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Today is Monday, Feb. 11, the 42nd day of 2002. There are 323 days left in the year. 

Today’s Highlight in History: On Feb. 11, 1861, President-elect Lincoln departed Springfield, Ill., for Washington. 

On this date: 

In 1812, Massachusetts Gov. Elbridge Gerry signed a redistricting law favoring his party — giving rise to the term “gerrymandering.” 

In 1847, American inventor Thomas Alva Edison was born in Milan, Ohio. 

In 1929, the Lateran Treaty was signed, with Italy recognizing the independence and sovereignty of Vatican City. 

In 1937, a sit-down strike against General Motors ended, with the company agreeing to recognize the United Automobile Workers Union. 

In 1945, President Franklin Roosevelt, British Prime Minister Winston Churchill and Soviet leader Josef Stalin signed the Yalta Agreement during World War II. 

In 1972, McGraw-Hill Publishing Co. and Life magazine canceled plans to publish what had turned out to be a fake autobiography of reclusive billionaire Howard Hughes. 

In 1979, followers of Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini seized power in Iran. 

In 1989, the Rev. Barbara C. Harris became the first woman consecrated as a bishop in the Episcopal Church, in a ceremony held in Boston. 

In 1990, South African black activist Nelson Mandela was freed after 27 years in captivity. 

In 1993, President Clinton announced his choice of Miami prosecutor Janet Reno to be the nation’s first female attorney general. 

Ten years ago: Secretary of State James A. Baker III, on a tour of six former Soviet republics, visited Armenia, where he heard an appeal from the republic’s president for U.S. help in resolving a bloody feud with neighboring Azerbaijan. 

Five years ago: In a display of bipartisan unity, President Clinton and congressional leaders agreed to focus the new Congress on balancing the budget and other issues ranging from cutting taxes to solving the capital city’s myriad problems. Space shuttle Discovery was launched on a mission to service the Hubble Space Telescope. 

One year ago: Two space commanders opened the door to Destiny, the American-made science laboratory attached the day before to the international space station. The East NBA All-Stars defeated the West squad, 111-to-110. Three Rivers Stadium in Pittsburgh was demolished to clear the way for new separate baseball and football stadiums nearby. 

Today’s Birthdays: Author Sidney Sheldon is 85. Former Treasury Secretary Lloyd Bentsen is 81. Actor Leslie Nielsen is 76. Actor Conrad Janis is 74. Actress Tina Louise is 68. Actor Burt Reynolds is 66. Songwriter Gerry Goffin is 63. Singer Bobby “Boris” Pickett is 62. Bandleader Sergio Mendes is 61. Rhythm-and-blues singer Otis Clay is 60. Utah Gov. Mike Leavitt is 51. Actor Philip Anglim is 49. Actress Catherine Hickland is 46. Actress Carey Lowell is 41. Singer Sheryl Crow is 40. Actress Jennifer Aniston is 33.