Ed Wynn became the first big-name, vaudeville talent to sign on as a radio talent.

Ed Wynn on stage (second from left) as “The Fire Chief,” ca. 1935.

Ed Wynn (Isaiah Edwin Leopold)
(November 9, 1886 – June 19, 1966)

Presidents’ Day is an American holiday celebrated on the third Monday in
February. Originally established in 1885 in recognition of President George Washington, it is still officially called “Washington’s Birthday” by the federal government. Traditionally celebrated on February 22—Washington’s actual
day of birth—the holiday became popularly known as Presidents’ Day after
it was moved as part of 1971’s Uniform Monday Holiday Act, an attempt to
create more three-day weekends for the nation’s workers. While several
states still have individual holidays honoring the birthdays of George 
Washington, Abraham Lincoln and other figures, Presidents’ Day is now
popularly viewed as a day to celebrate all U.S. presidents past and present   
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BRIAN THOMAS

During World War II on this day in 1945, about 30,000 U.S. Marines
landed on Iwo Jima.

On this day in 1942, President Roosevelt signed an executive order
giving the military the authority to relocate and intern Japanese-Americans.

On February 19, 1473, Nicolaus Copernicus is born in Torun, a city
in north-central Poland on the Vistula River. The father of modern astronomy, he was the first modern European scientist to propose
that Earth and other planets revolve around the sun.

The monument to Nicolaus Copernicus in Warsaw.

Deng Xiaoping of China died on t his day in 1997 at the age of
92. He was the last of China’s major revolutionaries.

William "Smokey" Robinson Jr. is 78 years old today.

Singer Smokey Robinson was with The Miracles who helped define
the Motown sound. He also played with The Five Chimes until 1972
and pursued a solo career. He released such popular songs as "A
Quiet Storm," "Tears of a Clown," "You’ve Really Got a Hold on Me,"
and "I Second That Emotion."