1455-Johannes Gutenberg prints his first Bible [estimated date]
1540-Francisco Vázquez de Coronado's expedition sets off from Mexico in search of the Seven Cities of Gold (Cibola)
1836-The Alamo is besieged for 13 days until March 6 by the Mexican army under General Santa Anna; the entire garrison is eventually killed
1904-U.S. acquires control of the Panama Canal Zone for $10 million
1945-U.S. Marines raise the flag of the United States on top of Mt. Suribachi, Iwo Jima. Pulitzer Prize-winning photo by Joe Rosenthal later becomes iconic, inspiring the Marine Corps War Memorial sculpture
1954-First mass inoculation against polio with the Jonas Salk vaccine takes place at Arsenal Elementary School in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
1998-Osama bin Laden publishes a fatwa declaring jihad against all Jews and Crusaders