TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 23, 2010

Today is Tuesday, February 23, the 54th day of 2010. There are 311 days left in the year.

303 _ Emperor Diocletian orders general persecution of Christians

1455 _ Johannes Gutenberg prints first book, the Bible (estimated date)

1804 _ Conspirators against Napoleon, for restoration of Louis XVIII

1861 _ President-elect Lincoln arrives secretly in Washington, D.C. to take office

1886 _ London Times publishes world's first classified ad

1898 _ In France, Emile Zola is imprisoned for writing his ``J'accuse" letter accusing government of anti-Semitism and wrongly jailing Alfred Dreyfus

1917 _ February revolution begins in Russia

1919 _ Benito Mussolini founds the Facist party of Italy

1956 _ Russian party leader Khrushchev attacks memory of Stalin

1980 _ Eric Heiden wins all five speed skating golds at Lake Placid Olympics