Today in History.....November 30

On this day in …

* 1782, the United States and Britain signed preliminary peace articles in Paris, ending the Revolutionary War

* 1803, Spain completed the process of ceding Louisiana to France, which had sold it to the United States

* 1804, Supreme Court Justice Samuel Chase went on trial, accused of political bias. (He was acquitted by the Senate.)

* 1936, London's famed Crystal Palace, constructed for the International Exhibition of 1851, was destroyed in a fire

* 1939, the Russo-Finnish War began as Soviet troops invaded Finland

* 1981, the United States and the Soviet Union opened negotiations in Geneva aimed at reducing nuclear weapons in Europe

* 1993, President Clinton signed into law the Brady bill, which requires a five-day waiting period for handgun purchases and background checks of prospective buyers

* 1995, President Clinton became the first U.S. chief executive to visit Northern Ireland, where he implored Roman Catholics and Protestants alike not to surrender to the impulses of "old habits and hard grudges."

* 2004, Homeland Security Secretary Tom Ridge announced his resignation. ALSO: President Bush tried to repair strained U.S.-Canada relations during a visit to Ottawa. "Jeopardy!" fans got to see Ken Jennings end his 74-game winning streak as he lost to real estate agent Nancy Zerg