Flag Rises on Suribachi: Iwo Jima Icon Captured
Joe Rosenthal's photograph of six men raising the American flag atop Mount Suribachi on February 23, 1945, became the most reproduced photograph of World War II and the template for the Marine Corps War Memorial in Arlington. The image was actually the second flag raising that day; the first, smaller flag was replaced with a larger one that could be seen from the beaches below. Three of the six men in Rosenthal's photograph were killed in action during the remaining weeks of fighting on Iwo Jima. The surviving three were pulled from combat and sent on a war bond tour across the United States, raising .3 billion, roughly billion in today's dollars. Ira Hayes, a Pima Indian and one of the survivors, struggled with the celebrity and descended into alcoholism, dying of exposure at age 32. The photograph's power lay not in what it depicted, a routine flag change, but in what it symbolized: collective sacrifice toward a common purpose.
February 23, 1945
81 years ago
Key Figures & Places
World War II
Wikipedia
Battle of Iwo Jima
Wikipedia
United States Marine
Wikipedia
Mount Suribachi
Wikipedia
Raising the Flag on Iwo Jima
Wikipedia
Pulitzer Prize
Wikipedia
USMC War Memorial
Wikipedia
Battle of Iwo Jima
Wikipedia
US Marines
Wikipedia
Mount Suribachi
Wikipedia
Raising the Flag on Iwo Jima
Wikipedia
Iwo Jima
Wikipedia
Pacific War
Wikipedia
Joe Rosenthal
Wikipedia
What Else Happened on February 23
Diocletian's soldiers arrived at the church in Nicomedia on February 23, 303, stripped the building, and burned every manuscript they could find. No bloodshed t…
Justinian ordered the Hagia Sophia built after rioters burned down the previous church during the Nika riots — the same riots where he nearly fled the city unti…
Khosrow II lost an empire because he refused to believe his generals. The Sasanian shah had ruled for 38 years, conquered Egypt and Syria, laid siege to Constan…
Wu Zetian ruled China for fifteen years as its only female emperor. She'd clawed her way from concubine to empress to sovereign, killing rivals, promoting schol…
Johannes Gutenberg produced the first copies of his 42-line Bible in his Mainz workshop around 1455, using a system of movable metal type, oil-based ink, and a …
Lautaro had been a Spanish stable boy. He'd fed their horses, watched their drills, learned how they fought. At Marihueñu, he used that knowledge. He let the Sp…
Talk to History
Have a conversation with historical figures who witnessed this era. Ask questions, explore perspectives, and bring history to life.