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Today is Saturday, Feb. 9, the 40th day of 2002. There are 325 days left in the year. 

Today’s Highlight in History: 

On Feb. 9, 1943, the World War II battle of Guadalcanal in the southwest Pacific ended with an American victory over Japanese forces. 

On this date: 

In 1773, the ninth president of the United States, William Henry Harrison, was born in Charles City County, Va. 

In 1825, the House of Representatives elected John Quincy Adams president after no candidate received a majority of electoral votes. 

In 1861, the Provisional Congress of the Confederate States of America elected Jefferson Davis president and Alexander H. Stephens vice president. 

In 1870, the U.S. Weather Bureau was established. 

In 1942, the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff held its first formal meeting to coordinate military strategy during World War II. 

In 1942, daylight-saving “War Time” went into effect in the United States, with clocks turned one hour forward. 

In 1950, in a speech in Wheeling, W.Va., Sen. Joseph McCarthy, R-Wis., charged the State Department was riddled with Communists. 

In 1962, an agreement was signed to make Jamaica an independent nation within the British Commonwealth later in the year. 

In 1971, the Apollo 14 spacecraft returned to Earth after man’s third landing on the moon. 

In 1984, Soviet leader Yuri V. Andropov died at age 69, less than 15 months after succeeding Leonid Brezhnev; he was succeeded by Konstantin U. Chernenko. 

Ten years ago: The government of Algeria declared a state of emergency to quell spreading Muslim fundamentalist unrest. Magic Johnson returned to professional basketball by playing in the NBA All-Star game. (Johnson was named most valuable player as his side, the Western Conference, defeated the Eastern Conference 153-to-113.) 

Five years ago: Best Products closed the last of its stores, a victim of the diminishing allure of the catalog showroom concept of retailing. The East beat the West in the NBA All-Star game, 132-to-120. 

One year ago: A U.S. Navy submarine collided with a Japanese fishing boat off the Hawaiian coast, killing nine men and boys aboard the boat. 

Today’s Birthdays: Actress Kathryn Grayson is 80. Television journalist Roger Mudd is 74. Actress Janet Suzman is 63. Singer-songwriter Carole King is 60. Actor Joe Pesci is 59. Singer Barbara Lewis is 59. Author Alice Walker is 58. Actress Mia Farrow is 57. Singer Joe Ely is 55. Actress Judith Light is 53. Rhythm-and-blues musician Dennis “DT” Thomas (Kool & the Gang) is 51. Actor Charles Shaughnessy (“The Nanny”) is 47. Country singer Travis Tritt is 39. Actress Julie Warner (“Family Law”) is 37. Country singer Danni Leigh is 32. Actor David Gallagher is 17. Actress Marina Malota is 14.