The almanac

Today is Sunday, June 9, the 160th day of 2002 with 205 to follow.

The moon is waning, moving toward its new phase.

There are no morning stars.

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

Those born on this date are under the sign of Gemini. They include Russian Czar Peter the Great in 1672; composer Cole Porter in 1891; actor Robert Cummings in 1910; guitarist and recording pioneer Les Paul in 1915 (age 87); Robert S. McNamara, former defense secretary and World Bank president, in 1916 (age 86); journalist Marvin Kalb in 1930 (age 72); comedian Jackie Mason in 1931 (age 71); soul singer Jackie Wilson in 1934; sportscaster Dick Vitale in 1939 (age 63); and actors Michael J. Fox in 1961 (age 41), Johnny Depp in 1963 (age 39), Gloria Reuben ("E.R.") in 1964 (age 38), and Natalie Portman ("Star Wars: Episode I -- The Phantom Menace") in 1981 (age 21).

On this date in history:

In 1898, Britain leased Hong Kong from China for 99 years. The territory returned to Chinese rule in 1997.

In 1934, Donald Duck made his first screen appearance in "The Wise Little Hen."

In 1943, Congress passed an act authorizing employers to withhold income tax payments from salary checks.

In 1984, an Italian prosecutor's report linked the Bulgarian secret service to the 1981 assassination attempt on Pope John Paul II. Three Bulgarians were indicted but a trial failed to prove charges against them.

In 1989, Chinese officials continued their crackdown on pro-democracy activists with arrests and a sweeping propaganda campaign.

In 1992, the first African-American to sail solo around the world completed his nearly two-year, 27,000-mile journey in Boston.

In 1993, Japanese Crown Prince Naruhito married former diplomat Masako Owada in Tokyo.

In 1994, the U.S. House of Representatives voted to require the Clinton administration to stop participating in the U.N.-sponsored arms embargo against the Bosnian government.

In 1995, Columbian police arrested Gilberto Rodriguez Orejuela, believed to be a leader of the Cali drug cartel.

In 1997, the leading candidate to become chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Air Force Gen. Joseph Ralston, withdrew from consideration after a past adulterous affair became known.

In 1998, Gen. Abdulsalam Abubakar was sworn in as Nigeria's new military ruler, one day after the death of Gen. Sani Abacha, who'd seized power in a 1993 military coup. Abacha had died of an apparent heart attack at age 54.

In 1999, Yugoslavia signed an agreement, pledging to withdraw all Serbian troops from Kosovo within 11 days.

A thought for the day: Henri-Frederic Amiel defined charm as "the quality in others that makes us more satisfied with ourselves."