TODAY IN HISTORY

TODAY IS FRIDAY, FEB. 2, the 33rd day of 2018. There are 332 days left in the year. This is Groundhog Day.

TODAY’S HIGHLIGHT IN HISTORY:

On this date in 1943, the remainder of the Nazi forces in Stalingrad surrendered in a major victory for the Soviets in World War II.

In 1536,

present-day Buenos Aires, Argentina, was founded by Pedro de Mendoza of Spain.

In 1653,

New Amsterdam — now New York City — was incorporated.

In 1848,

the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo, ending the Mexican-American War, was signed.

In 1887,

Punxsutawney, Pa., held its first Groundhog Day festival.

In 1914,

Charles Chaplin made his movie debut as the comedy short “Making a Living” was released by Keystone Film Co. The musical “Shameen Dhu,” featuring the song “Too Ra Loo Ra Loo Ral,” opened on Broadway.

In 1925,

the legendary Alaska Serum Run ended as the last of a series of dog mushers brought a life-saving treatment to Nome, the scene of a diphtheria epidemic, six days after the drug left Nenana.

In 1932,

Duke Ellington and His Orchestra recorded “It Don’t Mean a Thing (If It Ain’t Got That Swing)” for Brunswick Records.

In 1959,

public schools in Arlington and Norfolk, Va., were racially desegregated without incident.

In 1964,

Ranger 6, a lunar probe launched by NASA, crashed onto the surface of the moon as planned, but failed to send back any TV images.

In 1971,

Idi Amin, having seized power in Uganda, proclaimed himself president.

In 1988,

President Ronald Reagan pressed his case for additional aid to the Nicaraguan Contras a day ahead of a vote by the U.S. House of Representatives. (The three major broadcast TV networks declined to carry the speech, which was covered by CNN; a divided House voted to reject Reagan’s request for $36.2 million in new aid.)

In 1990,

in a dramatic concession to South Africa’s black majority, President F.W. de Klerk lifted a ban on the African National Congress and promised to free Nelson Mandela.

TODAY’S BIRTHDAYS:

Former French President Valery Giscard d’Estaing is 92. Actor Robert Mandan is 86. Comedian Tom Smothers is 81. Rock singerguitarist Graham Nash and television executive Barry Diller are 76. Actor Bo Hopkins is 74. Country singer Howard Bellamy (The Bellamy Brothers) is 72. TV chef Ina Garten is 70. Actors Jack McGee and Brent Spiner, and rock musician Ross Valory (Journey) are 69. Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, and the former president of South Korea, Park Geun-hye, are 66. Model Christie Brinkley is 64. Actor Michael Talbott and actress Kim Zimmer are 63. Actor Michael T. Weiss is 56. Actor-comedian Adam Ferrara and rock musician Robert DeLeo (Army of Anyone; Stone Temple Pilots) are 52. Actress Jennifer Westfeldt is 48. Rock musician Ben Mize is 47. Rapper T-Mo is 46. Actress Marissa Jaret Winokur is 45. Actress Lori Beth Denberg and rock musician Jesse Siebenberg (Lukas Nelson & Promise of the Real) are 42. Singer Shakira is 41. Actor Rich Sommer is 40. Country singer Blaine Larsen is 32. Actress Zosia Mamet is 30.