Today in History

Today is Wednesday, Jan. 14, the 14th day of 2015. There are 351 days left in the year.

Today's Highlight in History:

On Jan. 14, 1784, the United States ratified the Treaty of Paris ending the Revolutionary War; Britain followed suit in April 1784.

On this date:

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 1914, Ford Motor Co. greatly improved its assembly-line operation by employing an endless chain to pull each chassis along at its Highland Park plant.

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 the pen name "Victoria Lucas," less than a month before Plath committed suicide.

In 1965, singer-actress Jeanette MacDonald, 61, died in Houston.

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: Army Spc. Charles Graner Jr., the reputed ringleader of a band of rogue guards at the Abu Ghraib prison, was convicted at Fort Hood, Texas, of abusing Iraqi detainees. (Graner was sentenced the next day to 10 years in prison; he was released from prison in Aug. 2011 after serving more than 6 1/2 years.) The European Huygens space probe sent back the first detailed pictures of the frozen surface of Saturn's moon, Titan. Mystery writer Charlotte MacLeod died in Lewiston, Maine, at age 82.

Five years ago: President Barack Obama and the U.S. moved to take charge in earthquake-ravaged Haiti, dispatching thousands of troops along with tons of aid. Iraq's electoral commission barred 500 candidates from running in March 2010 parliamentary elections, including a prominent Sunni lawmaker, deepening sectarian divides.

One year ago: Sporadic violence flared across much of Egypt as a two-day referendum on a new constitution began. A federal judge struck down Oklahoma's gay marriage ban, then set aside his order while state and local officials completed an appeal. (Oklahoma was among five states whose bans on same-sex marriage were ultimately overturned.)

Today's Birthdays: Blues singer Clarence Carter is 79. Singer Jack Jones is 77. Singer-songwriter Allen Toussaint is 77. Former NAACP Chairman Julian Bond is 75. Actress Faye Dunaway is 74. Actress Holland Taylor is 72. Actor Carl Weathers is 67. Singer-producer T-Bone Burnett is 67. Movie writer-director Lawrence Kasdan is 66. Pulitzer Prize-winning columnist Maureen Dowd is 63. Rock singer Geoff Tate (Queensryche) is 56. Movie writer-director Steven Soderbergh is 52. Actor Mark Addy is 51. Fox News Channel anchorman Shepard Smith is 51. Rapper Slick Rick is 50. Actor Dan Schneider is 49. Actress Emily Watson is 48. Actor-comedian Tom Rhodes is 48. Rock musician Zakk Wylde (Ozzy Osbourne Band) is 48. Rapper-actor LL Cool J is 47. Actor Jason Bateman is 46. Rock singer-musician Dave Grohl (Foo Fighters) is 46. Actor Kevin Durand is 41. Actress Jordan Ladd is 40. Retro-soul singer-songwriter Marc Broussard is 33. Rock singer-musician Caleb Followill (Kings of Leon) is 33. Actor Zach Gilford is 33. Rock musician Joe Guese (The Click Five) is 32. Actor Jonathan Osser is 26.

Thought for Today: "Dignity is like a perfume; those who use it are scarcely conscious of it." -- Queen Christina of Sweden (1626-1689).

Copyright 2015, The Associated Press. All rights reserved.