Highlight: In 1943, the World War II battle of Guadalcanal in the southwest Pacific ended with an Allied victory over Japanese forces.
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 1933, the Oxford Union Society at Oxford University debated, then endorsed, 275-153, a motion “that this House will in no circumstances fight for its King and Country," a stand widely denounced by Britons.
In 1942, daylight-saving “War Time" went into effect in the United States, with clocks turned one hour forward.
In 1950, in a speech in Wheeling, W.Va., Sen. Joseph McCarthy, R-Wis., charged the State Department was riddled with Communists.
In 1963, the Boeing 727 went on its first-ever flight as it took off from Renton, Wash.
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 1983, in a dramatic reversal from fifty years earlier (see above), the Oxford Union rejected, 416-187, a motion “that this House would not fight for Queen and Country."
In 2002, Britain’s Princess Margaret, the high-spirited and unconventional sister of Queen Elizabeth II, died in London at age 71.
Ten years ago: President George W. Bush told congressional Republicans at a policy conference in West Virginia that Iraq had fooled the world for more than a decade about its banned weapons and the United Nations was now facing “a moment of truth" in disarming Saddam Hussein.
Five years ago: Space shuttle Atlantis, carrying a European-built science lab, docked with the international space station.
One year ago: President Barack Obama freed 10 states from some of the toughest requirements of the No Child Left Behind education law. The Pentagon formally opened thousands of jobs to women in units that were closer to the front lines than ever before.
It’s Saturday, Feb. 9, the 40th day of 2013. There are 325 days left in the year.
Northeast — A vast storm system continues to pummel the northeastern U.S., bringing high winds, deepening snow and threats of flooding. A2
Irish bailout — Trade unionists plan marches across Ireland, protesting the continuing high cost of the country’s crippling bank-bailout program.
Television journalist Roger Mudd is 85. Actress Janet Suzman is 74. Singer-songwriter Carole King is 71. Actor Joe Pesci is 70. Singer Barbara Lewis is 70. Author Alice Walker is 69. Actress Mia Farrow is 68. Singer Joe Ely is 66. Actress Judith Light is 64. Actor Charles Shaughnessy is 58. Jazz musician Steve Wilson is 52. Country singer Travis Tritt is 50. Actress Julie Warner is 48. Country singer Danni Leigh is 43. Actor Jason George is 41. Actor-producer Charlie Day is 37. Actress Ziyi Zhang is 34. Actor David Gallagher is 28. Actress Marina Malota is 25. Actor Jimmy Bennett is 17.
— From wire reports
