Today is Thursday, February 4, the thirty fifth day of 2005.
There are 330 days left in the year.
Highlights in history on this date:
1783 - Britain declares a formal cessation of hostilities with its former colonies - the United States of America.
1789 - George Washington is elected president of the United States.
1887 - The Interstate Commerce Commission is established to regulate the transport of passengers and goods across state lines by land and water.
1899 - Filipinos stage revolt against United States because independence is not granted.
1922 - Japan agrees to restore Shantung to China. 1938 - Adolf Hitler assumes office of German war minister and names Joachim von Ribbentrop foreign minister.
1945 - U.S. President Franklin Roosevelt, British Prime Minister Winston Churchill and Soviet leader Josef Stalin begin a wartime conference at Yalta.
1948 - Ceylon - now Sri Lanka - becomes self-governing dominion in British Commonwealth.
1969 - China's representative in the Netherlands, Liao Ho-Shu, arrives in United States and requests political asylum.
1970 - U.S. President Richard Nixon orders all federal agencies to stop polluting the air and water.
1972 - Britain and nine other nations recognize East Pakistan as independent nation of Bangladesh.
1990 - Terrorists ambush bus carrying Israeli tourists in Egypt, killing nine people and wounding 20.
1995 - Chechen rebels shoot down first Russian jet fighter of the war, downing an Su-25 with anti-aircraft guns not far from Grozny.
1997 - In Israel's worst-ever military air accident, 73 soldiers die when two CH-53 Sikorsky transport helicopters ferrying elite troops to Lebanon collide in heavy fog and rain.
1999 - A Russian project to reflect a beam of sunlight from orbit onto dark cities on Earth is foiled when the mirror fails to unfurl properly.
2000 - Despite international opposition, Austria's president swears in new government that includes right wingers loyal to Joerg Haider - a man known for praising aspects of the Nazi era.
2001 - Israel's powerful ultra-Orthodox religious bloc throws support behind hard-liner Ariel Sharon, giving another boost to the front-runner in election for prime minister.
Today's Birthdays:
Tadeusz Kosciuszko, Polish and American independence fighter (1746-1817) Friedrich Ebert, German president (1871-1925)
Fernand Leger, French painter (1881-1955)
Charles A Lindbergh, US aviation pioneer (1902-1974)
Isabel Peron, Argentine president (1931--)
Dan Quayle, US vice president (1947--)
Alice Cooper, US rock singer (1948--)
Clint Black, US country singer (1962--)
Urmila Matondkar, actress
Natalie Imbruglia, Australian singer (1975--)
