FEBRUARY 22, 1980 - In what has been named the Miracle on Ice, the United States Olympic hockey team defeated the Soviets 4-3 at Lake Placid, New York. The Soviet Union was the heavy favorite, having won every Olympic ice hockey gold medal since 1964. The game between the Cold War rivals pitted a group of American college students against a Soviet team that one year earlier had defeated the National Hockey League's All-Star team by a score of 6-0. Two nights after their surprising victory the Americans defeated Finland 4-2 to win the gold medal. The story of the game is told in the movie: Miracle, starring Kurt Russell.

FEBRUARY 23, 1836 - Mexican general Santa Anna began the siege of the Alamo in modern day San Antonio. Although still a part of Mexico, Texas was populated mostly by colonists from the United States. The Mexican government had initially welcomed these colonists, but as their numbers surged, Santa Anna became concerned that colonists were planning to make Texas part of the United States. Santa Anna, who was also the President of Mexico, countered this perceived threat by dissolving the local legislatures, abolishing the Mexican Constitution, and essentially made himself the dictator of Mexico. In actuality, the majority of the colonists were content with being a part of Mexico and it was the act of abolishing the constitution that stirred them up to revolt. The siege of the Alamo lasted for 13 days before the Mexican army launched its attack. The only survivors of the attack were women and children and a few slaves. Two months later Santa Anna was defeated by Sam Houston's army in the Battle of San Jacinto and Texas gained its independence. The story of the Alamo is told in the Hollywood classic: The Alamo, starring John Wayne.

FEBRUARY 23, 1945 - The United States Marines raised the American flag on the Japanese island Iwo Jima during World War II. The battle for Iwo Jima was one of the fiercest in the Pacific Campaign of the war, with American casualties numbering 6,821 and Japanese casualties in excess of 17,800. The famous photograph of the Marines raising the flag gained instant popularity becoming one of the iconic images of the war. The photograph was actually of the second flag raising on the island. The first flag raised on the island was quickly taken down and replaced with a larger flag. The story of the Battle of Iwo Jima and the men who raised the flag is told in the movie: Flags of Our Fathers, directed by Clint Eastwood.