The Almanac

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Today is Sunday, Nov. 11, the 315th day of 2001 with 50 to follow.

This is Veteran's Day. (In Canada, it's Remembrance Day.)

The moon is waning, moving toward its new phase.

The morning stars are Venus, Jupiter and Saturn.

The evening stars are Mercury and Mars.

Those born on this date are under the sign of Scorpio. They include Russian author Fyodor Dostoyevsky in 1821; Gen. George Patton in 1885; actor Pat O'Brien in 1899; Alger Hiss, who was accused of being a communist spy in Washington in the late 1940s, in 1904; novelist Kurt Vonnegut Jr. in 1922 (age 79); comedian Jonathan Winters in 1925 (age 76); jazz musician Mose Allison in 1927 (age 74); golfer Frank Urban "Fuzzy" Zoeller in 1951 (age 50); and actors Demi Moore in 1962 (age 39), Philip McKeon and Calista Flockhart, both in 1964 (age 37), and Leonardo DiCaprio in 1974 (age 27).

On this date in history:

In 1889, Washington was admitted to the Union as the 42nd state.

In 1918, World War I ended with the signing of the Armistice.

In 1921, President Harding dedicated the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier at Arlington National Cemetery.

In 1938, Kate Smith first performed "God Bless America" on her regular radio broadcast. The song had been written for her by Irving Berlin.

In 1982, the space shuttle Columbia blasted off on the first commercial space mission.

In 1987, President Reagan nominated Judge Anthony Kennedy to the U.S. Supreme Court after Judge Douglas Ginsburg withdrew his nomination and Judge Robert Bork was rejected by the Senate.

In 1989, an estimated 1 million East Germans poured into West Germany for a day of celebration, visiting and shopping. Most returned home.

In 1990, Stormie Jones, the Texas girl who underwent the world's first heart-liver transplant, died in Pittsburgh of a possible heart infection.

In 1992, the twin girls whose 53-year-old mother was believed to be the oldest woman to bear twins by in-vitro fertilization were introduced to the public in Anaheim, Calif.

Also in 1992, the Church of England broke the tradition of a male-only clergy when it voted to allow the ordination of women as priests.

In 1994, Jimi Hendrix's stage outfit, John Lennon's "army" shirt, and guitars from the Grateful Dead's Jerry Garcia and the Beach Boys were among the items sold at the first-ever pop memorabilia and guitar sale at Christie's in New York.

In 1996, a massive snowstorm hit the snow belt east of Cleveland, Ohio.

In 1997, Toronto Blue Jays pitcher Roger Clemens became the first American League player and only the third major league player to win the Cy Young Award four times.

A thought for the day: upon formation of United Artists film corporation, Richard Rowland said, "The lunatics have taken charge of the asylum."