• In 1782, the United States and Britain signed preliminary peace articles in Paris to end the Revolutionary War; the Treaty of Paris was signed in September 1783.
• In 1803, Spain completed the process of ceding Louisiana to France, which had previously sold it to the United States.
• In 1874, British statesman Sir Winston Churchill was born at Blenheim Palace in Woodstock, England.
• In 1981, the United States and the Soviet Union initiated negotiations in Geneva aimed at reducing nuclear weapons in Europe.
• In 1982, the motion picture “Gandhi,” featuring Ben Kingsley as the Indian nationalist leader, had its world premiere in New Delhi.
• In 1993, President Bill Clinton signed the Brady Bill, mandating a five-day waiting period for handgun purchases and background checks of prospective buyers.
• In 2000, Al Gore’s legal team fought for his political survival in the Florida and U.S. Supreme Courts; simultaneously, GOP lawmakers in Tallahassee moved to potentially award the presidency to George W. Bush by appointing their slate of electors in case the courts did not decide.
• In 2004, “Jeopardy!” fans witnessed Ken Jennings end his 74-game winning streak as he lost to real estate agent Nancy Zerg.
• In 2010, the Obama administration announced that all 197 airlines flying to the U.S. had started collecting names, genders, and birth dates of passengers for government checks against terror watch lists before boarding flights.
• In 2011, an Arizona jury sentenced convicted “Baseline Killer” Mark Goudeau (goo-DOH’) to death for killing nine people in the Phoenix area. (He remains on death row.)
• In 2012, Israel approved the construction of 3,000 homes in Jewish settlements on occupied lands, sparking swift condemnation from the Palestinians a day after their successful bid for recognition by the United Nations.
• In 2017, House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi called on veteran Democratic congressman John Conyers to resign amid multiple accusations of sexual misconduct. (Conyers resigned five days later.)
• In 2018, former President George H.W. Bush, a World War II hero who ascended through the political ranks to the nation’s highest office, passed away at his Houston home at the age of 94. His wife of over 70 years, Barbara Bush, had previously died in April.
• In 2020, two battleground states, Wisconsin and Arizona, certified their presidential election tallies in favour of Joe Biden, even as President Donald Trump’s legal team continued to dispute the results.
• In 2021, a tragic event unfolded as 15-year-old sophomore Ethan Crumbley opened fire at a Michigan high school, resulting in the loss of four students’ lives and the injury of seven others.
• In 2022, House Democrats made history by electing Rep. Hakeem Jeffries as the first Black American to lead a major political party in Congress. This marked a significant transition as long-serving Speaker Nancy Pelosi and her team stepped aside.

Today’s Birthdays:

• Country singer-recording executive Jimmy Bowen is 86.
• Movie director Ridley Scott is 86.
• Screenwriter Geoffrey C. Ward is 83.
• Movie writer-director Terrence Malick is 80.
• Rock musician Roger Glover (Deep Purple) is 78.
• Playwright David Mamet (MA’-meht) is 76.
• Actor Mandy Patinkin is 71.
• Musician Shuggie Otis is 70.
• Country singer Jeannie Kendall is 69.
• Singer Billy Idol is 68.
• Historian Michael Beschloss is 68.
• Rock musician John Ashton (The Psychedelic Furs) is 66.
• Comedian Colin Mochrie is 66.
• Former football and baseball player Bo Jackson is 61.
• Rapper Jalil (Whodini) is 60.
• Actor-director Ben Stiller is 58.
• Rock musician Mike Stone is 54.
• Music producer Steve Aoki is 46.
• Singer Clay Aiken is 45.
• Actor Billy Lush is 42.
• Actor Elisha Cuthbert is 41.
• Actor Kaley Cuoco (KWOH’-koh) is 38.
• Model Chrissy Teigen is 38.
• Actor Christel Khalil is 36.
• Actor Rebecca Rittenhouse is 35.
• Actor Adelaide Clemens is 34.
• World chess champion Magnus Carlsen is 33.
• Actor Tyla Harris is 23.