Today in History

Today is Tuesday, Feb. 4, the 35th day of 2020. There are 331 days left in the year.

Today's Highlight in History:

On Feb. 4, 2004, the social networking website Facebook had its beginnings as Harvard student Mark Zuckerberg launched "Thefacebook."

On this date:

In 1783, Britain's King George III proclaimed a formal cessation of hostilities in the American Revolutionary War.

In 1789, electors chose George Washington to be the first president of the United States.

In 1861, delegates from six southern states that had recently seceded from the Union met in Montgomery, Alabama, to form the Confederate States of America.

In 1938, the Thornton Wilder play "Our Town" opened on Broadway. Walt Disney's animated feature "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs" opened in general U.S. release.

In 1944, the Bronze Star Medal, honoring "heroic or meritorious achievement or service," was authorized by President Franklin D. Roosevelt.

In 1945, President Franklin D. Roosevelt, British Prime Minister Winston Churchill and Soviet leader Josef Stalin began a wartime conference at Yalta.

In 1974, newspaper heiress Patricia Hearst, 19, was kidnapped in Berkeley, California, by the radical Symbionese Liberation Army.

In 1976, more than 23,000 people died when a severe earthquake struck Guatemala with a magnitude of 7.5, according to the U.S. Geological Survey.

In 1983, pop singer-musician Karen Carpenter died in Downey, California, at age 32.

In 1997, a civil jury in Santa Monica, California, found O.J. Simpson liable for the deaths of his ex-wife, Nicole Brown Simpson, and her friend, Ronald Goldman.

In 2004, the Massachusetts high court declared that gay couples were entitled to nothing less than marriage, and that Vermont-style civil unions would not suffice.

In 2018, the Philadelphia Eagles, led by backup quarterback Nick Foles, became NFL champs for the first time since 1960, beating Tom Brady and the New England Patriots 41-33 in the Super Bowl.

Ten years ago: Republican Scott Brown took over the seat of the late Massachusetts Sen. Edward Kennedy as he was sworn in by Vice President Joe Biden at a Capitol Hill ceremony. The first National Tea Party Convention opened in Nashville.

Five years ago: As Boston continued to dig out from more than 3 feet of snow in the past week, the New England Patriots were finally honored with a parade celebrating their fourth Super Bowl win. Some fans defied police warnings and watched the parade from atop giant piles of snow.

One year ago: Jury deliberations began in the New York trial of Mexican drug lord Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman. (Guzman was convicted of murder conspiracy and drug trafficking and was sentenced to life in prison.) More than a dozen European Union countries endorsed Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaido as the country's interim president, increasing pressure on embattled President Nicolas Maduro to resign and clear the way for a new election. A British newspaper published an interview with actor Liam Neeson in which Neeson admitted that he'd had violent thoughts about killing a black person nearly 40 years earlier after learning that someone close to him had been raped.

Today's Birthdays: Actor Jerry Adler is 91. Former Argentinian President Isabel Peron is 89. Actor Gary Conway is 84. Actor John Schuck is 80. Rock musician John Steel (The Animals) is 79. Singer Florence LaRue (The Fifth Dimension) is 78. Former Vice President Dan Quayle is 73. Rock singer Alice Cooper is 72. Actor Michael Beck is 71. Actress Lisa Eichhorn is 68. Football Hall of Famer Lawrence Taylor is 61. Actress Pamelyn Ferdin is 61. Rock singer Tim Booth is 60. Rock musician Henry Bogdan is 59. Country singer Clint Black is 58. Rock musician Noodles (The Offspring) is 57. Country musician Dave Buchanan (Yankee Grey) is 54. Actress Gabrielle Anwar is 50. Actor Rob Corddry is 49. Singer David Garza is 49. Actor Michael Goorjian is 49. TV personality Nicolle Wallace is 48. Olympic gold medal boxer Oscar De La Hoya is 47. Rock musician Rick Burch (Jimmy Eat World) is 45. Singer Natalie Imbruglia is 45. Rapper Cam'ron is 44. Rock singer Gavin DeGraw is 43. Rock singer Zoe Manville is 36. Actor/musician Bashy, AKA Ashley Thomas, is 35. Actor Charlie Barnett is 32. Olympic gold medal gymnast-turned-singer Carly Patterson is 32. Actress Kyla Kenedy (TV: "Speechless") is 17.

Thought for Today: "Life is doubt, and faith without doubt is nothing but death." -- Miguel de Unamuno, Spanish philosopher (1864-1936).

Copyright 2020, The Associated Press. All rights reserved.