Today's Highlight in History:
On February 7th, 1943, the government announced that shoe rationing¹（定量配给） would go into effect（生效） in two days, limiting consumers to buying three pairs per person for the remainder of（余下的岁月里） the year.

On this date:
In 1812, author Charles Dickens was born in Portsmouth, England.

In 1904, a fire began in Baltimore that raged（发怒，狂暴） for about 30 hours and destroyed more than 1500 buildings.

In 1936, President Roosevelt authorized² a flag for the office of the vice³ president.

In 1944, during World War Two, the Germans launched a counteroffensive（反击，反攻） at Anzio, Italy.

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

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

In 1964, The Beatles began their first American tour as they arrived at New York's John F. Kennedy International Airport.

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

In 1984, space shuttle astronauts Bruce McCandless the Second and Robert L. Stewart went on the first untethered（解下绳或链） space walk.

In 1986, Haitian President-for-Life Jean-Claude Duvalier fled his country, ending 28 years of his family's rule.

Ten years ago: The Soviet⁴ Union's Communist Party agreed to let alternative political parties compete for control of the country, thereby⁵ giving up its monopoly（垄断，专卖） on power. An 811-foot tanker⁶, the "American Trader," spilled（溢出，溅出） hundreds of thousands of gallons of Alaskan crude oil（原油） off the coast of Huntington Beach, California.

Five years ago: Ramzi Yousef, the alleged⁷ mastermind（策划者，操纵者） of the World Trade Center bombing, was arrested in Islamabad, Pakistan, after two years as a fugitive⁸.

One year ago: Jordan's King Hussein died of cancer at age 63; he was succeeded by his eldest⁹ son, Abdullah. NASA launched the "Stardust" spacecraft on a mission to chase a comet in hopes of collecting a sample of comet dust.