On this day in 1986, “We Are The World” won four Grammy Awards.

On this day in 1973, Roberta Flack hit #1 on the charts with “Killing Me Softly with His Song”.

On this day in 1945, U.S. Marines raised the American flag on Mount Suribachi on the island of Iwo Jima.

One of the first objectives after landing on the beachhead was the taking of Mount Suribachi. At the second raising of a flag on the peak, Joe Rosenthal photographed five Marines: Ira Hayes, Mike Strank, Rene Gagnon, Harlon Block, Franklin Sousley, and U.S. Navy corpsman John Bradley raising the U.S. flag on the fourth day of the battle (February 23). The photograph was extremely popular, being reprinted in thousands of publications. It won the Pulitzer Prize for Photography that same year, and ultimately came to be regarded as one of the most significant and recognizable images of the war, and possibly the most reproduced photograph of all time.

On this day in 1956, Elvis Presley’s Heartbreak Hotel began it’s climb to number one.

On this day in 1952, The African Queen opened.

On this day in 1958, the Miracles first single was released.

On this day in 1942, Paper Doll was recorded by the Mills Brothers.

On this day in 1954, “Secret Love” by Doris Day hit #1 in the U.S.

On this day in 1968, Elvis Presley received a gold record for his gospel album, How Great Thou Art.

On this day in 1932, George Burns and Gracie Allen debuted on CBS radio and eventually got their own show. The two held steady jobs for more than 30 years.

In 1929 they made their first radio appearance in London on the BBC. Back in America, they failed at a 1930 NBC audition. After a solo appearance by Gracie on Eddie Cantor’s radio show, they were heard together on Rudy Vallee’s The Fleischmann’s Yeast Hour and in February 15, 1932 they became regulars on The Guy Lombardo Show on CBS. When Lombardo switched to NBC, Burns and Allen took over his CBS spot with The Adventures of Gracie beginning September 19, 1934.

The title of their top-rated show changed to The Burns and Allen Show on September 26, 1936. When ratings began to slip in 1940-41, they moved from comedy patter into a successful sitcom format, continuing with shows on NBC and CBS until May 17, 1950. As in the early days of radio, the sponsor’s name became the show title, such as Maxwell House Coffee Time (1945-49).

You can find out more about this day in history at Those Were The Days, and InfoPlease.