The Almanac

Today is Tuesday, July 30, the 211th day of 2002 with 154 to follow.

The moon is waning, moving toward its last quarter.

The morning stars are Saturn, Jupiter, Uranus and Neptune.

The evening stars are Mars, Mercury, Venus and Pluto.

Those born on this date are under the sign of Leo. They include English novelist Emily Bronte in 1818; auto pioneer Henry Ford in 1863; baseball player/manager Casey Stengel in 1890; English sculptor Henry Moore in 1898; Baseball Commissioner Allan "Bud" Selig in 1934 (age 68); film director Peter Bogdanovich in 1939 (age 63); singer Paul Anka in 1941 (age 61); bodybuilder-turned-actor Arnold Schwarzenegger in 1947 (age 55); Anita Hill, of the Clarence Thomas hearings fame, in 1956 (age 46); and actors Ken Olin in 1954 (age 48), Delta Burke in 1956 (age 46), Laurence Fishburne in 1961 (age 41), Lisa Kudrow in 1963 (age 39), and Hilary Swank in 1974 (age 28).

On this date in history:

In 1619, n Jamestown, Va. the first elected legislative assembly in the New World--the House of Burgesses--convened in the choir loft of the town's church

In 1932, Walt Disney released his first color cartoon, "Flowers and Trees," made in three-color Technicolor.

In 1937, the American Federation of Radio Artists was organized. It later became AFTRA, the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists, under the AFL-CIO.

In 1966, in the first televised World Cup soccer match, host-nation England beat Germany 4-2 to win the tournament final at Wembley Stadium.

In 1974, the House Judiciary Committee, by a vote of 21-17, approved a third article of impeachment against President Nixon, charging him with ignoring congressional subpoenas. Nixon resigned

before the issue came to trial.

In 1975, former Teamsters Union President Jimmy Hoffa was last seen outside a suburban Detroit restaurant. He was declared dead in 1982.

In 1976, Kate Smith made her last public appearance on this date, singing her trademark number, "God Bless America" on a TV program honoring the U.S. Bicentennial.

In 1985, South Africa recalled its Washington ambassador-designate following the recall of the U.S. ambassador from Pretoria.

In 1990, George Steinbrenner, under investigation by Baseball Commissioner Fay Vincent for making a $40,000 payment to a known gambler, agreed to be permanently barred from operation of the New York Yankees.

In 1991, a special UN commission to Iraq announced it had found 46,000 chemical shells and warheads and 3,000 tons of raw materials for weapons.

In 1992, more than 60 people were injured when a TWA jetliner caught fire after veering off the runway at New York's Kennedy International Airport during an aborted takeoff.

In 1993, tap water was declared safe to drink again in flood-ravaged Des Moines, Iowa.

In 1994, the United States, Germany, Britain, France and Russia decided to tighten sanctions on the Serb-dominated government in what remained of Yugoslavia.

In 1995, negotiators for Russia and the breakaway republic of Chechnya agreed to end the fighting.

In 1997, suicide bombers detonated two bombs in an outdoor market in West Jerusalem, killing themselves and 13 other people. Hamas, an extremist Palestinian group, claimed responsibility.

In 1999, a Maryland grand jury indicted Linda Tripp for illegally taping her phone conversations with Monical Lewinsky.

In 2000, the Republican National Convention opened in Philadelphia. It would nominate Texas Gov. George W. Bush as its presidential candidate.

A thought for the day: President U.S. Grant said, "Labor disgraces no man; unfortunately you occasionally find men disgrace labor."