On this date in 1962, astronaut John Glenn, U.S.M.C., became the first American to orbit Earth as he flew aboard the Friendship 7 Mercury capsule.

On this date in 1945, about 30,000 United States Marines landed on the island Iwo Jima, where they encountered ferocious resistance from Japanese forces. The Americans took control of the strategically important island after a month-long battle.

On this date in 1945, U.S. President Roosevelt, British Prime Minister Winston Churchill and Soviet leader Josef Stalin signed the Yalta Agreement.