Today in history

In 1782 the United States and Britain signed preliminary peace articles in Paris, ending the Revolutionary War.

In 1936 flames destroyed London’s Crystal Palace, which had been built for the International Exhibition of 1851.

In 1954 Elizabeth Hodges, of Sylacauga, Ala., was slightly injured when an 8

1⁄2 -pound meteorite crashed through the roof of her house.

In 1966 the former British Caribbean colony of Barbados became independent.

In 1981 the United States and the Soviet Union opened negotiations in Geneva aimed at reducing nuclear weapons in Europe.

In 1982 the Michael Jackson album “Thriller” was released by Epic Records.

In 1993 President Bill Clinton signed into law the Brady Bill, which requires a five-day waiting period for handgun purchases and background checks of prospective buyers.

In 1994 rapper Tupac Shakur was shot and wounded in a New York recording studio in an apparent robbery. (Shakur was killed in a drive-by shooting in Las Vegas in 1996.)

In 1995 President Bill Clinton became the first U.S. chief executive to visit Northern Ireland.

In 1996 Tiny Tim, the 1960s novelty singer best remembered for his rendition of “Tiptoe Through the Tulips,” died in Minneapolis.