Today in History

Today is Thursday, Feb. 9, the 40th day of 2012. There are 326 days left in the year.

Today's Highlight in History:

On Feb. 9, 1942, the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff held its first formal meeting to coordinate military strategy during World War II.

On this date:

In 1773, the ninth president of the United States, William Henry Harrison, was born in Charles City County, Va.

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, Ala.

In 1870, the U.S. Weather Bureau was established.

In 1942, daylight-saving "War Time" went into effect in the United States, with clocks turned one hour forward.

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

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

In 1962, an agreement was signed to make Jamaica an independent nation within the British Commonwealth later in the year.

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 less than 15 months after succeeding Leonid Brezhnev; he was followed by Konstantin U. Chernenko.

In 2001, a U.S. Navy submarine, the USS Greeneville, collided with a Japanese fishing boat, the Ehime Maru, while surfacing off the Hawaiian coast, killing nine men and boys aboard the boat.

Ten years ago: Britain's Princess Margaret, the high-spirited and unconventional sister of Queen Elizabeth II, died in London at age 71. At the Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City, Jochem Uytdehaage of the Netherlands won the gold medal in the men's 5,000-meter speedskating race in a world record time of 6:14.66. Oakland's Rich Gannon led the AFC to a 38-30 victory over the NFC in the Pro Bowl.

Five years ago: Defense Secretary Robert Gates told reporters in Munich, Germany, that serial numbers and other markings on bombs suggested that Iranians were linked to deadly explosives used by Iraqi militants. British actor Ian Richardson, who portrayed immoral politician Francis Urquhart in the satirical TV drama "House of Cards," died in London at age 72.

One year ago: Thousands of workers went on strike across Egypt, adding a new dimension to the uprising as public rage turned to the vast wealth President Hosni Mubarak's family reportedly amassed while close to half the country struggled near the poverty line. Rep. Christopher Lee, R-N.Y., abruptly resigned with only a vague explanation of regret after gossip website Gawker reported that the married congressman had sent a shirtless photo of himself flexing his muscles to a woman whose Craigslist ad he answered. Lindsay Lohan pleaded not guilty in Los Angeles to felony grand theft of a $2,500 necklace. (Lohan later pleaded no contest to taking the necklace without permission and served 35 days of house arrest.)

Today's Birthdays: Television journalist Roger Mudd is 84. Actress Janet Suzman is 73. Actress-politician Sheila James Kuehl ("The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis") is 71. Singer-songwriter Carole King is 70. Actor Joe Pesci is 69. Singer Barbara Lewis is 69. Author Alice Walker is 68. Actress Mia Farrow is 67. Sen. Jim Webb, D-Va., is 66. Singer Joe Ely is 65. Actress Judith Light is 63. Rhythm-and-blues musician Dennis "DT" Thomas (Kool & the Gang) is 61. Actor Charles Shaughnessy is 57. Former Democratic National Chairman Terry McAuliffe is 55. Jazz musician Steve Wilson is 51. Country singer Travis Tritt is 49. Actress Julie Warner is 47. Country singer Danni Leigh is 42. Actor Jason George is 40. Actor-producer Charlie Day is 36. Rock singer Chad Wolf (Carolina Liar) is 36. Actor A.J. Buckley is 35. Rock musician Richard On (O.A.R.) is 33. Actress Ziyi Zhang is 33. Actor David Gallagher is 27. Actress Marina Malota is 24. Actress Camille Winbush is 22. Actor Jimmy Bennett is 16.

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

Copyright 2012, The Associated Press. All rights reserved.