February 20 in A.A. History

1939: About 400 pre-publication multilith copies of the Big Book, Alcoholics Anonymous, were delivered to Bill W. and Hank P., although they may have arrived the next day instead.

1941: The Toledo (Ohio) Blade published the final installment of a three-part series on Alcoholics Anonymous by Seymour Rothman [right], which appeared over three consecutive days [left: the series’ headlines, in order].

1947: Charles B. Towns [right: image and obituary] passed away at home. His son, Edward, took over the management of the Charles B. Towns Hospital and continued to operate it until its closure in 1965.

1960: Bill W. celebrated the 20th anniversary of Alcoholics Anonymous in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, by signing a program with the inscription, “For Philadelphia's 20th—Nothing but the very best! Ever Devotedly, Bill” [left: program cover, inscription, respectively].

2007: While hosting CBS’s The Late Late Show with Craig F――, Craig F. openly discussed his past struggles with alcoholism during his opening monologue. He noted that he had been sober for 15 years as of two days earlier, making what seemed to be a thinly veiled reference to Alcoholics Anonymous [right: Craig F. during his monologue, 20 Feb 2007].