Today in History

Today is Tuesday, Nov. 19, the 323rd day of 2013. 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 1887, American poet Emma Lazarus, who'd written "The New Colossus" to help raise money for the Statue of Liberty's pedestal, died in New York at age 38.

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.

In 1997, Iowa seamstress Bobbi McCaughey gave birth to septuplets, four boys and three girls. The space shuttle Columbia zoomed into orbit on a two-week science mission.

In 2001, President George W. Bush signed legislation to put airport baggage screeners on the federal payroll.

Ten years ago: During his state visit to London, President Bush urged Europe to put aside bitter war disagreements with the United States and work to build democracy in Iraq or risk turning the nation over to terrorists. A U.S.-Canadian investigation found that the Aug. 14, 2003 blackout should have been contained by operators at Ohio's FirstEnergy Corp.; the investigators also faulted Midwest regional monitors.

Five years ago: Al-Qaida's No. 2, Ayman al-Zawahri, slurred Barack Obama as a black American who does the bidding of whites in a new Web message intended to dent the president-elect's popularity among Arabs and Muslims. The Dow Jones industrial average closed under 8,000 at 7,997.28 -- the lowest close since March 2003. Drama and dance critic Clive Barnes died in New York at age 81.

One year ago: With no deal in sight to end the conflict, Israel and Hamas continued to exchange fire; more than three dozen Palestinians were killed in Israeli attacks and fighters in Gaza fired 95 rockets at southern Israel. President Barack Obama, the first U.S. president to visit Myanmar, promised more American help if the Asian nation keeps building its new democracy.

Today's Birthdays: Actor Alan Young is 94. Talk show host Larry King is 80. Former General Electric chief executive Jack Welch is 78. Talk show host Dick Cavett is 77. Broadcasting and sports mogul Ted Turner is 75. Singer Pete Moore (Smokey Robinson and the Miracles) is 74. Sen. Tom Harkin, D-Iowa, is 74. TV journalist Garrick Utley is 74. Actor Dan Haggerty is 72. Former Health and Human Services Secretary Tommy G. Thompson is 72. Fashion designer Calvin Klein is 71. Sportscaster Ahmad Rashad is 64. Actor Robert Beltran is 60. Actress Kathleen Quinlan is 59. Actress Glynnis O'Connor is 58. Broadcast journalist Ann Curry is 57. Former NASA astronaut Eileen Collins is 57. Actress Allison Janney is 54. Rock musician Matt Sorum (Guns N' Roses, Velvet Revolver) is 53. Actress Meg Ryan is 52. Actress-director Jodie Foster is 51. Actress Terry Farrell is 50. TV chef Rocco DiSpirito is 47. Actor Jason Scott Lee is 47. Olympic gold medal runner Gail Devers is 47. Actress Erika Alexander is 44. Rock musician Travis McNabb is 44. Singer Tony Rich is 42. Actress Sandrine Holt is 41. Country singer Jason Albert (Heartland) is 40. Country singer Billy Currington is 40. Dancer-choreographer Savion Glover is 40. Country musician Chad Jeffers is 38. Rhythm-and-blues singer Tamika Scott (Xscape) is 38. Rhythm-and-blues singer Lil' Mo is 36. Olympic gold medal gymnast Kerri Strug is 36. Actor Reid Scott is 36. Actor Adam Driver is 30. Actress Samantha Futerman is 26. Rapper Tyga is 24.

Thought for Today: "My theology, briefly, is that the universe was dictated but not signed." -- Christopher Morley, American author and journalist (1890-1957).

Copyright 2013, The Associated Press. All rights reserved.