Today in History

Today is Wednesday, Nov. 19, the 323rd day of 2014. There are 42 days left in the year.

Today's Highlight in History:

On Nov. 19, 1863, President Abraham Lincoln paid tribute to the fallen from the Battle of Gettysburg 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 1984, some 500 people died in a firestorm set off by a series of explosions at a petroleum storage plant on the edge of Mexico City.

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.

Ten years ago: A notorious NBA brawl that came to be known as the "Malice at the Palace" erupted as Ron Artest and Stephen Jackson of the Indiana Pacers charged into the stands and fought with Detroit Pistons fans, forcing officials to end the Pacers' 97-82 win with 45.9 seconds left. (Artest was suspended for the rest of the season, Jackson for 30 games. Fellow Pacer Jermaine O'Neal, who also was involved, was suspended for 15 games and six other players on both teams received suspensions of at least one game.)

Five years ago: President Barack Obama wrapped up his weeklong Asia trip in South Korea, where he said the United States had begun talking with allies about fresh punishment against Iran for defying efforts to halt its nuclear weapons pursuits. President Hamid Karzai pledged to get tough on corruption and strengthen security in Afghanistan as he started a second five-year term. Artist Jeanne-Claude, who helped create various "wrapping" projects with her husband Christo, died in New York at age 74.

One year ago: Suicide bombers struck the Iranian Embassy in Beirut, killing 23 people, including a diplomat, and injuring more than 140 others. Virginia state Sen. Creigh Deeds was attacked and stabbed multiple times by his mentally ill adult son, Gus Deeds, who then took his own life. Diane Disney Miller, 79, daughter of Walt Disney and one of his inspirations for building the Disneyland theme park, died in Napa, California. The Disney animated feature "Frozen" had its Hollywood premiere.

Today's Birthdays: Actor Alan Young is 95. Talk show host Larry King is 81. Former General Electric chief executive Jack Welch is 79. Talk show host Dick Cavett is 78. Broadcasting and sports mogul Ted Turner is 76. Singer Pete Moore (Smokey Robinson and the Miracles) is 75. Sen. Tom Harkin, D-Iowa, is 75. Actor Dan Haggerty is 73. Former Health and Human Services Secretary Tommy G. Thompson is 73. Fashion designer Calvin Klein is 72. Sportscaster Ahmad Rashad is 65. Actor Robert Beltran is 61. Actress Kathleen Quinlan is 60. Actress Glynnis O'Connor is 59. Broadcast journalist Ann Curry is 58. Former NASA astronaut Eileen Collins is 58. Actress Allison Janney is 55. Rock musician Matt Sorum (Guns N' Roses, Velvet Revolver) is 54. Actress Meg Ryan is 53. Actress-director Jodie Foster is 52. Actress Terry Farrell is 51. TV chef Rocco DiSpirito is 48. Actor Jason Scott Lee is 48. Olympic gold medal runner Gail Devers is 48. Actress Erika Alexander is 45. Rock musician Travis McNabb is 45. Singer Tony Rich is 43. Actress Sandrine Holt is 42. Country singer Jason Albert (Heartland) is 41. Country singer Billy Currington is 41. Dancer-choreographer Savion Glover is 41. Country musician Chad Jeffers is 39. Rhythm-and-blues singer Tamika Scott (Xscape) is 39. Rhythm-and-blues singer Lil' Mo is 37. Olympic gold medal gymnast Kerri Strug is 37. Actor Reid Scott is 37. Actress Katherine Kelly (TV: "Mr. Selfridge") is 35. Actor Adam Driver is 31. Actress Samantha Futerman is 27. Rapper Tyga is 25.

Thought for Today: "The misfortunes hardest to bear are these which never came." -- Christopher Morley, American author and journalist (1890-1957).

Copyright 2014, The Associated Press. All rights reserved.