On Feb. 24, 1836, Texan Col. William Travis sends a desperate plea for help when the Mexican army of 5,000 soldiers badly outnumber the several hundred defenders of the Alamo. His message ended with the famous last words, "Victory or Death." "Remember the Alamo" quickly became the rallying cry for the Texas revolution. On Feb. 19, 1847, the first rescuers reach surviving members of the Donner Party, a group of California-bound emigrants stranded by snow in the Sierra Nevada Mountains. Of the 89 original members of the Donner Party, only 45 reached California. On Feb. 22, 1918, swept along by hysterical fears ...