Today is Thursday, Dec. 18, the 353rd day of 2008. There are 13 days left in the year.

Today’s Highlight in History

On Dec. 18, 1865, the 13th Amendment to the Constitution, abolishing slavery, was declared in effect by Secretary of State William H. Seward.

On this date

In 1787, New Jersey became the third state to ratify the U.S. Constitution.

In 1892, Tchaikovsky’s ballet “The Nutcracker” publicly premiered in St. Petersburg, Russia.

In 1940, Adolf Hitler ordered secret preparations for Nazi Germany to invade the Soviet Union. (Operation Barbarossa was launched in June 1941.)

In 1944, in a pair of rulings, the U.S. Supreme Court upheld the wartime relocation of Japanese-Americans, but also said undeniably loyal Americans of Japanese ancestry could not continue to be detained.

In 1956, Japan was admitted to the United Nations.

In 1958, the world’s first communications satellite, SCORE (Signal Communication by Orbiting Relay Equipment), nicknamed “Chatterbox,” was launched by the United States aboard an Atlas rocket.

In 1972, the United States began heavy bombing of North Vietnamese targets during the Vietnam War. (The bombardment ended 11 days later.)

Ten years ago

U.S. and British forces blasted Iraq with a third day of airstrikes.

Five years ago

A jury in Chesapeake, Va., convicted teenager Lee Boyd Malvo of two counts of capital murder in the Washington-area sniper shootings (he was later sentenced to life in prison without parole).

One year ago

The U.N. Security Council voted unanimously to extend the U.S.-led multinational force in Iraq for one year.

Today’s Birthdays

Television writer-producer Hal Kanter is 90. Former U.S. Attorney General Ramsey Clark is 81. Blues musician Lonnie Brooks is 75. Rock singer-musician Keith Richards is 65. Writer-director Alan Rudolph is 65. Movie producer-director Steven Spielberg is 62. Blues artist Ron Piazza is 61. Movie director Gillian Armstrong is 58. Movie reviewer Leonard Maltin is 58. Rock musician Elliot Easton is 55. Actor Ray Liotta is 53. Comedian Ron White is 52. Actor Brad Pitt is 45. Actress Rachel Griffiths is 40. Singer Alejandro Sanz is 40. Country/rap singer Cowboy Troy is 38. Rapper DMX is 38. Tennis player Arantxa Sanchez Vicario is 37. DJ Lethal (Limp Bizkit) is 36. Actress Katie Holmes is 30. Singer Christina Aguilera is 28. Christian rock musician Dave Luetkenhoelter (Kutless) is 26.

Thought for Today

“Life shrinks or expands in proportion to one’s courage.”

— Anais Nin, American author (1903-77)