On this date in history

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This is Thursday, Feb. 7, the 38th day of 2008 with 328 to follow.

The moon is new. The morning stars are Mercury, Venus, Jupiter and Saturn. The evening stars are Mars, Uranus and Neptune.

Those born on this date are under the sign of Capricorn. They include (JoAnn -ts4ms); (Rajidad -ts4ms); (Republiman -ts4ms); German astronomer Johannes Kepler in 1571; English engineer George Cayley, father of the science of aerodynamics, in 1773; French bacteriologist Louis Pasteur in 1822; actress Marlene Dietrich in 1901; news correspondent Cokie Roberts in 1943 (age 62); French actor Gerard Depardieu in 1948 (age 57); and former Mexican President Ernesto Zedillo Ponce de Leon in 1951 (age 54).






On this date in history:

In 1904, a massive fire, possibly started by a discarded cigarette, struck Baltimore, burning for 31 hours and destroying an 80-block downtown area. Miraculously no lives or homes were lost.

In 1915, D.W. Griffith's "Birth Of A Nation," a landmark in the history of cinema and the first American full-length motion picture, opened in Los Angeles and was immediately a smash hit though many found its treatment of race offensive.

In 1940, British railroads were nationalized.

In 1956, Autherine Lucy, the first black person admitted to the University of Alabama, was expelled after she accused school officials of conspiring in the riots that accompanied her court-ordered enrollment.

In 1964, the Beatles arrived in the United States for the first time and immediately set off a frantic wave of "Beatlemania."

In 1973, the U.S. Senate voted to set up a committee to investigate the break-in at the Democratic National Headquarters in Washington's Watergate complex.

In 1984, two U.S. shuttle astronauts made the first untethered space walk.

In 1986, both Ferdinand Marcos and challenger Corazon Aquino claimed victory in the Philippine presidential election.

Also in 1986, Haiti's President-for-Life Jean-Claude Duvalier fled to France.

In 1989, a U.S. State Department report on international human rights accused Israel of mishandling the Palestinian uprising in the occupied territories.

In 1991, Jean-Bertrand Aristide was inaugurated as Haiti's first democratically elected president in 186 years.

In 1993, another 13 women accused U.S. Sen. Bob Packwood of improper advances, bringing the total to 23 women who have said the Oregon Republican harassed them with unwelcome sexual overtures.

In 1995, the alleged "mastermind" in the 1993 bombing of New York's World Trade Center, Ramzi Ahmed Yousef, was arrested in Pakistan. He was extradited the next day.

In 1998, the Winter Olympics opened in Nagano, Japan.

In 1999, King Hussein of Jordan died following a battle with cancer. He was 63. Hussein had ruled Jordan for 46 years.

In 2003, Colombian rebels were blamed for a bomb explosion at a Bogota social club that killed more than 30 people and injured many others.

In 2005, rescuers reported no survivors among the 104 people aboard an Afghan airliner that crashed in the mountains near Kabul. It was Afghanistan's worst air disaster.

In 2006, some 2,000 California residents were forced to flee a major brush fire raging through an area near Anaheim.

In 2007, the U.S. military confirmed a twin-rotor Sea Knight transport helicopter crashed northwest of Baghdad, the fifth in 18 days. Seven died in the latest crash.


A thought for the day: Victor Hugo wrote, "An invasion of armies can be resisted, but not an idea whose time has come."

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Welcome back Ken. We missed you!

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Today is Friday, Feb. 8, the 39th day of 2008 with 327 to follow.

The moon is waxing. The morning stars are Venus, Mercury, Jupiter and Saturn. The evening stars are Mars, Uranus and Neptune.

Those born on this date are under the sign of Aquarius. They include (Carol C -ts4ms); (haywards heath-ts4ms) ;Civil War Gen. William Sherman in 1820; pioneer science fiction writer Jules Verne in 1828; Russian chemist Dmitri Mendeleyev, who devised the periodic table, in 1834; actress Edith Evans in 1888; film director King Vidor in 1894; Chester Carlson, inventor of the Xerox copying process, in 1906; actress Lana Turner in 1920; actors Jack Lemmon in 1925 and James Dean in 1931; composer/conductor John Williams in 1932 (age 76); television journalist Ted Koppel in 1940 (age 68); actor Nick Nolte in 1941 (age 67); comedian Robert Klein in 1942 (age 66); actress Mary Steenburgen in 1953 (age 55); author John Grisham in 1955 (age 53); and actor Gary Coleman in 1968 (age 40).





On this date in history:

In 1587, Mary Queen of Scots was beheaded, charged with conspiring to kill England's Queen Elizabeth I.

In 1725, Peter the Great, emperor of Russia, died and was succeeded by his wife, Catherine.

In 1910, the United States became the 12th nation to join the international scouting movement.

In 1940, Nazis shot every 10th person in two Polish villages near Warsaw in reprisal for the deaths of two German soldiers.

In 1974, three U.S. Skylab astronauts ended an 84-day orbital flight.

In 1987, a 60-day cease-fire ended between the Philippine army and communist rebels. Twenty-eight people died in truce violations.

In 1992, the Winter Olympics opened in Albertville, France.

In 1993, a chartered passenger plane collided with a military aircraft over the Iranian capital of Tehran, killing at least 132 people and strewing bodies across a military base as Iran celebrated Air Force Day.

Also in 1993, General Motors announced it was suing NBC-TV, contending the network rigged a demonstration crash showing a GM pickup truck with "sidesaddle" fuel tank exploding into flames.

In 1995, the U.N. Security Council voted unanimously to send 7,000 peacekeepers to Angola to maintain peace in the African nation.

In 2002, the Olympic Winter Games opened in Salt Lake City.

In 2003, Syria and Israel exchanged fire for the first time in 29 years in a dispute over a Syrian civilian killed in the demilitarized zone separating the two countries.

In 2004, U.S. President George Bush acknowledged in a TV interview that he might have been wrong in claiming before the war that Iraq had stockpiles of weapons of mass destruction. But, he said, "I expected to find the weapons."

Also in 2004, a published report said more than 10,000 civilians, many of them women and children, had been killed in the Iraqi conflict.

And in 2004 entertainment, the singer Beyonce was a five-time winner at the Grammy Awards, tying the record for most Grammys ever by a female artist.

In 2005, Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas declared a truce in hostilities.

In 2006, U.S. agents joined an investigation into a rash of arson incidents that damaged nine rural Alabama churches in five days.

Also in 2006, police opened fire on an Afghanistan mob protesting a series of published cartoons that depict the Prophet Mohammed, killing four protesters and raising the death toll there to 11.

And, an eight-year federal study said a low-fat diet doesn't decrease the risk of heart disease, cancer or stroke.

In 2007, Anna Nicole Smith, a 39-year-old actress, model and tabloid fixture, was found dead in a Hollywood, Fla., hotel. Her death was attributed to accidental sedative overdose.

Also in 2007, the warring Palestinian political factions, Hamas and Fatah, attempted to end the violence with a unity government.



A thought for the day: Booker T. Washington said, "Success is to be measured not so much by the position that one has reached in life as by the obstacles which he has overcome while trying to succeed."

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Today is Saturday, Feb. 9, the 40th day of 2008 with 326 to follow.

The moon is waxing. The morning stars are Venus, Mercury, Jupiter and Saturn. The evening stars are Mars, Uranus and Neptune.

Those born on this date are under the sign of Aquarius. They include William Henry Harrison, ninth president of the United States, in 1773; former Secretary of State Dean Rusk in 1909; exotic dancer Gypsy Rose Lee in 1914; Irish playwright Brendan Behan in 1923; actress Kathryn Grayson in 1922 (age 86); television journalist Roger Mudd in 1928 (age 80); singer Carole King in 1942 (age 66); author Alice Walker in 1944 (age 64); actors Joe Pesci in 1943 (age 65), Mia Farrow in 1945 (age 63), Judith Light in 1949 (age 59) and Charles Shaughnessy in 1955 (age 53); and country singer Travis Tritt in 1963 (age 45).


On this date in history:

In 1825, after no presidential candidate won the necessary majority, the House of Representatives elected John Quincy Adams the sixth president of the United States.

In 1900, the solid silver trophy known as the Davis Cup was first put up for competition when American collegian Dwight Filley Davis challenged British tennis players to compete against his Harvard team.

In 1943, in a major World War II strategic victory, the Allies retook Guadalcanal in the Solomon Islands from the Japanese.

In 1950, U.S. Sen. Joseph McCarthy, R-Wis., charged the U.S. State Department was infested with communists, touching off the infamous "McCarthy era."

In 1971, an earthquake shook Los Angeles and killed 64 people.

In 1984, Soviet President Yuri Andropov, in power 15 months, died at age 69.

In 1987, Robert McFarlane, former Reagan administration national security adviser, was hospitalized for an overdose of Valium just hours before he was to testify to a presidential commission about the Iran-Contra scandal.

In 1990, the U.S. stock of Perrier water was recalled because of levels of benzene in violation of EPA standards. The recall was later extended worldwide.

In 1991, Lithuanians overwhelmingly voted to secede from the Soviet Union in an independence plebiscite ruled illegal by Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev.

In 1992, 30 people were reported killed in Senegal in the crash of a plane chartered by Air Senegal for Club Mediterranean.

In 1993, violence erupted following the Dallas Cowboys' Super Bowl victory parade. Fourteen people were arrested.

In 1994, in Cairo, PLO chief Yasser Arafat and Israeli Foreign Minister Shimon Peres initialed an agreement that resolved some contentious issues in the Middle East peace talks.

In 1996, a bomb exploded in a London rail station, killing two and wounding 100. The IRA announced that the Northern Ireland cease-fire was over.

In 2001, nine people were killed when the U.S. submarine USS Greenville collided with a Japanese fishing boat off the coast of Hawaii. The accident took place during a surfacing drill.

In 2003, Egypt said the upcoming Arab League summit wouldn't ask Iraq's Saddam Hussein to step down as some Arab nations had urged. The Egyptian foreign minister said he didn't think any Arab country would "interfere in Iraq's internal affairs."

In 2005, hospitalized Pope John Paul II, recovering from flu-related respiratory problems, missed celebrating mass to begin Lent for the first time in 26 years.

In 2006, U.S. President George Bush said international cooperation had derailed a terrorist plot to fly an airplane into the 73-story Library Tower in Los Angeles.

In 2007, the Pentagon's inspector general told a U.S. Senate committee the Defense Department had tailored intelligence findings on Iraq to suit its audience. Committee Chairman Carl Levin, D-Mich., called it a "devastating condemnation" of the misuse of intelligence to justify the invasion of Iraq.



A thought for the day: U.S. President Lyndon B. Johnson said, "Yesterday is not ours to recover, but tomorrow is ours to win or lose."

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Today is Sunday, Feb. 10, the 41st day of 2008 with 325 to follow.

The moon is waxing. The morning stars are Venus, Mercury, Jupiter and Saturn. The evening stars are Mars, Uranus and Neptune.

Those born on this date are under the sign of Aquarius. They include journalist William Allen White in 1868; Russian author Boris Pasternak in 1890; entertainer Jimmy Durante in 1893; German dramatist Bertolt Brecht in 1898; actress Judith Anderson in 1897; actor Lon Chaney Jr. in 1906; operatic soprano Leontyne Price in 1927 (age 81); actor Robert Wagner in 1930 (age 78); singer Roberta Flack in 1937 (age 71); Olympic gold medal swimmer Mark Spitz in 1950 (age 58); and actress Laura Dern in 1967 (age 41).



On this date in history:

In 1763, the Treaty of Paris ended the Seven Years' War between Britain and Spain.

In 1897, the slogan "All The News That's Fit To Print" first appeared on page one of The New York Times.

In 1962, captured U-2 spy plane pilot Francis Gary Powers was returned to the United States by Russia in exchange for Soviet spy Rudolf Abel.

In 1964, 82 Australian sailors died when an aircraft carrier and a destroyer collided off New South Wales, Australia.

In 1984, Americans and other foreigners were evacuated from Beirut following the withdrawal of U.S. Marines from Lebanon.

In 1987, U.S. Surgeon General C. Everett Koop endorsed television advertising for condoms to help curb the spread of AIDS.

In 1991, ANC gunmen ambushed an Inkatha Freedom Party motorcade outside Pietermaritzburg, South Africa, killing 17 and wounding 29.

In 1992, an Indianapolis jury convicted former heavyweight boxing champion Mike Tyson in the rape of a beauty pageant contestant.

In 1993, U.S. President Bill Clinton moved to make good on a campaign pledge to cut the government. He announced a 100,000-person reduction in the federal work force over three years.

Also in 1993, a gang of more than 40 people ambushed two trucks in a mountainous region of Mexico, shooting to death at least 24 men in a drug-related family feud.

In 2003, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security issued national guidelines on preparing for an attack involving chemical, biological or radiological weapons.

In 2004, at least 43 people died in the crash of an Iranian civilian airplane near Sharjah airport the United Arab Emirates. There were three survivors.

In 2005, as North Korea boasted publicly for the first time that it had nuclear weapons, U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice urged the nation to return to disarmament talks.

Also in 2005, a previously undisclosed report from the U.S. Sept. 11 commission showed the risk of suicide aircraft attacks was known months prior to the 2001 assault.

And, Prince Charles, Britain's heir to the throne, announced plans to marry his companion of 35 years, Camilla Parker Bowles, in April.

In 2006, the Winter Olympic Games opened in Turin, Italy.

Also in 2006, former Haitian President Rene Preval appeared headed toward a first-round victory in the troubled nation's latest presidential elections.

And, the price for fixing the Hurricane Katrina-shredded roof of the New Orleans Superdome came to $32 million, more than twice the original estimate.

In 2007, U.S. Army Lt. Gen. David Petraeus assumed control of the U.S. forces in Iraq at a ceremony in Baghdad. He described his new job as "hard but not hopeless."

Also in 2007, Russian President Vladimir Putin warned the United States was provoking a new nuclear arms race as it destabilized relations by "an almost uncontained hyper-use of military force."


A thought for the day: "To keep your marriage brimming, / With love in the loving cup, / Whenever you're wrong, admit it; Whenever you're right, shut up." Ogden Nash said that.

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Today is Monday, Feb. 11, the 42nd day of 2008 with 324 to follow.

The moon is waxing. The morning stars are Venus, Mercury, Jupiter and Saturn. The evening stars are Mars, Uranus and Neptune.

Those born on this date are under the sign of Aquarius. They include Englishman William Talbot, a developer of photography, in 1800; inventor Thomas Edison in 1847; author Sidney Sheldon in 1917; King Farouk, Egypt's last monarch, in 1920; actors Kim Stanley in 1925, Leslie Nielsen in 1926 (age 82), Tina Louise in 1934 (age 74); former Florida Gov. and presidential son and brother Jeb Bush in 1953 (age 55); singer/songwriter Sheryl Crow in 1962 (age 46); actress Jennifer Aniston in 1969 (age 39); and singer/actress Brandy (Norwood) in 1979 (age 29).


On this date in history:

In 1858, French peasant girl Bernadette Soubirous said the Virgin Mary appeared to her at Lourdes.

In 1945, U.S. President Franklin Roosevelt, British Prime Minister Winston Churchill and Soviet leader Josef Stalin ended their wartime conference at Yalta.

In 1965, U.S. and South Vietnamese planes made the first bombing raids on North Vietnam.

n 1970, Japan put a satellite in space, following in the footsteps of the Soviet Union, the United States and France.

In 1987, Corazon Aquino was sworn in for a six-year presidential term under the new Philippine constitution.

In 1990, Nelson Mandela, leader of the movement to end South African apartheid, was released from prison after 27 years behind bars.

In 1992, one police officer was killed and four people injured in a terrorist attack on the U.S. ambassador's residence in Lima, Peru.

In 1993, British Prime Minister John Majors said Queen Elizabeth II will pay income tax on all her personal income as well as being subject to capital and inheritance levies.

In 1998, Olympic officials took away the gold medal of Canadian snowboarder Ross Rebagliati after he tested positive for a minute amount of marijuana. He blamed second-hand smoke. An arbitration panel restored his medal two days later.

Also in 1998, a U.S. judge ruled that pro golfer Casey Martin, who had trouble walking because of a circulatory disorder, was covered by the Disabilities Act and should be allowed to compete in PGA events with a golf cart.

In 2002, the Russian figure skating pair won the gold medal in the Winter Olympics over the overwhelming crowd favorite Canadian team but a judging controversy that grew into an international scandal prompted the International Skating Union to award a gold medal to the Canadians also.

In 2003, in an audiotape played on Arab TV, a man claiming to be Osama bin Laden called for suicide attacks against the United States and its supporters.

In 2004, the U.S. State Department warned U.S. citizens not to travel to Haiti and urged those already there and who could leave safely to do so.

Also in 2004, two suicide bombings in and near Baghdad killed a reported 100 Iraqis.

In 2005, the White House rejected North Korea's demand for bilateral talks over its nuclear weapons program.

Also in 2005, playwright Arthur Miller, a fiery moralist whose plays include "Death of a Salesman" and "The Crucible," died at the age of 89.

In 2006, U.S. Vice President Dick Cheney accidentally sprayed Texas lawyer Harry Whittington with about 200 pellets while hunting for quail, hitting his old friend in the face, neck and torso.

Also in 2006, U.S. adventurer Steve Fossett broke the solo flight record when he landed near Bournemouth, England, covering some 24,997 miles after taking off from Kennedy Space Center in Florida four days earlier.

In 2007, U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates told Congress that he will move U.S. troops "out of harm's way" if the surge of new soldiers in Iraq is unsuccessful.

Also in 2007, U.S. officials in Baghdad presented evidence that they said indicated the Iranian government was supplying Iraqi Shiite militants with weapons.

And, the Dixie Chicks, a country music trio whose members said they got death threats after criticizing U.S. President Bush, won five Grammy awards.



A thought for the day: "If we treat people as they ought to be, we help them become what they are capable of becoming." Johann Wolfgang von Goethe said that.

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Today is Tuesday, Feb. 12, the 43rd day of 2008 with 323 to follow.

The moon is waxing. The morning stars are Venus, Mercury, Jupiter, Neptune and Saturn. The evening stars are Mars and Uranus.

Those born on this date are under the sign of Aquarius. They include philanthropist Peter Cooper in 1791; Abraham Lincoln, 16th president of the United States, and biologist Charles Darwin, both in 1809; actor Lorne Greene in 1915; Italian film director Franco Zeffirelli in 1923 (age 85); baseball player and sports commentator Joe Garagiola in 1926 (age 82); actor Joe Don Baker in 1936 (age 72); author Judy Blume in 1938 (age 70); former Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak in 1942 (age 66); actresses Maud Adams in 1945 (age 63) and Joanna Kerns in 1953 (age 55); actor Arsenio Hall in 1955 (age 53); singer Chynna Phillips in 1968 (age 40); and actress Christina Ricci in 1980 (age 28).


On this date in history:

In 1877, Alexander Graham Bell's new invention, the telephone, was publicly demonstrated with a hookup between Boston and Salem, Mass.

In 1953, the Soviet Union broke off relations with Israel after terrorists bombed the Soviet legation in Tel Aviv, Israel.

In 1973, with first release of U.S. prisoners of war in North Vietnam, 116 POWs were flown from Hanoi to the Philippines.

In 1980, the International Olympic Committee rejected a U.S. proposal to postpone or cancel the 1980 Summer Games or move the site from Moscow as a protest against the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan.

In 1992, a state of emergency was declared after the third winter storm to hit Southern California triggered mudslides and flooding. At least four people were killed.

In 1993, about 5,000 demonstrators marched on Atlanta's State Capitol to protest the Confederate symbol on the Georgia state flag.

In 1997, The Washington Post reported the Chinese government might have channeled money to the Democratic National Committee in order to influence the Clinton administration.

In 1999, the U.S. Senate acquitted U.S. President Bill Clinton of impeachment charges.

In 2001, a NASA spacecraft landed on the asteroid EROS.

In 2002, the war crimes trial of former Serbian leader Slobodan Milosevic began at The Hague in the Netherlands.

In 2004, South Korean scientists announced they had created the world's first mature cloned human embryos.

Also in 2004, despite a state law defining marriage as a union between a man and a woman, San Francisco began issuing marriage licenses to same-sex couples. Thousands of couples applied.

In 2005, officials in Pakistan said the death toll from two weeks of torrential rains and snowstorms grew to 278. Water from a broken dam washed away at least five villages.

In 2006, Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, in a coma since suffering a massive stroke Jan. 4, underwent emergency surgery to remove about a third of his colon.

In 2007, a series of bombings, targeting crowded markets, killed at least 90 people in Baghdad as Shiite Muslims marked the first anniversary of a bombing of a major shrine in Samara.



A thought for the day: M.G. Siriam said, "Looking at the proliferation of personal Web pages on the 'Net, it looks like very soon everyone on Earth will have 15 megabytes of fame."

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This is Thursday, Feb. 14, the 45th day of 2007 with 321 to follow.

This is Valentine's Day.

The moon is waxing. The morning stars are Venus, Mercury, Jupiter, Neptune and Saturn. The evening stars are Mars and Uranus.

Those born on this date are under the sign of Aquarius. They (killerbee2-ts4ms); include suffrage leader Anna Howard Shaw in 1847; comedy legend Jack Benny in 1894; broadcaster Hugh Downs in 1921 (age 87); actress/singer Florence Henderson in 1934 (age 74); journalist Carl Bernstein in 1944 (age 64); dancer/actor Gregory Hines in 1946; magician Raymond Joseph Teller, of Penn and Teller, in 1948 (age 60); and actress Meg Tilly in 1960 (age 48).




On this date in history:

In 1849, James Polk became the first U.S. president to be photographed while in office. The photographer was Mathew Brady, who later became famous for his Civil War pictures.

In 1886, the West Coast citrus industry was born. The first trainload of oranges left Los Angeles for eastern markets.

In 1903, U.S. President Theodore Roosevelt signed a law creating the Department of Commerce and Labor.

In 1920, the League of Women Voters was formed in Chicago.

In 1929, in what became known as the "St. Valentine's Day Massacre," gunmen believed to be working for Prohibition-era crime lord Al Capone killed seven members of the rival George "Bugs" Moran gang in a Chicago garage.

In 1933, an eight-day bank holiday was declared in Michigan in a Depression-era move to avert a financial panic. A total of $50 million was rushed to Detroit to bolster bank assets.

In 1979, Iranian guerrillas stormed the U.S. Embassy in Tehran, trapping Ambassador William Sullivan and 100 staff members. Forces of the Ayatollah Khomeini later freed them but the incident foreshadowed the embassy takeover in November.

In 1989, Iranian leader Ayatollah Khomeini, offended by "The Satanic Verses," called on Muslims to kill its British author, Salman Rushdie. He offered a $1 million reward for Rushdie's death, sending the writer into hiding. In 1998, Tehran rescinded the death sentence.

In 1990, 90 people were killed and 56 injured in the crash of an Indian Airlines Airbus 320, about 50 yards short of the runway in Bangalore, India.

In 1992, the Bush administration denied lying about the fate of repatriated Haitians and asked the U.S. Supreme Court to reject efforts to stop the return of thousands of boat people.

In 1993, six people were killed in a modern Valentine's Day massacre in a Bronx, New York, neighborhood where area residents ignored the gunfire.

In 1994, a convicted serial killer who admitted killing 55 people was executed by firing squad in a Russian prison.

In 2003, Dolly, the cloned sheep, was euthanized by the Scottish scientists who brought her to controversial life six years earlier.

In 2004, at least 25 people died and close to 100 others were injured when a giant glass roof collapsed at the largest city water park in Moscow. Authorities suspected faulty construction.

Also in 2004, Iraqi insurgents overwhelmed a police station west of Baghdad, killing 23 people and freeing dozens of prisoners.

In 2005, former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri was assassinated. Eleven others died with him.

Also in 2005, a gas explosion inside a Chinese mine killed 214 people, the worst reported Chinese mining disaster since the 1949 communist revolution.

And, an estimated 59 people were killed and some 210 people were injured during a fire at a mosque in Iran.

In 2006, a senior Iranian nuclear official confirmed the country had resumed enriching uranium, considered a first step in nuclear production.

In 2007, U.S. Department of Defense records showed the number of Army recruits with criminal backgrounds had risen 65 percent in the past three years.


A thought for the day: Jerome K. Jerome said, "It is always the best policy to speak the truth, unless, of course, you are an exceptionally good liar."

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Today is Friday, Feb. 15, the 46th day of 2008 with 320 to follow.

The moon is waxing. The morning stars are Venus, Mercury, Jupiter, Neptune and Saturn. The evening stars are Mars and Uranus.

Those born on this date are under the sign of Aquarius. They include Italian astronomer and physicist Galileo Galilei in 1564; jeweler Charles Tiffany in 1812; feminist pioneer Susan B. Anthony in 1820; political leader and diplomat Elihu Root in 1845; philosopher and mathematician Alfred North Whitehead in 1861; songwriter Harold Arlen in 1905; actors John Barrymore in 1882, Cesar Romero in 1907, Harvey Korman in 1927 (age 81) and Claire Bloom in 1931 (age 77); astronaut Roger Chaffee, killed in a fire on the ground during a 1967 Apollo I test, in 1935; actress Marisa Berenson in 1947 (age 61); actress Jane Seymour and singer Melissa Manchester, both in 1951 (age 57); "Simpsons" cartoonist Matt Groening in 1954 (age 54); comedian Chris Farley in 1964; and actress Renee O'Connor in 1971 (age 37).


On this date in history:

In 1898, the U.S. battleship Maine exploded in Havana harbor, killing 260 crewmen and leading to a U.S. declaration of war against Spain.

In 1933, U.S. President-elect Franklin Roosevelt narrowly escaped assassination in Miami when a fanatic fired several bullets at him, fatally wounding Chicago Mayor Anton Cermak in the attack.

In 1942, the British bastion of Singapore surrendered to the Japanese army.

In 1965, Canada adopted a new national flag featuring a maple leaf emblem.

In 1982, the oil-drilling rig Ocean Ranger capsized and sank in a storm off Newfoundland. All 84 people aboard were lost.

In 1990, U.S. President George H.W. Bush had a drug summit in Colombia with the presidents of Colombia, Peru and Bolivia.

Also in 1990, Washington Mayor Marion Barry was indicted on eight counts of perjury and drug possession.

In 1991, Iraq announced that it was ready to withdraw from Kuwait but added a number of conditions, including Israel's return of the occupied territories.

Also in 1991, 100 people were killed when a tractor-trailer hauling dynamite overturned and exploded in Thailand.

In 1997, Tara Lipinski, 14, defeated defending women's champion Michelle Kwan to become the youngest U.S. Figure Skating Champion.

In 2002, discovery of a human skull in a wooded area near a crematory in Georgia led investigators to remains of more than 300 bodies that were to have been cremated but instead were stacked in sheds and in the woods.

In 2003, millions of people demonstrated against war in cities around the world, including New York, San Francisco, London, Paris and Berlin.

In 2004, two fires in eastern China killed a reported 90 people.

In 2005, a U.S. appeals court in Washington ruled that journalists have no First Amendment privilege to protect confidential sources.

In 2006, a U.S. House of Representatives report sharply criticized government response to the Hurricane Katrina disaster for what it called "mistakes, misjudgments, lapses and absurdities."

In 2007, the U.S. Senate averted a Washington showdown and a federal government shutdown by approving a $463.5 billion spending plan.



A thought for the day: Warren Miller said, "Don't take life seriously because you can't come out of it alive."

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Today is Saturday, Feb. 16, the 47th day of 2008 with 319 to follow.

The moon is waxing. The morning stars are Venus, Mercury, Jupiter, Neptune and Saturn. The evening stars are Mars and Uranus.

Those born on this date are under the sign of Aquarius. They include historian Henry Brooks Adams in 1838; orchestra leader Wayne King and actor Chester Morris, both in 1901; ventriloquist Edgar Bergen in 1903; singer Patty Andrews of the Andrews Sisters in 1918 (age 90); U.S. Rep. Sonny Bono, R-Calif., in 1935; actor William Katt in 1951 (age 57); actor/director LeVar Burton in 1957 (age 51); and former tennis star John McEnroe in 1959 (age 49).


On this date in history:

In 1923, archaeologists opened the treasure-laden tomb of Tutankhamen, "King Tut," in Egypt's Valley of the Kings.

In 1933, a patent for the synthetic fiber nylon was awarded to the DuPont Co.

In 1959, Fidel Castro was sworn in as Cuba's leader.

In 1986, Mario Soares was elected Portugal's first civilian head of state in 60 years.

In 1990, former U.S. President Ronald Reagan provided videotaped testimony for the Iran-Contra trial of former national security adviser John Poindexter.

In 1992, the chief of the Iranian-financed Hezbollah and two family members were killed in a bombing raid by Israel in an apparent retaliation for attacks against its soldiers.

Also in 1992, the Los Angeles Lakers retired the jersey number of Earvin "Magic" Johnson, who stepped down after contracting the AIDS virus.

In 1999, Germany announced that $1.7 billion would be set aside to compensate victims of the Holocaust.

Also in 1999, Northern Ireland's legislature approved the structure for a new executive government in the strife-torn province -- a major step toward implementing the 1998 Good Friday peace agreement.

In 2003, a massive storm hit the Northeastern United States resulting in record snowfall in several locations, including Boston, which caught 27.5 inches.

Also in 2003, North Korea celebrated the 61st birthday of President Kim Jong il with nationwide celebrations and a threat to "annihilate" the United States if attacked.

In 2004, a draft survey showed U.S. children accused more than 4,000 Roman Catholic priests of sexual abuse in the years between 1950 and 2002.

In 2005, The National Hockey League canceled its entire season after a five-month lockout.

Also in 2005, a new survey said China had become the world's biggest consumer of agricultural and industrial goods, except for oil, in which the United States still had the lead.

In 2006, former Haitian President Rene Preval was declared winner of the Feb. 7 presidential election in Haiti.

Also in 2006, the U.N. Commission on Human Rights called on the U.S. government to "close immediately the detention center in Guantanamo Bay."

In 2007, the U.S. House of Representatives ended four days of debate with a non-binding resolution rejecting U.S. President George Bush's plan to shore up troops in Iraq. But, the proposal failed to get enough votes to reach the floor in the Senate.


A thought for the day: it was Steve Wozniak who said, "Never trust a computer you can't throw out a window."

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Today is Sunday, Feb. 17, the 48th day of 2008 with 318 to follow.

The moon is waxing. The morning stars are Venus, Mercury, Jupiter, Neptune and Saturn. The evening stars are Mars and Uranus.

Those born on this date are under the sign of Aquarius. They include mail order retailer Aaron Montgomery Ward in 1843; engraver Frederick Ives in 1856; Texas oil millionaire H.L. Hunt in 1889; sportscaster Red Barber in 1908; author Margaret Truman Daniel, daughter of U.S. President Harry Truman, in 1924; actors Hal Holbrook in 1925 (age 83) and Alan Bates in 1934; pro football star-turned-actor Jim Brown in 1936 (age 72); actors Brenda Fricker in 1945 (age 63), Rene Russo in 1954 (age 54), Richard Karn ("Home Improvement") in 1959 (age 49) and Lou Diamond Phillips in 1962 (age 46); basketball superstar Michael Jordan in 1963 (age 45); and actor Joseph Gordon-Levitt ("3rd Rock from the Sun") in 1981 (age 27).


On this date in history:

In 1801, the U.S. House of Representatives chose Thomas Jefferson as the third president of the United States after he and Aaron Burr tied in the Electoral College. It took 35 House ballots before Jefferson won and Burr became vice president.

In 1817, Baltimore became the first U.S. city with gas-burning street lights.

In 1909, Apache leader Geronimo died while under military confinement at Fort Sill, Okla.

In 1979, "A Prairie Home Companion," hosted by Garrison Keillor, made its debut on National Public Radio.

In 1986, Johnson and Johnson halted production of all non-prescription drugs in capsules following the death of a Peekskill, N.Y., woman from cyanide-laced Extra-Strength Tylenol.

In 1993, in an address to a joint session of Congress, U.S. President Bill Clinton called on Americans to "summon the courage to seize the day" and implored the nation to adopt deep government cuts and tax hikes to renew the troubled economy.

In 1994, former U.S. Treasurer Catalina Vasquez Villalpando, pleaded guilty to obstructing the investigation of influence peddling at the Department of Housing and Urban Development in the 1980s.

In 1995, Jamaican immigrant Colin Ferguson was convicted of killing six passengers on a New York commuter train in December 1993.

In 2002, a series of raids by communist rebels left 137 dead in Nepal.

In 2003, when security guards used pepper spray to break up a fight at a packed Chicago social club the ensuing panic by patrons resulted in 21 deaths as the crowd stampeded for the exits.

In 2004, gay marriages continued in San Francisco in defiance of state law after two judges declined to rule on efforts to halt the practice.

In 2005, U.S. President George Bush nominated John Negroponte to be the first director of national intelligence.

In 2006, more than 1,000 people were believed killed in a mudslide that covered a village on Leyte in the central Philippines.

In 2007, a bomb exploded in a judge's chamber in southwestern Pakistan, killing the judge and 13 others.

Also in 2007, 22-year-old Prince Harry of England was ordered to the front lines in Iraq along with his British army unit. He didn't go, however, since his presence was deemed a potential danger to his unit.


A thought for the day: Aldous Huxley wrote, "Experience is not what happens to you; it's what you do with what happens to you."

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Today is Monday, Feb. 18, the 49th day of 2008 with 317 to follow.

This is Presidents Day in the United States.

The moon is waxing. The morning stars are Venus, Mercury, Jupiter, Neptune and Saturn. The evening stars are Mars and Uranus.

Those born on this date are under the sign of Aquarius. They include (ebram-ts4ms);( Laser1992-ts4ms);( jesuis1837-ts4ms); stained glass artist Louis Comfort Tiffany in 1848; Italian automaker Enzo Ferrari in 1898; actors Jack Palance in 1919 and George Kennedy in 1925 (age 83); author and magazine editor Helen Gurley Brown in 1922 (age 86); novelist Toni Morrison in 1931 (age 77); filmmaker Milos Forman in 1932 (age 76); Yoko Ono, widow of John Lennon, in 1933 (age 75); actress Cybill Shepherd in 1950 (age 58); actor John Travolta in 1954 (age 54); game show hostess Vanna White in 1957 (age 51); and actors Greta Scacchi in 1960 (age 48), Matt Dillon in 1964 (age 44) and Molly Ringwald in 1968 (age 40).





On this date in history:

In 1856, The American Party, also known as the "Know-Nothing Party," nominated its first presidential candidate, former U.S. President Millard Fillmore. But, he carried only Maryland and the party soon vanished.

In 1861, Jefferson Davis was sworn in as provisional president of the Confederate States of America.

In 1865, after a long siege, Union naval forces captured Charleston, S.C.

In 1930, Pluto, once identified as the ninth planet of the solar system, was discovered by astronomer Clyde Tombaugh.

In 1967, J. Robert Oppenheimer, the "father of the atomic bomb," died in Princeton, N.J., at the age of 62.

In 1991, one person was killed and 40 more injured when the IRA bombed two railroad stations in central London.

In 1993, a ferry carrying more than 800 people capsized off Haiti's western coast, killing at least 150 people and leaving several hundred more missing and presumed drowned.

In 2001, a 25-year veteran of the FBI, Robert Hanssen, was arrested at a park near his suburban Washington home and charged with spying for the Russians.

Also in 2001, Dale Earnhardt Sr., stock-car racing's top driver, was killed in a crash in the final turn of the final lap of the Daytona 500. He was 49.

In 2003, around 200 people died and many more were hurt in a South Korea subway fire set by a man authorities say apparently was upset at his doctors.

In 2004, 40 chemical and fuel-laden runaway rail cars derailed in northeastern Iran, producing a massive explosion that killed at least 265 people.

In 2005, a panel of experts voted to advise the FDA that popular painkillers Celebrex, Bextra and Vioxx can cause heart problems.

Also in 2005, at least four blasts rocked Baghdad as Shiites began observing the holy period of Ashura, killing at least 20 people. Dozens more Iraqis died in similar attacks the next day.

In 2006, the militant Hamas party took over the Palestinian legislature as a result of the January election.

Also in 2006, a reported 16 people died in rioting in Nigeria over published cartoons of the prophet Mohammed that had enraged Muslims around the world, coming one week after deadly riots in Libya and Pakistan despite pleas for calm from Muslim governments.

In 2007, an explosion on a train in northern India and the resulting fire killed 66 people and injured more than 50 others. India's railways minister called it "an act of terrorism."

A thought for the day: George Washington said, "Happiness and moral duty are inseparably connected."

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Today is Tuesday, Feb. 19, the 50th day of 2008 with 316 to follow.

The moon is waxing. The morning stars are Venus, Mercury, Jupiter, Neptune and Saturn. The evening stars are Mars and Uranus.

Those born on this date are under the sign of Pisces. They include Polish astronomer Nicolaus Copernicus in 1473; British actor David Garrick in 1717; Romanian sculptor Constantin Brancusi in 1876; actress Merle Oberon in 1911; jockey Eddie Arcaro in 1916; novelist Carson McCullers in 1917; actor Lee Marvin in 1924; singers William "Smokey" Robinson in 1940 (age 68) and Lou Christie in 1943 (age 65); author Amy Tan in 1952 (age 57); actors Jeff Daniels in 1955 (age 53), Justine Bateman in 1966 (age 42) and Benicio Del Toro in 1967 (age 41); singer Seal in 1963 (age 45); and Britain's Prince Andrew in 1960 (age 48).


On this date in history:

In 1473, Nicolaus Copernicus, the father of modern astronomy, was born in Torun, a city in north-central Poland.

In 1807, Aaron Burr, a former U.S. vice president, was arrested in Alabama on charges of plotting to annex Spanish territory in Louisiana and Mexico to be used toward the establishment of an independent republic.

In 1878, Thomas Edison patented the first gramophone.

In 1922, vaudeville star Ed Wynn became the first big name in show business to sign for a regular radio show.

In 1942, as a security measure during World War II, the U.S. government began relocating Japanese-Americans living in coastal Pacific areas to internment camps located in remote areas of several states. They were allowed to return to their homes in January 1945.

In 1945, U.S. Marines landed on the island of Iwo Jima, opening one of the bloodiest battles in the Pacific during World War II.

In 1986, the U.S. Senate endorsed the U.N. convention against genocide, 37 years after U.S. President Harry Truman first sought approval of the accord.

In 1991, Russian Federation President Boris Yeltsin demanded the resignation of Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev.

In 1997, China's "paramount leader" Deng Xiaoping died at age 92.

In 2003, all 289 people aboard an Iranian military transport plane were killed when it crashed in a mountainous region of southeastern Iran.

In 2005, Iran was reported to be making ready for a possible U.S. attack or at least appearing to prepare for war to dissuade Washington from such an attack.

Also in 2005, U.S. Roman Catholic officials said they received 1,092 charges of clergy sex abuse, most involving boys.

In 2006, more than 1,000 people were listed as missing two days after a landslide wiped out a village on the Philippine island of Leyte.

Also in 2006, the Israeli government voted to halt the monthly transfer of tens of millions of dollars in tax payments to the Palestinian Authority, now run by the Hamas militant party.

In 2007, European environment ministers called or a 20 percent cut in carbon dioxide emissions by EU member states by 2020.



A thought for the day: it was Henry Ward Beecher who said, "Every charitable act is a stepping stone toward heaven."

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Today is Wednesday, Feb. 20, the 51st day of 2008 with 315 to follow.

The moon is waxing. The morning stars are Venus, Mercury, Jupiter, Neptune and Saturn. The evening stars are Mars and Uranus.

Those born on this day are under the sign of Pisces. They include American Revolutionary War hero William Prescott in 1726; photographer Ansel Adams in 1902; Soviet leader Alexei Kosygin in 1904; TV emcee John Daly in 1914; fashion designer Gloria Vanderbilt in 1924 (age 84); film director Robert Altman in 1925; former race car driver Bobby Unser in 1934 (age 74); singers Nancy Wilson in 1937 (age 71) and Buffy Sainte-Marie in 1941 (age 67); actors Sidney Poitier in 1927 (age 81), Sandy Duncan in 1946 (age 62), Peter Strauss in 1947 (age 61) and Jennifer O'Neill in 1948 (age 60); heiress Patty Hearst Shaw in 1954 (age 54); former basketball star Charles Barkley in 1963 (age 45); actors French Stewart ("3rd Rock from the Sun") in 1964 (age 44) and Andrew Shue in 1967 (age 41); and model Cindy Crawford in 1966 (age 42).


On this date in history:

In 1809, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled the power of the federal government was no greater than that of any individual state of the Union.

In 1848, Karl Marx's influential "Communist Manifesto" was published in London by a group called the Communist League.

In 1938, Anthony Eden resigned as Britain's foreign secretary to protest the "appeasement" policy of Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain toward Nazi Germany.

In 1962, U.S. astronaut John Glenn became the first American to orbit the Earth. He landed safely after three orbits in a Mercury spacecraft.

In 1991, U.S. troops penetrated Iraq, capturing as many as 500 Iraqi soldiers.

Also in 1991, the United States approved a $400 million loan guarantee to Israel for housing Soviet Jewish immigrants but banned use of the money in the occupied territories.

In 1992, Israeli armored ground forces withdrew from Lebanese villages following a one-day strike. Israel defended the incursion as necessary, but the U.N. secretary-general protested the assault.

Also in 1992, an FDA panel urged limiting access to silicone gel-filled breast implants.

In 1998, Tara Lipinski, 15, of the United States became the youngest person to win an Olympic gold medal in figure skating.

In 2002, U.S, President George Bush said in Seoul that the United States had no intention of attacking North Korea and would work toward reunification efforts.

In 2003, 100 people were killed and many more were injured when fire broke out during a rock concert at a West Warwick, R.I., nightclub.

Also in 2003, the Pentagon announced that 1,700 U.S. troops would be sent to the Philippines to take on an extremist Muslim group.

In 2004, conservatives won the majority of seats in the Iraq parliamentary election.

Also in 2004, an estimated 4,500 people were left homeless after fire swept through an area of Nairobi, Kenya.

And, a San Francisco judge refused to issue a temporary restraining order that would have halted the city's same-sex marriages.

In 2005, the Israeli Cabinet gave Prime Minister Ariel Sharon the go-ahead to evacuate the Gaza Strip and four settlements in the northern West Bank.

In 2006, the Danish newspaper that published controversial cartoons of Muslim Prophet Mohammed and triggered widespread, angry and often deadly protests, ran a full-page apology in Saudi papers.

In 2007, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia ruled that terror suspects held at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, have no challenge rights in U.S. courts.

A thought for the day: "Music is the divine way to tell beautiful, poetic things to the heart." Pablo Casals said that.

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Today is Tuesday, Dec. 27, the 361st day of 2005 with four to follow.

The moon is waning. The morning stars are Mercury, Jupiter, Pluto and Saturn. The evening stars are Venus, Mars, Uranus and Neptune.

Those born on this date are under the sign of Capricorn. They include(NancyK-ts4ms); German astronomer Johannes Kepler in 1571; English engineer George Cayley, father of the science of aerodynamics, in 1773; French bacteriologist Louis Pasteur in 1822; actress Marlene Dietrich in 1901; news correspondent Cokie Roberts in 1943 (age 62); French actor Gerard Depardieu in 1948 (age 57); and former Mexican President Ernesto Zedillo Ponce de Leon in 1951 (age 54).




On this date in history:

In 1932, Radio City Music Hall opened in New York City.

In 1941, Japanese warplanes bombed Manila in the Philippines, even though it had been declared an "open city."

In 1947, the first "Howdy Doody" show, under the title "Puppet Playhouse," was telecast on NBC.

In 1968, the Apollo 8 astronauts returned to Earth after orbiting the moon 10 times, paving the way for later moon-landing missions.

In 1985, terrorists killed 20 people and wounded 110 in attacks on passengers of the Israeli airline El Al at the Rome and Vienna airports. President Reagan blamed Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi.

In 1991, a Scandinavian Airlines jet with 129 aboard crashed and broke apart after taking off from Stockholm. No one was killed.

In 1992, a U.S. jet shot down an Iraqi fighter over southern Iraq's "no-fly" zone in the first such incident since the Persian Gulf War.

In 1997, Britain's Windsor Castle was reopened to the public following restoration work. One hundred rooms of the palace were damaged in a 1992 fire.

In 1998, the smallest of the Chukwu octuplets, born earlier in the month in Houston, died.

In 2001, Arab TV played a tape of fugitive terrorist leader Osama bin Laden in which he said he wanted to destroy the U.S. economy.

In 2002, Chechen rebels, seeking independence from Russia, killed 52 people with two vehicle bombs at pro-Russian government offices.

In 2003, the search continued for bodies in the aftermath of the Christmas Day mudslide in California's San Bernardino Mountains. At least a dozen people were feared dead.

Also in 2003, the Italian government took control of Parmalat, the dairy conglomerate, and arrested its chairman in a major accounting scandal.

In 2004, the death toll jumped to 23,500 in the Asian tsunami with hundreds of thousands reported hurt and many thousands more still missing.


A thought for the day: an anonymous saying goes, "Education is what you have left over after you have forgotten everything you have learned."