Today's Highlight in History:
On Feb. 6, 1952, Britain's King George VI died; he was succeeded by his daughter, Elizabeth II.
On this date:
In 1756, America's third vice president, Aaron Burr, was born in Newark, N.J.
In 1778, the United States won official recognition from France with the signing of a Treaty of Alliance in Paris.
In 1788, Massachusetts became the sixth state to ratify the U.S. Constitution.
In 1899, a peace treaty between the United States and Spain was ratified by the U.S. Senate.
In 1911, Ronald Wilson Reagan, the 40th president of the United States, was born in Tampico, Illinois.
In 1933, the 20th Amendment to the Constitution, the so-called "lame duck" amendment, was proclaimed in effect by Secretary of State Henry Stimson.
In 1959, the United States successfully test-fired for the first time a Titan intercontinental ballistic missile from Cape Canaveral.
In 1978, Muriel Humphrey took the oath of office as a United States senator from Minnesota, filling the seat of her late husband, former Vice President Hubert Humphrey.
In 1992, 16 people were killed when a C-130 military transport plane crashed in Evansville, Ind.
In 1996, a Turkish-owned Boeing 757 jetliner crashed into the Atlantic Ocean shortly after takeoff from the Dominican Repubic, killing 189 people, mostly German tourists.
Ten years ago: First lady Hillary Rodham Clinton launched her successful candidacy for the U.S. Senate. An Ariana Airlines Boeing 727 was hijacked after leaving Kabul, Afghanistan, making stops in Central Asia and Russia before arriving at Stansted airport outside London the next day. Nine people were killed when a train derailed south of Cologne, Germany. Social Democrat Tarja Halonen edged out her rival in a run-off to become Finland's first female president. The NFC defeated the AFC 51-31 in the Pro Bowl.
