The Almanac

Today is Saturday, Jan. 25, the 25th day of 2003 with 340 to follow.

The moon is waning. The morning stars are Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter and Pluto. The evening stars are Saturn, Uranus and Neptune.

Those born on this date are under the sign of Aquarius. They include Irish natural philosopher Robert Boyle, a founder of modern chemistry, in 1627; Scottish poet Robert Burns in 1759; soapmaker and philanthropist William Colgate in 1783; novelists W. Somerset Maugham in 1874 and Virginia Woolf in 1882; news commentator Edwin Newman in 1919 (age 84); former Philippine President Corazon Aquino in 1923 (age 80); and actors Dean Jones in 1935 (age 68); Leigh Taylor-Young in 1945 (age 58) and Dinah Manoff in 1958 (age 45).

On this date in history:

In 1890, Nellie Bly, a young New York reporter, completed a trip around the world in the astounding time of 72 days, six hours and 11 minutes.

In 1915, transcontinental phone service was inaugurated in a hookup between New York and San Francisco.

In 1924, the first Winter Olympic Games opened in Chamonix, France.

In 1947, gangster Al "Scarface" Capone died at age 48 after suffering from syphilis.

In 1959, the first scheduled transcontinental flight took place, a non-stop American Airlines flight from California to New York.

In 1961, newly inaugurated President Kennedy held the first televised presidential news conference.

In 1971, Charles Manson and three women were found guilty in the murders of actress Sharon Tate and six other people in Los Angeles.

In 1981, 52 Americans held hostage in Iran for 444 days returned to the United States.

In 1984, Apple's Macintosh computer went on sale. Price tag: $2,495.

In 1988, President Reagan's last State of the Union address called for approval of the INF Treaty by Congress and renewal of aid for the Nicaraguan Contras.

In 1990, the Senate failed by four votes to override President Bush's veto of a statutory guarantee of asylum for Chinese students in United States.

Also in 1990, a Colombian jetliner with little fuel left crashed in Long Island, N.Y., after missing its first approach to Kennedy Airport. Seventy-three people were killed.

In 1991, a huge Persian Gulf oil slick began to form as Iraqi forces sabotaged Kuwaiti oil terminals.

Also in 1991, Utah Gov. Norman Bangerter signed into law the strictest anti-abortion measure in the nation.

In 1993, a man with a rifle opened fire near the main CIA gate in Langley, Va., killing two agency employees and wounding three others. He escaped, but was later captured.

Also in 1993, President Clinton put his wife, Hillary Rodham Clinton, in charge of a health care task force with a mandate to produce a plan for universal coverage in 100 days.

In 1994, President Clinton delivered his first State of the Union address.

In 1998, John Elway led the Denver Broncos to an upset 31-24 victory over the Green Bay Packers in Super Bowl XXXII.

A thought for the day: Eric Hoffer wrote, "The fear of becoming a 'has-been' keeps some people from becoming anything."