This day in history

[February 10, 2009]  (AP)  Today is Tuesday, Feb. 10, the 41st day of 2009. There are 324 days left in the year.

Today's highlight in history:

On Feb. 10, 1959, a major tornado tore through the St. Louis, Mo., area, killing 21 people and causing heavy damage.

On this date:

In 1763, Britain, Spain and France signed the Treaty of Paris, ending the Seven Years' War.

In 1840, Britain's Queen Victoria married Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha.

In 1841, Upper Canada and Lower Canada were proclaimed united under an Act of Union passed by the British Parliament.

In 1942, the former French liner Normandie capsized in New York Harbor a day after it caught fire while being refitted for the U.S. Navy.

In 1949, Arthur Miller's play "Death of a Salesman" opened at Broadway's Morosco Theater with Lee J. Cobb as Willy Loman. (On this date in 2005, Miller died in Roxbury, Conn., at age 89.)

In 1962, the Soviet Union exchanged captured American U-2 pilot Francis Gary Powers for Rudolf Abel, a Soviet spy held by the United States.

In 1967, the 25th Amendment to the Constitution, dealing with presidential disability and succession, was ratified as Minnesota and Nevada adopted it.

In 1968, U.S. figure skater Peggy Fleming won America's only gold medal of the Winter Olympic Games in Grenoble, France.

In 1981, eight people were killed when a fire set by a busboy broke out at the Las Vegas Hilton hotel-casino.

In 1989, Ron Brown was elected chairman of the Democratic National Committee, becoming the first black to head a major U.S. political party.

Ten years ago: Resigned to losing their case, House prosecutors said public opinion polls had made a stronger impression on senators than any evidence that President Bill Clinton had committed high crimes and misdemeanors. A federal judge ordered American Airlines pilots to end a sickout that had grounded 2,500 flights, stranded 200,000 travelers and left businesses scrambling for cargo carriers.

Five years ago: The White House, trying to end doubts about President George W. Bush's Vietnam-era military service, released documents it said proved he had met his requirements in the Texas Air National Guard. Democrat John Kerry won the Virginia and Tennessee primaries. A truck bombing in Iskandariyah, Iraq, killed 53 people. An Iranian plane crashed in the United Arab Emirates, killing 46 people.

One year ago: Hillary Rodham Clinton replaced campaign manager Patti Solis Doyle with longtime aide Maggie Williams. Barack Obama defeated Clinton in the Maine Democratic presidential caucuses. British journalist Richard Butler and his Iraqi interpreter were kidnapped in Iraq. (Both were later released.) A fire destroyed a 610-year-old wooden city gate in Seoul, South Korea. The NFC defeated the AFC 42-30 in the Pro Bowl. Amy Winehouse won five Grammys, appearing via satellite from London. Death claimed actor Roy Scheider, 75, in Little Rock, Ark.; lounge rocker Freddie Bell, 76, and "Howard the Duck" creator Steve Gerber, 60, in Las Vegas; and "Married with Children" co-creator Ron Leavitt, 60, in Los Angeles.

Today's birthdays: Opera singer Leontyne Price is 82. Actor Robert Wagner is 79. Rock musician Don Wilson (The Ventures) is 76. Singer Roberta Flack is 72. Singer Jimmy Merchant (Frankie Lymon and the Teenagers) is 69. Jazz singer Kenny Rankin is 69. Rock musician Bob Spalding (The Ventures) is 62. Olympic gold-medal swimmer Mark Spitz is 59. Country singer Lionel Cartwright is 49. Movie director Alexander Payne ("Sideways") is 48. ABC News correspondent George Stephanopoulos is 48. Actress Laura Dern is 42. Country singer Dude Mowrey is 37. Actress Elizabeth Banks is 35. Pop singer Rosanna Taverez (Eden's Crush) is 32. Country musician Jeremy Baxter (Carolina Rain) is 29. Rock singer Eric Dill is 27. Rock musician Ben Romans (The Click Five) is 27. Actress Emma Roberts is 18. Actress Makenzie Vega is 15. Actress Chloe Moretz is 12.

Thought for today: "Be nice to people on the way up. They're the same people you'll pass on the way down." -- Jimmy Durante (1893-1980)

[Associated Press]

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