Today is Monday, Feb. 9, the 40th day of 2004. There are 326 days left in the year.

Today’s Highlight in History:

On Feb. 9, 1964, The Beatles made their first live American television appearance on “The Ed Sullivan Show” on CBS.

On this date:

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, the Provisional Congress of the Confederate States of America elected Jefferson Davis president and Alexander H. Stephens vice president.

In 1870, the U.S. Weather Bureau was established.

In 1943, the World War II battle of Guadalcanal in the southwest Pacific ended with an American victory over Japanese forces.

In 1950, in a speech in Wheeling, W.Va., Sen. Joseph McCarthy, R-Wis., charged the State Department was riddled with Communists.

In 1971, the Apollo 14 spacecraft returned to Earth after man’s third landing on the moon.

In 1984, 20 years ago, Soviet leader Yuri V. Andropov died at age 69, less than 15 months after succeeding Leonid Brezhnev; he was succeeded by Konstantin U. Chernenko.

In 2001, a U.S. Navy submarine collided with a Japanese fishing boat off the Hawaiian coast, killing nine men and boys aboard the boat.

In 2002, Britain’s Princess Margaret died in London at age 71.

Ten years ago: PLO leader Yasser Arafat and Israeli Foreign Minister Shimon Peres initialed an agreement on security measures that had been blocking implementation of a peace accord. NATO delivered an ultimatum to Bosnian Serbs to remove heavy guns encircling Sarajevo, or face air strikes. Hours before the ultimatum was issued, the Bosnian Serbs agreed to withdraw their artillery and mortars from around Sarajevo.

Five years ago: The Senate began closed-door deliberations in President Clinton’s impeachment trial, even though members from both parties acknowledged that the two-thirds margin for conviction could not be attained.

One year ago: President Bush told congressional Republicans at a policy conference 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. The leaders of Germany and Russia renewed their calls for a peaceful resolution in Iraq, restating their opposition to any U.S.-led war to disarm and oust Saddam Hussein. The U.S. Navy ended its last planned bombing exercises on Puerto Rico’s Vieques Island. The West beat the East 155-145 in the first double overtime game in NBA All-Star history.

Today’s Birthdays: Actress Kathryn Grayson is 82. Television journalist Roger Mudd is 76. Actress Janet Suzman is 65. Actress-politician Sheila James Kuehl (“The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis”) is 63. Singer-songwriter Carole King is 62. Actor Joe Pesci is 61. Singer Barbara Lewis is 61. Author Alice Walker is 60. Actress Mia Farrow is 59. Singer Joe Ely is 57. Actress Judith Light is 55. Rhythm and blues musician Dennis “DT” Thomas (Kool & the Gang) is 53. Actor Charles Shaughnessy is 49. Country singer Travis Tritt is 41. Actress Julie Warner is 39. Country singer Danni Leigh is 34. Actor Jason George (“Barbershop”) is 32. Actor David Gallagher is 19. Actress Marina Malota is 16. Actress Camille Winbush (“The Bernie Mac Show”) is 14.

Thought for Today: “If we knew where opinion ended and fact began, we should have discovered, I suppose, the absolute.” – Alec Waugh, English author (1898-1981).