The Almanac

Today is Saturday, Jan. 12, the 12th day of 2002 with 353 to follow.

The moon is waning, moving toward its new phase.

The morning star is Venus.

The evening stars are Mercury, Mars, Jupiter and Saturn.

Those born on this date are under the sign of Capricorn. They include British statesman Edmund Burke in 1729; American patriot John Hancock in 1737; painter John Singer Sargent in 1856; novelist Jack London in 1876; World War II Nazi leader Hermann Goering in 1893; western singer/actor Tex Ritter in 1905; champion heavyweight boxer Joe Frazier in 1944 (age 58); radio personalities Rush Limbaugh in 1951 (age 51) and Howard Stern in 1954 (age 48); actress Kirstie Alley in 1955 (age 47); and Amazon.com founder Jeff Bezos in 1964 (age 38).

On this date in history:

In 1828, boundary disputes were settled between the United States and Mexico.

In 1943, the wartime Office of Price Administration said standard frankfurters would be replaced by "Victory Sausages" consisting of a mixture of meat and soy meal.

In 1971, a federal grand jury indicted the Rev. Philip Berrigan and five other people, including a nun and two priests, on charges of plotting to kidnap presidential adviser Henry Kissinger.

In 1976, the U.N. Security Council voted 11-1 to seat the Palestine Liberation Organization for its debate on the Middle East. The United States cast the only dissenting vote.

In 1987, Britain's 22-year-old Prince Edward caused a stir by resigning from his Royal Marines training course.

In 1990, Salvadoran President Alfredo Cristiani named eight soldiers, including chief of the military academy, as suspects in the November 1989 slayings of six Jesuit priests.

In 1993, a U.S. Marine taking part in the humanitarian relief mission in Somalia was killed; the same day, members of Congress called for a withdrawal of some U.S. forces.

Also in 1993, members of Cream, Creedence Clearwater Revival, Doors and Sly and the Family Stone were among those inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in ceremonies in Los Angeles.

In 1994, President Clinton asked Attorney General Reno to appoint an independent counsel to investigate the Whitewater affair.

In 1995, President Clinton and congressional leaders agreed on a bailout package that'd give Mexico as much as $40 billion in loan guarantees. Two and a half weeks later, when Congress failed to act quickly to approve the deal, Clinton invoked his emergency authority to loan Mexico $20 billion.

Also in 1995, the controversy over House Speaker Newt Gingrich's book deal continued. It was reported that Gingrich had met in November with media mogul Rupert Murdoch, owner of the book company, prior to signing the agreement. Gingrich later said he promised no help to Murdock.

In 1997, two of the four female cadets, who enrolled in The Citadel the previous fall after the South Carolina military school most its fight to keep women out, resigned. The cadets said they had been assaulted and sexually harassed.

In 1999, former Sen. Bill Bradley, D-NJ, filed notice of his presidential candidacy with the Federal Election Commission.

In 2000, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that a person's running at the sight of a police officer could justify police conducting a stop-and-frisk search.

In 2001, scientists in Oregon announced the birth of the first genetically engineered primate. The rhesus monkey had a jellyfish gene that caused jellyfish to glow; however, the monkey did not glow.

A thought for the day: it was Otto von Bismark who said, "Laws are like sausages, it is better not to see them being made."