The Almanac

Today is Friday, Dec. 28, the 362nd day of 2001 with three to follow.

The moon is waxing, moving toward its full phase.

The morning star is Jupiter.

The evening stars are Mars and Saturn.

Those born on this date are under the sign of Capricorn. They include Woodrow Wilson, 28th president of the United States, in 1856; jazz pianist Earl "Fatha" Hines in 1905; actors Lew Ayres in 1908, Martin Milner in 1931 (age 70) and Maggie Smith in 1934 (age 67); rock musician Edgar Winter in 1946 (age 55); and actors Denzel Washington in 1954 (age 47) and Malcolm Gets ("Caroline in the City") in 1964 (age 37).

On this date in history:

In 1732, the Pennsylvania Gazette carried the first known advertisement for the first issue of "Poor Richard's Almanack" by Richard Saunders (Benjamin Franklin).

In 1832, John Calhoun, at odds with President Andrew Jackson, became the first U.S. vice president to resign.

In 1908, nearly 80,000 people were killed when an earthquake struck the ancient town of Messina, Sicily.

In 1945, Congress officially recognized the Pledge of Allegiance to the flag of the United States.

In 1950, advancing Chinese troops crossed the 38th Parallel, dividing line between North and South Korea, to help the communist North Koreans fight American-led United Nations forces.

In 1985, warring Lebanese Moslem and Christian leaders signed a peace agreement backed by Syria.

In 1991, a stampede at a New York charity basketball game killed eight people and injured three-dozen more.

In 1992, a violent day in Lima, Peru. Car bombs exploded outside two embassies, police thwarted a bank raid and rebels launched a missile attack on a police station, leaving a total of five dead and 24 injured.

In 1993, Secretary of State Warren Christopher announced the appointment of Strobe Talbott, a former journalist and an authority on Russia and the former Soviet Union, as deputy secretary of state.

In 1997, officials in Hong Kong announced that all chickens in the territory would be killed in an attempt to eradicate carriers of the avian flu, which had killed several people.

In 2000, the U.S. Census Bureau announced a total of 281,421,906 people in the nation. The figure was a 13.2 percent increase in the last 10 years.

A thought for the day: it was Benjamin Franklin who said, "It is hard for an empty sack to stand upright."