On February 24, 1836, in San Antonio, Texas, Colonel William
Travis issued a call for help on behalf of the Texan troops
defending the Alamo, an old Spanish mission and fortress
under siege by the Mexican army.

Though Santa Ana’s 5,000 troops heavily outnumbered the
several hundred Texans, Travis and his men determined
not to give up. On February 24, they answered Santa Ana’s
call for surrender with a bold shot from the Alamo’s cannon.

Furious, the Mexican general ordered his forces to launch a
siege. Travis immediately recognized his disadvantage and
sent out several messages via couriers asking for some
reinforcements. Addressing one of the pleas to “The People
of Texas and All Americans in the World,” Travis signed off
with the now-famous phrase “Victory or Death.” 

Walter Leland Cronkite Jr. (November 4, 1916 – July 17, 2009)

Six United States Marines raised the American flag atop Mount
Suribachi amid horrific combat on Iwo Jima, the intense wartime
scene captured in perfect angle and frame by photographer
Joseph Rosenthal, on this day in history, Feb. 23, 1945. 

Joseph John Rosenthal (October 9, 1911 – August 20, 2006)

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

On February 22, 1732, George Washington was
born in Westmoreland County, Virginia, the first
of six children of Augustine and Mary Ball
Washington. (Augustine had three additional
children from his first marriage.) An initially
loyal British subject, Washington eventually
led the Continental Army in the American
Revolution and became the new nation’s first
president. He is often referred to as the father
of the United States.

Barbara Bosson (November 1, 1939 – February 18, 2023)

Barbara Bosson, who received Emmy nominations in five
consecutive years for her turn as the divorcee Fay Furillo
on the acclaimed NBC drama Hill Street Blues, co-created
by her then-husband Steven Bochco, has died.

Bosson made guest appearances on many series, including
Mannix,  L.A. Law, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine  and Lois &
Clark: The New Adventures of Superman.

Her son, director-producer Jesse Bochco, said she died
Saturday in Los Angeles.