 American Samoa organized as a territory of US
1929 Red Sox announce they will play Sunday games at Braves Field
1930 Capelle soccer team forms
1931 Congress allows California to build Oakland-Bay Bridge
1932 Japanese troops occupy Tunhua China
1933 House of Representatives completes congressional action to repeal Prohibition
1933 Curom, Curaçaose Broadcast System starts Princess Juliana's speech
1933 Sidney Howard's "Alien Corn" premieres in New York NY
1934 Virgil Thomson's opera "4 Saints in 3 Acts" opens in New York NY
1935 Karoline Mikkelson is 1st woman on Antarctica
1937 1st automobile/airplane combination tested, Santa Monica CA
1938 UK Foreign Secretary Eden resigns, says PM Chamberlain appeased Germany
1940 Larry Clinton & his Orchestra record "Limehouse Blues"
1941 Nazis order Polish Jews barred from using public transportation
1941 1st transport of Jews to concentration camps leave Plotsk Poland
1941 Romania breaks relations with Netherlands
1942 Lieutenant E H O'Hare single-handedly shoots down 5 Japanese heavy bombers
1943 New volcano Paracutin erupts in farmer's corn patch (México)
1943 Allied troops occupy Kasserine pass in Tunisia
1943 Phil Wrigley & B Rickey charter All-American Girls Softball League
1944 Batman & Robin comic strip premieres in newspapers
1944 US takes Eniwetok Island
1947 Chemical mixing error causes explosion that destroys 42 blocks in Los Angeles CA
1947 Lord Mountbatten appointed as last viceroy of India
1948 Czechoslovakia's non-communist minister resigns
1949 1st International Pancake Race held (Liberal KS)
1950 Dylan Thomas arrives in New York NY for his 1st US poetry reading tour
1950 WOL-AM in Washington DC swaps calls with WWDC
1952 1st black umpire in organized baseball certified (Emmett Ashford)
1952 "African Queen" opens at Capitol Theater in New York NY
1953 August A Busch buys the Cardinals for $3.75 million
1953 US Court of Appeals rules that Organized Baseball is a sport & not a business, affirming the 25-year-old Supreme Court ruling
1954 Babe Didrikson-Zaharias wins LPGA Serbin Golf Open
1954 General Zahedi wins election in Persia
1955 Fay Crocker wins LPGA Serbin Golf Open
1956 WOSU TV channel 34 in Columbus OH (PBS) begins broadcasting
1957 Hughie Tayfield takes 9-113 vs England, 13 wickets for match
1958 Jockey Eddie Arcaro rides his 4,000th winner
1958 Los Angeles Coliseum Committee approves 2-year pact allows Dodgers to use facility
1962 John Glenn is 1st American to orbit Earth (Friendship 7)
1963 Willie Mays (San Francisco Giants) signs a record $100,000 per year contract
1963 End of the Test Cricket careers of Neil Harvey & Alan Davidson
1965 Beatles record "That Means a Lot"
1965 Ranger 8 makes hard landing on the Moon, returns photos, other data
1965 Turkish government of Uergüplü forms
1966 Author Valery Tarsis banished in USSR
1968 State troopers used tear gas to stop demonstration at Alcorn A & M
1968 John Cleese (Monty Python) marries Connie Booth
1971 National Emergency Center erroneously orders US radio & TV stations to go off the air; The mistake wasn't resolved for 30 minutes
1971 Bruin Phil Esposito is NHL's quickest to score 50 goals in a season
1971 Major General Idi Amin Dada appoints himself President of Uganda
1972 1st time Cleveland Cavaliers beat New York Knicks (111-109)
1972 Ard Schenk becomes world champion skater
1972 Sicco Mansholt becomes chairman of European Committee
1973 10th time Islanders shut-out-4-0 vs Penguins
1974 Gordie Howe comes out of retirement for $1 million from Houston Aeros, WHA
1974 Cher files for separation from husband Sonny Bono
1975 Leonard Baichan scores 105 on Test Cricket debut, vs Pakistan Lahore
1975 Margaret Thatcher elected leader of British Conservative Party
1975 USSR performs nuclear test at Eastern Kazakhstan/Semipalitinsk USSR
1976 Muhammad Ali KOs Jan Pierre Coopman in 5 for heavyweight boxing title
1977 "My Fair Lady" closes at St James Theater NYC after 384 performances
1977 Judy Rankin wins LPGA Orange Blossom Golf Classic
1978 Egypt announces it is pulling its diplomats out of Cyprus
1978 4th People's Choice Awards Star Wars, Carol Burnett & Bob Hope
1978 Bob Backland beats Billy Graham in New York, to become WWF wrestling champion
1978 Jane Blalock wins LPGA Orange Blossom Golf Classic
1979 "Comin' Uptown" opens at Winter Garden Theater NYC for 45 performances
1980 Actress Susan Dey of "LA Law" weds producer Bernard Sofronski
1981 Flight readiness firing of Columbia's main engines; 20 seconds
1981 James Sanford equals 50 meter indoor world record (5.61 seconds)
1982 New York Islanders win record 15th straight NHL game
1983 Japan launches Tenma satellite to study x-rays (450/570 km)
1983 Roland Liboton becomes world champion cross-country cycling
1985 After defending his WBC flyweight championship, Sot Chitalada's check for $104,000 is stolen by a ringside pickpocket
1986 Mike Tyson sexually harasses a woman in Albany NY
1986 Los Angeles Dodger Orel Hershiser is 1st to win a $1 million salary by arbitration
1987 Bomb blamed on Unabomber explodes by computer store in Salt Lake City
1987 David Hartman quits ABC's "Good Morning America", after 11 years
1988 500 die in heavy rains in Rio de Janeiro Brazil
1988 Brian Boitano wins Olympics gold medal in figure skating
1988 Kelly Hrudy's 5th Islander shut-out win-Hartford 3-0
1988 Peter Kalikow purchases New York Post from Rupert Murdoch for $37.6 million
1988 André Hoffmann skates world record 1500 meter (1:52.06)
1988 Cornelia Oschkenat hurdles indoor world record 50 meter (6.58 seconds)
1988 Rob Druppers runs world record indoor 1000 meter (2:16.2)
1988 Stefka Kostadinova high jumps indoor world record (2.06 meters)
1989 Members of 1949 Oklahoma football team cancelled an April reunion because of the deplorable conduct of Oklahoma players
1989 Total eclipse of the Moon
1991 "Taking Steps" opens at Circle in Square Theater NYC for 78 performances
1991 33rd Grammy Awards Another Day in Paradise, Mariah Carey
1992 "Private Lives" opens at Broadhurst Theater NYC for 37 performances
1992 Orthodox patriarch Shenouda III visits Netherlands
1992 Ross Perot says he'll run for President on Larry King Show
1993 Florida Marlins open their 1st spring training camp
1993 Lisa Walters wins LPGA Itoki Hawaiian Ladies Golf Open
1993 New York Islanders retire Billy Smith's number 31
1994 3 Afghans take 70 Pakistani children hostage
1994 Johann Olav Koss skates world record 10 km (13:30.55)
1994 Pope John Paul II demands juristic discrimination of homosexuals
1997 "Stanley" opens at Circle in Square Theater NYC
1997 San Francisco Giants Barry Bonds signs record $22.9 million 2 year contract
1998 Tara Lipinski wins Olympics figure skating gold medal
1998 UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan lands in Baghdad, for peace negotiations
1998 US movie box office hits quickest $1 billion for year (51 days)

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Holidays
Note: Some Holidays are only applicable on a given "day of the week"

US : John Glenn Day (1962)
World : Brotherhood Day (1934) - - - - - ( Sunday )
US : Presidents' Day (formerly Washington's Birthday)-legal holiday - - - - - ( Monday )

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Religious Observances
Christian : Feast of the Chair of St Peter at Antioch
Roman Catholic : Feast of St Eucherius
Lutheran : Commemoration of Rasmus Jensen, pastor

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Religious History
1743 Colonial missionary to the American Indians David Brainerd wrote in his journal: 'Selfish religion loves Christ for his benefits, but not for himself.'
1878 Following the death of Pius IX, Italian cardinal Gioacchino Pecci, 67, was elected Pope Leo XIII. His papacy, possibly the century's most productive, was best known for his teaching encyclicals and for establishing in 1902 the Pontifical Biblical Commission.
1950 American missionary and martyr Jim Elliot wrote in his journal: 'One may know God's work for his soul without understanding it all... Let the heart be warm, at all costs to the head, in the getting of Christianity.'
1960 Death of Sir Charles Leonard Woolley, 80, a British archaeologist who spent more than 40 years in the field. Woolley is remembered for having excavated Ur of the Chaldees, and for discovering the ancient Sumerian civilization.
1976 Death of Kathryn Kuhlman, 69, popular American radio and TV evangelist. A member of the American Baptist Convention, Kuhlman's preaching emphasized the healing power of the Holy Spirit.

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Thought for the day :
"Gratitude is born in hearts that take time to count up past mercies"

[SAMWolf]

Good Morning Everybody.


Coffee and Donuts
Courtesy of Fiddlstix.

You Know The Drill
Click the Pics

[Soaring Feather]

Good Morning Sam

[SAMWolf]

Morning Valin, Thanks for opening the Foxhole today.

[SAMWolf]

Morning Feather.

[HiJinx]

Good morning, SAM, and thank you.

This one is special...my new daughter-in-law's grandfather was in the Phillipines. We haven't learned yet -- he speaks of those years rarely -- what part he played in these events, but I know he was there.

I'm sending this to her to give her an idea of his trials.

[HiJinx]

This may very well be what your new grandfather went through, son...

[SAMWolf]

1952 "African Queen" opens at Capitol Theater in New York NY

One of Bogey's best Flicks.

[Sparta]

Good morning SAMWolf. Thanks for your post as usual. I especially like the poem in post 2.

[SAMWolf]

Morning HiJinx.

Tell your daughter-in-law to say thanks to her grandfather for us here.

[Sparta]

Good news. The FBI made terror arrests in Tampa, Chicago, and overseas.

[Sparta]

Hey Valin, nice to see you back.

[SAMWolf]

Good morning, Cote..

Thanks for another moving poem about a horrible event.

[SAMWolf]

Morning Sparta. Reading about the Death March makes me wonder if I would have been able to survive something like that.