Today in US history on February 23: From the Iwo Jima victory to US control of the Panama Canal

From the battlefields of World War II and the brink of the Civil War to breakthroughs in industry, diplomacy, and medicine, February 23 has repeatedly marked moments that reshaped the United States. Across different centuries, decisions and actions taken on this day left lasting imprints on America’s military legacy, political trajectory, economic development, and public health.

On February 23 in 1945, during the fierce Battle of Iwo Jima, US Marines captured the summit of Mount Suribachi, the island’s highest and most strategic point. Members of the 3rd Platoon, E Company, 2nd Battalion, 28th Marines raised the American flag, a moment witnessed and photographed by Marine photographer Louis Lowery. The sight of the flag flying over Suribachi lifted the morale of American troops fighting on the slopes below and later became one of the most iconic images of World War II.

Also Read: Today in US history, on February 22: From George Washington’s birth and territorial expansion to historic battles, technological milestones that shaped the nation


In 1861, President-elect Abraham Lincoln arrived in Washington, D.C. under heavy secrecy and security. With seven Southern states having already seceded following his election, fears of an imminent civil war loomed as Lincoln prepared to assume office.

On February 23, 1904, the U.S. Senate ratified the Hay–Bunau-Varilla Treaty, granting the United States control of a 10-mile-wide Panama Canal Zone in exchange for $10 million and an annual payment. The agreement paved the way for construction of the Panama Canal and gave the U.S. sweeping authority over the zone.

The date was also significant in 1813, when American industrialist Francis Cabot Lowell and a group of Boston investors established the Boston Manufacturing Company. The venture created the first integrated cotton-to-cloth mill in the United States, laying the foundation for large-scale American manufacturing and accelerating the country’s industrial growth.

In 1954, February 23 marked a milestone in medical history when children at Arsenal Elementary School in Pittsburgh received the first injections of the polio vaccine developed by Jonas Salk. The breakthrough would go on to reduce polio cases worldwide by nearly 99 percent by the 21st century, transforming global public health.