Today is Tuesday, February 19th, the 50th day of the year.There are 315 days until the end of the year.
On This Day:
In 1878, Thomas Edison received a patent for his phonograph.
In 1881, Kansas became the first state to prohibit all alcoholic beverages.
In 1976, Patty Hearst invoked the Fifth Amendment 19 times at her bank robbery trial in San Francisco.
In 1985, William Schroeder became the first artificial-heart patient to leave the confines of the hospital.
In 1987, a controversial anti-smoking TV ad aired for the first time.It featured actor Yul Brynner in a public service announcement that was recorded shortly before his October 1985 death from lung cancer.Brynner warned viewers of the danger of cigarettes from "beyond the grave."
In 1997, Deng Xiaoping [[ show-ping ]], the last of China's major Communist revolutionaries, died.
In 2001, Hollywood director Stanley Kramer died at the age of 87.Kramer's numerous film credits include "High Noon," "Guess Who's Coming To Dinner," "Inherit the Wind," and "It's A Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World."
In 2010, Tiger Woods delivered a speech on TV admitting he'd been unfaithful to his wife, Elin Nordegren
In 2016, Pulitzer Prize-winning author Harper Lee died at the age of 89.She was best known for her novel "To Kill A Mockingbird," a coming of age novel about racism and injustice in the South.