TODAY IN HISTORY

Monday, December  19, 2011 AP Highlight in History:  On Dec. 19, 1998, President Bill Clinton was impeached by the House of Representatives for perjury and obstruction of justice. (He was later acquitted by the Senate.)   AP Photo/Susan Walsh
On this date in: 1732 Benjamin Franklin began publishing "Poor Richard's Almanac." 1776 Thomas Paine published his first "American Crisis" essay, writing: "These are the times that try men's souls." 1777 Gen. George Washington led his army of about 11,000 men to Valley Forge, Pa., to camp for the winter. 1843 Charles Dickens' Yuletide tale, "A Christmas Carol," was first published in Britain. 1907 A coal mine explosion in Jacobs Creek, Pa., killed 239 workers. 1946 War broke out in Indochina as troops under Ho Chi Minh launched widespread attacks against the French. 1972 Apollo 17 splashed down in the Pacific, ending the Apollo program of manned lunar landings. 1974 Nelson A. Rockefeller was sworn in as vice president, replacing Gerald R. Ford, who became president when Richard M. Nixon resigned. AP Photo 1984 Britain and China signed an accord returning Hong Kong to Chinese sovereignty in 1997. 1986 The Soviet Union announced it had freed dissident Andrei Sakharov from internal exile and pardoned his wife, Yelena Bonner. 1997 "Titanic," the second highest-grossing movie of all-time, opened in American theaters. 2000 The U.N. Security Council voted to impose broad sanctions on Afghanistan's Taliban rulers unless they closed terrorist training camps and surrendered U.S. embassy bombing suspect Osama bin Laden. 2003 Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi agreed to halt his nation's drive to develop nuclear and chemical weapons. 2005 Afghanistan's first democratically elected parliament in more than three decades convened.		Video Highlights of This Day in History Today's Birthdays: Actor Jake Gyllenhaal turns 31 years old today. AP Photo/Evan Agostini Name Profession Age Cicely Tyson Actress 78 Al Kaline Baseball Hall of Famer 77 Maurice White R&B musician (Earth, Wind and Fire) 70 James Jones Former national security adviser 68 Elaine Joyce Actress 68 Richard E. Leakey Palaeontologist 67 Alvin Lee Rock singer (Ten Years After) 67 Tim Reid Actor ("WKRP in Cincinnati") 67 Rob Portman U.S. senator, R-Ohio 56 Kevin McHale Basketball Hall of Famer 54 Mike Lookinland Actor ("The Brady Bunch") 51 Randall McDaniel Football Hall of Famer 47 Criss Angel Magician 44 Kristy Swanson Actress 42 Amy Locane Actress 40 Alyssa Milano Actress ("Charmed," "Who's the Boss?") 39 Warren Sapp Football player 39 Lady Sovereign Rapper 26 Actress Jennifer Beals turns 48 years old today. AP Photo/Peter Kramer