Today in History: Feb. 6

Illustration of representatives of the United States and Great Britain signing the 1783 Treaty of Paris, the agreement which formally ended the American Revolutionary War between Great Britain and the North American colonies, Paris, France, September 3, 1783. Representatives present at the event included English politician David Hartley (1731 - 1813) (representative of Britain), American politician John Adams (1735 ? 1826), American politician and scientist Benjamin Franklin (1706 - 1790), and American politician John Jay (1745 ? 1829). (Photo by Kean Collection/Getty Images)
In 1778, the United States won official recognition from France with the signing of a Treaty of Alliance in Paris. (Photo by Kean Collection/Getty Images)
This is the Preamble to the US Constitution, It starts with the phrase We The People and shows only some of the writing from the upper left hand corner of the document of the Constitution, It is written on parchment paper that is now faded, showing its age. (Photo by Visions of America/UIG via Getty Images)
In 1788, Massachusetts became the sixth state to ratify the U.S. Constitution.  (Photo by Visions of America/UIG via Getty Images)
Britain's Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, gather with other members of the British royal family to greet supporters from the balcony at Buckingham Palace, following her coronation at Westminster Abbey. London, June. 2, 1953. (AP Photo/Priest)
In 1952, Britain’s King George VI died; he was succeeded by his daughter, Elizabeth II. (AP Photo/Priest)
Metro train
In 1998, President Bill Clinton signed a bill changing the name of Washington National Airport to Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport. A Metro train passes by Reagan National Airport. (WTOP/Dave Dildine)
 In this Feb. 29, 2008 file photo, President George W. Bush and his dog Barney step from Air Force One after arriving in Waco, Texas.  (AP Photo/Duane A. Laverty, File)
In 2008, the Bush White House defended the use of the interrogation technique known as waterboarding, saying it was legal _ not torture as critics argued _ and had saved American lives. ** FILE ** In this Feb. 29, 2008 file photo, President Bush and his dog Barney steps from Air Force One after arriving in Waco, Texas. (AP Photo/Duane A. Laverty, File)
In 1993, tennis Hall of Famer and human rights advocate Arthur Ashe died in New York at age 49. File-This Sept. 9, 1968, file photo shows Arthur Ashe in action during the inaugural U.S. Open Tennis Championship at Forest Hills in Queens, New York City. (AP Photo/ File)
In 2014, Jay Leno said goodbye to NBC’s “The Tonight Show” for the second time, making way for Jimmy Fallon to take over as host. FILE – In this Aug. 13, 2015, file photo, Jay Leno participates in the “Jay Leno’s Garage” panel at the The NBCUniversal Summer TCA Tour at the Beverly Hilton Hotel in Beverly Hills, Calif. A television crew filmed Leno’s Stanley steam-powered car driving the auto road to the summit of New Hampshire’s Mount Washington this week. He told the Portland Press Herald that the idea was to recreate the first time a Stanley drove up the mountain in 1899. (Photo by Richard Shotwell/Invision/AP, File)
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Illustration of representatives of the United States and Great Britain signing the 1783 Treaty of Paris, the agreement which formally ended the American Revolutionary War between Great Britain and the North American colonies, Paris, France, September 3, 1783. Representatives present at the event included English politician David Hartley (1731 - 1813) (representative of Britain), American politician John Adams (1735 ? 1826), American politician and scientist Benjamin Franklin (1706 - 1790), and American politician John Jay (1745 ? 1829). (Photo by Kean Collection/Getty Images)
This is the Preamble to the US Constitution, It starts with the phrase We The People and shows only some of the writing from the upper left hand corner of the document of the Constitution, It is written on parchment paper that is now faded, showing its age. (Photo by Visions of America/UIG via Getty Images)
Britain's Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, gather with other members of the British royal family to greet supporters from the balcony at Buckingham Palace, following her coronation at Westminster Abbey. London, June. 2, 1953. (AP Photo/Priest)
Metro train
 In this Feb. 29, 2008 file photo, President George W. Bush and his dog Barney step from Air Force One after arriving in Waco, Texas.  (AP Photo/Duane A. Laverty, File)

Today is Wednesday, Feb. 6, the 37th day of 2019.

Today’s Highlight in History:

On Feb. 6, 1911, Ronald Wilson Reagan, the 40th president of the United States, was born in Tampico, Illinois.

On this date:

In 1778, during the American Revolutionary War, the United States won official recognition and military support from France with the signing of a Treaty of Alliance in Paris.

In 1788, Massachusetts became the sixth state to ratify the U.S. Constitution.

In 1933, the 20th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, the so-called “lame duck” amendment, was proclaimed in effect by Secretary of State Henry Stimson.

In 1952, Britain’s King George VI, 56, died at Sandringham House in Norfolk, England; he was succeeded as monarch by his 25-year-old elder daughter, who became Queen Elizabeth II.

In 1968, the Winter Olympic Games were opened in Grenoble, France, by French President Charles de Gaulle.

In 1987, Wall Street Journal reporter Gerald Seib (syb) was released after being detained six days by Iran, accused of being a spy for Israel; Iran said the detention was a result of misunderstandings.

In 1991, comedian and television performer Danny Thomas died in Los Angeles at age 79.

In 1993, tennis Hall of Famer and human rights advocate Arthur Ashe died in New York at age 49.

In 1998, President Bill Clinton signed a bill changing the name of Washington National Airport to Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport. Pop music star Falco, who had a 1986 hit with “Rock Me Amadeus,” died in a traffic accident in the Dominican Republic; he was 40. Carl Wilson, a founding member of The Beach Boys, died in Los Angeles at age 51.

In 2000, first lady Hillary Rodham Clinton launched her successful candidacy for the U.S. Senate.

In 2003, Edging closer to war, President George W. Bush declared “the game is over” for Saddam Hussein and urged skeptical allies to join in disarming Iraq. ABC’s “20/20” aired a British documentary, “Living With Michael Jackson,” in which the King of Pop revealed he sometimes let children sleep in his bed.

In 2008, the Bush White House defended the use of the interrogation technique known as waterboarding, saying it was legal _ not torture as critics argued _ and had saved American lives. The Phoenix Suns acquired Shaquille O’Neal in a stunning blockbuster deal that sent four-time All-Star Shawn Marion and Marcus Banks to the Miami Heat.

Ten years ago: Key senators and the White House reached tentative agreement on an economic stimulus measure at the heart of President Barack Obama’s recovery plan. Federal health officials said Peanut Corp. of America, a Georgia peanut processor, had knowingly shipped salmonella-laced products as far back as 2007. Death claimed actors James Whitmore at age 87 and Philip Carey at age 83.

Five years ago: House Speaker John Boehner all but ruled out passage of immigration legislation before the fall elections. A suicide bomber blew himself up at the gates of a Syrian prison and rebels stormed in behind him, freeing hundreds of inmates. Jay Leno said goodbye to NBC’s “The Tonight Show” for the second time, making way for Jimmy Fallon to take over as host. Baseball Hall of Famer Ralph Kiner, 91, died in Rancho Mirage, California. Former U.S. poet laureate Maxine Kumin died in Warner, New Hampshire, at age 88.

One year ago: Casino mogul Steve Wynn resigned as chairman and CEO of Wynn Resorts amid sexual misconduct allegations. SpaceX’s big new rocket blasted off from the Kennedy Space Center on its first test flight, carrying a red sports car on a route that would take it to the asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter. Poland’s president signed legislation making it a crime to blame Poland for Holocaust crimes committed by Nazi Germany.

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