Today in History

Today is Saturday, Nov. 19, the 323rd day of 2011. There are 42 days left in the year.

Today's Highlight in History:

On Nov. 19, 1863, President Abraham Lincoln delivered the Gettysburg Address as he dedicated a national cemetery at the site of the Civil War battlefield in Pennsylvania.

On this date:

In 1600, King Charles I of England was born in Dunfermline, Fife, Scotland.

In 1794, the United States and Britain signed Jay's Treaty, which resolved some issues left over from the Revolutionary War.

In 1831, the 20th president of the United States, James Garfield, was born in Orange Township, Ohio.

In 1919, the Senate rejected the Treaty of Versailles by a vote of 55 in favor, 39 against, short of the two-thirds majority needed for ratification.

In 1942, during World War II, Russian forces launched their winter offensive against the Germans along the Don front.

In 1959, Ford Motor Co. announced it was halting production of the unpopular Edsel.

In 1969, Apollo 12 astronauts Charles Conrad and Alan Bean made the second manned landing on the moon.

In 1977, Egyptian President Anwar Sadat became the first Arab leader to visit Israel.

In 1985, President Ronald Reagan and Soviet leader Mikhail S. Gorbachev met for the first time as they began their summit in Geneva.

In 1990, the pop duo Milli Vanilli were stripped of their Grammy Award because other singers had lent their voices to the "Girl You Know It's True" album.

Ten years ago: The United States accused Iraq and North Korea of developing germ warfare programs. President George W. Bush signed legislation to put airport baggage screeners on the federal payroll. Four journalists, an Afghan, an Australian, an Italian and a Spaniard, were murdered in eastern Afghanistan after an ambush on their convoy. Barry Bonds became the first player to win four Most Valuable Player Awards.

Five years ago: British authorities said they were investigating the apparent poisoning of Alexander Litvinenko, a former KGB agent who had been critical of the Russian government (Litvinenko died in London four days later of polonium poisoning). Actor Jeremy Slate died in Los Angeles at age 80.

One year ago: President Barack Obama, attending a NATO summit in Lisbon, Portugal, won an agreement to build a missile shield over Europe, a victory that risked further aggravating Russia. Twenty-nine miners were killed by a methane explosion in a southern New Zealand coal mine.

Today's Birthdays: Actor Alan Young is 92. Talk show host Larry King is 78. Former General Electric chief executive Jack Welch is 76. Talk show host Dick Cavett is 75. Broadcasting and sports mogul Ted Turner is 73. Singer Pete Moore (Smokey Robinson and the Miracles) is 72. Sen. Tom Harkin, D-Iowa, is 72. TV journalist Garrick Utley is 72. Actor Dan Haggerty is 70. Former Health and Human Services Secretary Tommy G. Thompson is 70. Fashion designer Calvin Klein is 69. Sportscaster Ahmad Rashad is 62. Actor Robert Beltran is 58. Actress Kathleen Quinlan is 57. Actress Glynnis O'Connor is 56. Newscaster Ann Curry is 55. Former NASA astronaut Eileen Collins is 55. Actress Allison Janney is 52. Rock musician Matt Sorum (Guns N' Roses, Velvet Revolver) is 51. Actress Meg Ryan is 50. Actress-director Jodie Foster is 49. Actress Terry Farrell is 48. TV chef Rocco DiSpirito is 45. Actor Jason Scott Lee is 45. Olympic gold medal runner Gail Devers is 45. Actress Erika Alexander is 42. Rock musician Travis McNabb is 42. Singer Tony Rich is 40. Country singer Jason Albert (Heartland) is 38. Country singer Billy Currington is 38. Dancer-choreographer Savion Glover is 38. Country musician Chad Jeffers is 36. Rhythm-and-blues singer Tamika Scott (Xscape) is 36. Rhythm-and-blues singer Lil' Mo is 34. Olympic gold medal gymnast Kerri Strug is 34. Actor Reid Scott is 34.

Thought for Today: "It is always brave to say what everyone thinks." -- George Duhamel, French author (1884-1966).

Copyright 2011, The Associated Press. All rights reserved.