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Today in History

Today in History

Today is Saturday, Jan. 14, the 14th day of 2017. There are 351 days left in the year.

Today's Highlight in History:

On Jan. 14, 1967, the Sixties' "Summer of Love" unofficially began with a "Human Be-In," a gathering of tens of thousands of young people for a counterculture event at Golden Gate Park in San Francisco.

On this date:

In 1784, the United States ratified the Treaty of Paris ending the Revolutionary War; Britain followed suit in April 1784.

In 1814, the Treaty of Kiel ended hostilities between Denmark and Sweden, with Denmark agreeing to cede Norway to Sweden, something Norway refused to accept.

In 1900, Puccini's opera "Tosca" had its world premiere in Rome.

In 1927, the Paramount silent romantic comedy "It," starring Clara Bow (who became known as "The 'It' Girl"), had its world premiere in Los Angeles.

In 1943, President Franklin D. Roosevelt, British Prime Minister Winston Churchill and French General Charles de Gaulle opened a wartime conference in Casablanca.

In 1952, NBC's "Today" show premiered, with Dave Garroway as the host, or "communicator."

In 1954, Marilyn Monroe and Joe DiMaggio were married at San Francisco City Hall. (The marriage lasted about nine months.)

In 1963, George C. Wallace was sworn in as governor of Alabama with the pledge, "Segregation forever!" - a view Wallace later repudiated. Sylvia Plath's novel "The Bell Jar" was published in London under a pseudonym less than a month before Plath committed suicide.

In 1969, 27 people aboard the aircraft carrier USS Enterprise, off Hawaii, were killed when a rocket warhead exploded, setting off a fire and additional explosions.

In 1975, the House Internal Security Committee (formerly the House Un-American Activities Committee) was disbanded.

In 1989, President Ronald Reagan delivered his 331st and final weekly White House radio address, telling listeners, "Believe me, Saturdays will never seem the same. I'll miss you."

In 1994, President Bill Clinton and Russian President Boris Yeltsin signed an accord to stop aiming missiles at any nation; the leaders joined Ukrainian President Leonid Kravchuk in signing an accord to dismantle the nuclear arsenal of Ukraine.

Ten years ago: President George W. Bush, facing opposition from both parties over his plan to send more troops to Iraq, said on CBS' "60 Minutes" that he had the authority to act no matter what Congress wanted. On "Fox News Sunday," Vice President Dick Cheney asserted that lawmakers' criticism would not influence Bush's plans, and he dismissed any effort to "run a war by committee." Actress Darlene Conley, feisty fashion mogul Sally Spectra on "The Bold and the Beautiful," died in Los Angeles at age 72.

Five years ago: Rescue workers scrambled aboard the stricken Costa Concordia cruise liner, seeking to help some 4,200 passengers a day after the ship ran aground and tipped over off Italy's Tuscan coast; the death toll from the tragedy eventually reached 32. Miss Wisconsin Laura Kaeppeler won the Miss America pageant in Las Vegas.

One year ago: During a Republican presidential debate in North Charleston, South Carolina, Donald Trump and Ted Cruz clashed over the Texas senator's eligibility to serve as commander in chief and the businessman's "New York values." Chicago city attorneys released a grainy 2013 surveillance video showing the fatal shooting of a 17-year-old black carjacking suspect by a white police officer. Attackers set off suicide bombs and exchanged gunfire outside a Starbucks cafe in Indonesia's capital Jakarta in a brazen assault that left seven people dead. Actor Alan Rickman, 69, died in London. Rene Angelil, 73, Celine Dion's husband and manager, died at his suburban Las Vegas home.

Today's Birthdays: Blues singer Clarence Carter is 81. Singer Jack Jones is 79. Actress Faye Dunaway is 76. Actress Holland Taylor is 74. Actor Carl Weathers is 69. Singer-producer T-Bone Burnett is 69. Movie writer-director Lawrence Kasdan is 68. Pulitzer Prize-winning columnist Maureen Dowd is 65. Rock singer Geoff Tate (Queensryche) is 58. Movie writer-director Steven Soderbergh is 54. Actor Mark Addy is 53. Fox News Channel anchorman Shepard Smith is 53. Rapper Slick Rick is 52. Actor Dan Schneider is 51. Actress Emily Watson is 50. Actor-comedian Tom Rhodes is 50. Rock musician Zakk Wylde is 50. Rapper-actor LL Cool J is 49. Actor Jason Bateman is 48. Rock singer-musician Dave Grohl (Foo Fighters) is 48. Actor Kevin Durand is 43. Actress Jordan Ladd is 42. Actor Ward Horton is 41. Retro-soul singer-songwriter Marc Broussard is 35. Rock singer-musician Caleb Followill (Kings of Leon) is 35. Actor Zach Gilford is 35. Rock musician Joe Guese (The Click Five) is 34. Actor Jonathan Osser is 28. Actor-singer Grant Gustin is 27.

Thought for Today: "If you want to inspire confidence, give plenty of statistics - it does not matter that they should be accurate, or even intelligible, so long as there is enough of them." - Lewis Carroll (Charles Lutwidge Dodgson), English author (born 1832, died this date in 1898).

(Above Advance for Use Saturday, Jan. 14)

Copyright 2017, The Associated Press. All rights reserved.

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