TODAY IN HISTORY

Friday, December  09, 2011 AP Highlight in History:  On Dec. 9, 1990, Solidarity founder Lech Walesa was elected president of Poland.   AP Photo
On this date in: 1608 Poet John Milton was born in London. 1854 The poem "The Charge of the Light Brigade" by Alfred, Lord Tennyson, was published in England. 1907 Christmas seals went on sale for the first time, at the Wilmington, Del., post office. The proceeds went to fight tuberculosis. 1940 British troops opened their first major offensive in North Africa during World War II. 1941 China declared war on Japan, Germany and Italy. 1958 The anti-Communist John Birch Society was formed in Indianapolis. 1975 President Gerald R. Ford signed a $2.3 billion seasonal loan authorization to prevent New York City from having to default. 1992 Britain's Prince Charles and Princess Diana announced their separation. 1993 The Air Force destroyed the first of 500 Minuteman II missile silos marked for elimination under an arms control treaty. AP Photo/Cliff Schiappa 1995 Rep. Kweisi Mfume, D-Md., was chosen to head the NAACP. AP Photo/Reginald Pearman 2000 The U.S. Supreme Court ordered a temporary halt in the Florida presidential vote count. 2002 United Airlines filed the biggest bankruptcy in aviation history after losing $4 billion in the previous two years. 2004 Canada's Supreme Court ruled that gay marriage was constitutional. 2008 Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich was arrested on suspicion of scheming to sell Barack Obama's vacant Senate seat for cash or a job for himself in the new administration. (Blagojevich was convicted of lying to the FBI; he awaits re-trial on 23 other charges.)		Video Highlights of This Day in History Today's Birthdays: Actor Kirk Douglas turns 95 years old today. AP Photo/Charles Sykes Name Profession Age Dick Van Patten Actor ("Eight is Enough") 83 Buck Henry Actor, writer 81 Judi Dench Actress 77 Deacon Jones Football Hall of Famer 73 Beau Bridges Actor 70 Dick Butkus Football Hall of Famer 69 Tom Daschle Former U.S. senator, D-S.D. 64 Tom Kite Golfer 62 Joan Armatrading Rock singer 61 John Malkovich Actor 58 Donny Osmond Singer 54 Mario Cantone Comedian 52 Felicity Huffman Actress ("Desperate Housewives") 49 Jakob Dylan Rock musician (Wallflowers) 42 Kara DioGuardi Songwriter, TV personality ("American Idol") 41 Tre Cool Rock musician (Green Day) 39 Canibus Rapper 37 Jesse Metcalfe Actor 33 Simon Helberg Actor ("The Big Bang Theory") 31 Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, D-N.Y., turns 45 years old today. AP Photo/Don Heupel