George Washington (February 22, 1732 – December 14, 1799)

 
ROSS SIMPSON

SAMARRA, Iraq (AP) — On this day in 2006, Sunni extremists blew up a revered Shiite shrine, igniting the worst sectarian violence Iraq had ever seen.

Iraqis walk past the damaged al-Askari shrine following the
explosion.

On February 21, 1948, the National Association for Stock Car
Racing—or NASCAR, as it came to be widely known—was
officially incorporated. NASCAR racing went on to become
one of America’s most popular spectator sports, as well as
a multi-billion-dollar industry.

The driving force behind the establishment of NASCAR was
William “Bill” France Sr. (1909-1992), a mechanic and auto-
repair shop owner from Washington, D.C., who in the mid-
1930s moved to Daytona Beach, Florida to escape the Great
Depression .

Bill France as a racer.

After a short racing career, Bill France realized that
organizing races is business for him.

Bill France on the construction site of the Daytona
International Speedway.

Former NBA player Robert Reid, who spent most of his 13-year
career with the Rockets, has died. 

Reid died after a battle with cancer, according to the Houston
Chronicle.

Cracker Jack started its "prize in every box" promotion on this
day in history, Feb. 19, 1912.

German immigrant F.W. Rueckheim first invented the now-
ubiquitous ballpark treat in the late 19th century.

According to SnackHistory.com. it was initially sold at his
small candy and popcorn shop, F. W. Rueckheim & Bro.

Frederick Rueckheim (1846 – 1937)