Today in History

Today is Sunday, Feb. 9, the 40th day of 2020. There are 326 days left in the year.

Today's Highlight in History:

On Feb. 9, 1943, the World War II battle of Guadalcanal in the southwest Pacific ended with an Allied victory over Japanese forces.

On this date:

In 1825, the House of Representatives elected John Quincy Adams president after no candidate received a majority of electoral votes.

In 1861, Jefferson Davis was elected provisional president of the Confederate States of America at a congress held in Montgomery, Alabama.

In 1950, in a speech in Wheeling, West Virginia, Sen. Joseph McCarthy, R-Wis., charged the State Department was riddled with Communists.

In 1960, Adolph Coors Co. chairman Adolph Coors III, 44, was shot to death in suburban Denver during a botched kidnapping attempt. (The man who killed him, Joseph Corbett, Jr., served 19 years in prison.)

In 1964, the Beatles made their first live American television appearance on "The Ed Sullivan Show," broadcast from New York on CBS.

In 1971, a magnitude 6.6 earthquake in California's San Fernando Valley claimed 65 lives. The crew of Apollo 14 returned to Earth after man's third landing on the moon.

In 1984, Soviet leader Yuri V. Andropov, 69, died 15 months after succeeding Leonid Brezhnev; he was followed by Konstantin U. Chernenko.

In 1986, during its latest visit to the solar system, Halley's Comet came closest to the sun (its next return will be in 2061).

In 1995, Former Senator J. William Fulbright died in Washington at age 89.

In 2002, Britain's Princess Margaret, sister of Queen Elizabeth II, died in London at age 71.

In 2007, Defense Secretary Robert Gates told reporters in Munich, Germany, that serial numbers and other markings on bombs provided "pretty good" evidence that Iranians were supplying either weapons or technology to Iraqi extremists.

Ten years ago: Appealing for bipartisanship, President Barack Obama sat down with Democrats and Republicans to spur cooperation on job creation, deficit reduction and health care overhaul. First lady Michelle Obama launched her "Let's Move!" campaign against childhood obesity. Iran began enriching uranium to a higher level over the vociferous objections of the U.S. and its allies. Fred Morrison, credited with inventing the Frisbee, died in Monroe, Utah, at age 90.

Five years ago: President Barack Obama and German Chancellor Angela Merkel, meeting at the White House, rallied behind efforts to reach a long-shot diplomatic resolution in Ukraine. More than 2 feet of fresh snow piled up in parts of New England, breaking records set during the Blizzard of 1978. Ed Sabol, the NFL Films founder who revolutionized sports broadcasting, died in Scottsdale, Arizona, at age 98.

One year ago: Virginia Democratic Lt. Gov. Justin Fairfax called for authorities to investigate sexual assault allegations made against him and repeated his denials that he had ever sexually assaulted anyone; Democratic Gov. Ralph Northam, meanwhile, made his first official appearance since he acknowledged wearing blackface in the 1980s. More than a foot of snow fell in parts of the Pacific Northwest, with snow covering areas that were more accustomed to winter rain.

Today's Birthdays: Television journalist Roger Mudd is 92. Actress Janet Suzman is 81. Nobel Prize-winning author J.M. Coetzee is 80. Actress-politician Sheila James Kuehl (TV: "The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis") is 79. Singer-songwriter Carole King is 78. Actor Joe Pesci is 77. Singer Barbara Lewis is 77. Author Alice Walker is 76. Actress Mia Farrow is 75. Former Sen. Jim Webb, D-Va., is 74. Singer Joe Ely is 73. Actress Judith Light is 71. Rhythm-and-blues musician Dennis "DT" Thomas (Kool & the Gang) is 69. Actor Charles Shaughnessy is 65. Actor Ed Amatrudo is 64. Former Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe is 63. Jazz musician Steve Wilson is 59. Country singer Travis Tritt is 57. Actress Julie Warner is 55. Country singer Danni Leigh is 50. Actress Sharon Case is 49. Actor Jason George is 48. Actress Amber Valletta is 46. Actor-producer Charlie Day is 44. Rock singer Chad Wolf (Carolina Liar) is 44. Actor A.J. Buckley is 43. Rock musician Richard On (O.A.R.) is 41. Actress Ziyi Zhang is 41. Olympic silver and bronze medal figure skater Irina Slutskaya is 41. Actor Tom Hiddleston is 39. Actor David Gallagher is 35. Actor Michael B. Jordan is 33. Actress Rose Leslie is 33. Actress Marina Malota is 32. Actress Camille Winbush is 30. Actor Jimmy Bennett is 24. Actor Evan Roe (TV: "Madam Secretary") is 20.

Thought for Today: "You can fall in love at first sight with a place as with a person." -- Alec Waugh, English author (1898-1981).

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