On This Day for February 19 - Iwo Jima invaded by U.S. Marines, Nicolaus Copernicus is featured, and more

This message contains graphics. If you do not see the graphics, click here to view. February 19 FEATURED BIOGRAPHY Nicolaus Copernicus READ MORE   FEATURED EVENT 1945 Iwo Jima invaded by U.S. Marines READ MORE   Advertisement Advertisement   MORE EVENTS ON THIS DAY 2019: German fashion designer and photographer Karl Lagerfeld—the creative power behind the modern revival of Chanel, the legendary French fashion house founded by Coco Chanel in the early 20th century—died in Paris. [ How much do you know about fashion?] 2016: American author Harper Lee —who was nationally acclaimed and revered for her first novel, To Kill a Mockingbird (1960), which movingly depicts small-town life and racial prejudice—died in Monroeville, Alabama. [Take our To Kill a Mockingbird quiz.] 2008: Fidel Castro formally resigned as president of Cuba; he was succeeded by his brother Raúl. [Discover six interesting facts about Fidel Castro.] 1963: American author and activist Betty Friedan published The Feminine Mystique, a landmark work that was a catalyst for the second-wave feminist movement . 1997: Deng Xiaoping, who introduced economic reforms to China in 1978, died in Beijing. [Sort fact from fiction in our China quiz.] 1942: U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed the executive order allowing the internment of Japanese Americans during World War II. [ Sort fact from fiction in our quiz about World War II.] SEE ALL EVENTS ON THIS DAY ALSO BORN ON THIS DAY 1630 Shivaji Indian king 1473 Nicolaus Copernicus Polish astronomer 1924 Lee Marvin American actor 1953 Cristina Fernández de Kirchner president of Argentina 1959 Roger Goodell American sports commissioner 1911 Merle Oberon British-American actress SEE ALL BIOS ON THIS DAY   Advertisement   FOLLOW: To unsubscribe from Britannica e-mails, click here. Encyclopædia Britannica 325 N. LaSalle Street, Suite 200 Chicago, Illinois 60654 United States © 2021 Encyclopaedia Britannica, Inc. Privacy Policy • Help