The Almanac

Today is Friday, April 26, the 116th day of 2002 with 249 to follow.

This is Arbor Day.

The moon is full.

There are no morning stars.

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

Those born on this date are under the sign of Taurus. They include naturalist John James Audubon in 1785; landscape architect Frederick Law Olmsted in 1822; author Anita Loos in 1893; Rudolf Hess, Adolf Hitler's deputy, in 1894; inventor Charles Richter, responsible for the Richter Scale of earthquake measurement, in 1900; novelist Bernard Malamud in 1914; architect I.M. Pei in 1917 (age 85); actress/comedian Carol Burnett in 1936 (age 66); influential pop guitarist Duane Eddy in 1938 (age 64); pop singer Bobby Rydell in 1942 (age 60); and actors Giancarlo Esposito in 1958 (age 44) and Kevin James in 1965 (age 35).

On this day in history:

In 1607, the first British colonists to establish a permanent settlement in America landed at Cape Henry, Va.

In 1937, during the Spanish Civil War, German-made planes destroyed the Basque town of Guernica, Spain.

In 1986, a fire at the Soviet Union's Chernobyl nuclear reactor north of Kiev resulted in the world's worst nuclear disaster.

In 1988, the Pennsylvania primary vote assured George Bush of the Republican presidential nomination.

In 1990, New York's highest court awarded the America's Cup to the United States, ruling the San Diego Yacht Club did not cheat by racing a catamaran against an inherently slower New Zealand monohull boat.

In 1992, powerful aftershocks rattled Northern California following a 6.9 earthquake that injured at least 65 people.

In 1993, a domestic Indian airliner slammed into parked truck during takeoff and crashed near the western city of Aurangabad, killing at least 55 of the 118 people aboard.

Also in 1993, gunmen seized the Costa Rica Supreme Court, holding 17 judges and five other people hostage. The standoff ended three days later when the assailants freed their hostages and were captured en route to the airport.

Also in 1993, the U.S. Holocaust Museum opened in Washington, D.C.

In 1994, South Africans began going to the polls in the country's first election that was open to all. Four days of voting would elect Nelson Mandela president.

In 1996, an auction of the belongings of Jackie Onassis yielded $34 million, about seven times what Sotheby's auction house had estimated.

A thought for the day: "The best proof of love is trust." Dr. Joyce Brothers said that.