On February 19, 1847, the first rescuers reached surviving
members of the Donner Party, a group of California-bound
pioneers stranded by snow in the Sierra Nevada Mountains
for nearly four months.
James Frazier Reed (1800 – 1874) was
an organizing member of the party.
William H. Eddy, survivor and chief
rescuer of the ill-fated Donner Party
Ralph Dale Earnhardt (April 29, 1951 – February 18, 2001)
Dale Earnhardt is widely regarded as one of the greatest drivers in NASCAR history and was named as one of the NASCAR’s 50
Greatest Drivers class in 1998.
J. Robert Oppenheimer (April 22, 1904 – February 18, 1967) was
an American theoretical physicist who served as the director of
the Manhattan Project‘s Los Alamos Laboratory during World
War II. He is often called the "father of the atomic bomb" for his
role in overseeing the development of the first nuclear weapons.
In late 1965, Oppenheimer was diagnosed with throat cancer,
likely caused by chain smoking cigarettes for much of his life.
After inconclusive surgery, he underwent unsuccessful radiation treatment and chemotherapy late in 1966. On February 18, 1967,
he died in his sleep at his home in Princeton, aged 62 years.
Brigadier General Leslie R. Groves Jr., military head of the Manhattan Project, with Oppenheimer in 1942.
The Trinity test was the first detonation of a nuclear device.
By the mid-1980s, with a push from advertisers, the term "Presidents’ Day" began its public appearance.
In Washington’s adopted hometown of Alexandria, Virginia, celebrations are held throughout February.
The U.S. Postal Service, banks and stock markets will be
closed today, Monday Feb. 17, however most restaurants, grocery stores and retail stores will be open.
BRIAN THOMAS
Michael Jeffrey Jordan was born at in Brooklyn, New York
City. He is 62 years old today.
As former professional basketball player MJ played 15 seasons
in the National Basketball Association between 1984 and 2003,
winning six NBA championships with the Chicago Bulls.
He was integral in popularizing basketball and the NBA around
the world in the 1980s and 1990s, becoming a global cultural
icon.
His profile on the NBA website states, "By acclamation, Michael
Jordan is the greatest basketball player of all time."
