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This day in history

Friday, Feb. 7, is the 38th day of 2014. There are 327 days left in the year.

Birthdays: Author Gay Talese is 82. Actor Miguel Ferrer is 59. Actor James Spader is 54. Country singer Garth Brooks is 52. Actor-comedian Eddie Izzard is 52. Actor-comedian Chris Rock is 49. Actor Ashton Kutcher is 36.

In 1795, the 11th Amendment to the US Constitution, dealing with states’ sovereign immunity, was ratified.

In 1812, author Charles Dickens was born in Landport, Portsmouth, England.

In 1904, a fire began in Baltimore that raged for about 30 hours and destroyed more than 1,500 buildings.

In 1944, Bing Crosby and the John Scott Trotter Orchestra recorded ‘‘Swinging on a Star’’ for Decca Records in Los Angeles.

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In 1948, General Dwight D. Eisenhower resigned as Army chief of staff; he was succeeded by General Omar Bradley.

In 1962, President Kennedy imposed a full trade embargo on Cuba.

In 1964, the Beatles began their first American tour as they arrived at New York’s JFK Airport, where they cracked wise during a chaotic press conference while thousands of their fans were jammed inside the terminal.

In 1974, the island nation of Grenada won independence from Britain.

In 1984, space shuttle Challenger astronauts Bruce McCandless II and Robert L. Stewart went on the first untethered space walk, which lasted nearly six hours.

In 1999, Jordan’s King Hussein died of cancer at age 63; he was succeeded by his eldest son, Abdullah.