303 Roman Emperor Diocletian begins his policy of persecuting Christians, razing the church at Nicomedia

1455 Johannes Gutenberg prints his first Bible (estimated date)

1540 Francisco Vázquez de Coronado’s expedition sets off from Mexico in search of the 7 cities of Cibola

1836 Alamo besieged for 13 days until March 6 by Mexican army under General Santa Anna; entire garrison eventually killed

1904 United States acquires control of the Panama Canal Zone for $10 million

1945 US Marines raise American flag on top of Mt. Suribachi, Iwo Jima. Photo of which by Joe Rosenthall later became iconic, inspiring the Marine Corps War Memorial sculpture

1954 1st mass inoculation against Polio with the Jonas Salk vaccine takes place at Arsenal Elementary School in Pittsburgh

1998 Osama bin Laden publishes a fatwa declaring jihad against all Jews and Crusaders

Source: Onthisday.com