The Almanac

Today is Friday, March 7, the 66th day of 2003 with 299 to follow.

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

Those born on this date are under the sign of Pisces. They include English painter Edwin Henry Landseer in 1802; American botanist Luther Burbank in 1849; Dutch abstract painter Piet Mondrian in 1872; French composer Maurice Ravel in 1875; actress Anna Magnani in 1908; NBC "Today Show" weatherman Willard Scott in 1934 (age 69); Disney executive Michael Eisner in 1942 (age 61); actors Daniel J. Travanti in 1940 (age 63) and John Heard in 1945 (age 58); and Czech tennis star Ivan Lendl in 1960 (age 43).

On this date in history:

In 1869, the Suez Canal, connecting the Mediterranean and the Red Sea via Egypt, opened.

In 1932, in the depths of the Great Depression, an estimated 3,000 men rioted at the Detroit plant of the Ford Motor Company. Four were killed.

In 1936, Adolf Hitler ordered his Nazi troops into the Rhineland, violating the Treaty of Versailles.

In 1945, the U.S. 1st Army crossed the Rhine at Remagen in Germany. The bridge was the only one across the Rhine that had not been blown up. World War II ended in Europe two months later on May 8.

In 1969, two of the three Apollo-9 astronauts test flew their lunar module around the main spacecraft while in Earth orbit, and then linked the two together again.

In 1984, the Senate confirmed William Wilson as the first U.S. ambassador to the Vatican in 117 years.

In 1991, U.S. troops began heading home from the Persian Gulf region.

In 1997, a U.S. veto killed an otherwise unanimous UN Security Council resolution condemning new Jewish settlements in Arab East Jerusalem.

In 2000, in "Super Tuesday's" 13 presidential primary elections, Al Gore wins all of the Democratic contests and George W. Bush nine, virtually assuring their nominations.

In 2002, More than 600 people were reported dead after several days of Hindu-Muslim violence in the state of Gujarat, India.

A thought for the day: Franklin D. Roosevelt advised, "When you get to the end of your rope, tie a knot and hang on."