The Almanac

Today is Monday, Sept. 8, the 251st day of 2003 with 114 to follow.

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

Those born on this date are under the sign of Leo. They include England's King Richard I, "Richard the Lion Hearted," in 1157; composer Antonin Dvorak in 1841; stage and film director Max Reinhardt in 1873; country music pioneer Jimmie Rodgers, "The Singing Brakeman," in 1897; Florida Sen. Claude Pepper in 1900; comedian Sid Caesar and political activist Lyndon Larouche Jr., both in 1922 (age 81); actor Peter Sellers in 1925; country music singer Patsy Cline in 1932; former Sen. Sam Nunn in 1938 (age 65); and actors Henry Thomas ("E.T. -- The Extra-Terrestrial") in 1971 (age 32) and Taylor Thomas" class="tpstyle">Jonathan Taylor Thomas ("Home Improvement") in 1981 (age 22).

On this date in history:

In 1522, Spanish navigator Juan de Elcano returned to Spain, completing the first circumnavigation of the globe with an expedition that began under Ferdinand Magellan.

In 1565, the first permanent European settlement in what is now the continental United States was founded at what is now St. Augustine, Fla.

In 1900, more than 6,000 people were killed when a hurricane and tidal wave struck Galveston, Texas.

In 1935, an assassin shot autocratic Louisiana Sen. Huey P. Long at the Capitol building in Baton Rouge, La. Long died two days later.

Also in 1935, 19-year-old Frank Sinatra launched his singing career when he appeared with a group called The Hokoken Four on the Major Bowes Amateur Hour radio talent show.

In 1966, "Star Trek" premiered on NBC-TV.

In 1974, President Ford granted former President Nixon full pardon for any and all offenses he may have committed during his years in office.

In 1992, three people were killed when a spark from a welding torch apparently touched off an explosion in a Kansas City, Mo., storage tank.

In 1993, the Senate approved President Clinton's national-service bill, which would give participants grants for taking part in community service work.

In 1994, a U.S. Airways jetliner crashed near Pittsburgh, Pa., killing 132 people. The accident became the subject of the longest aircraft investigation in the history of the National Transportation Safety Board.

Also in 1994, Jeb Bush, the son of former President Bush, won the Republican gubernatorial primary in Florida. Two months later, he lost the election to incumbent Democratic Gov. Lawton Chiles.

In 1995, Sen. Bob Packwood, R-Ore., announced he would resign, effective Oct. 1, in the face of allegations of sexual misconduct and influence peddling.

In 1998, the Justice Department opened a preliminary inquiry into President Clinton's participation in Democratic fundraising for the 1996 re-election campaign.

In 1999, former New Jersey Sen. Bill Bradley returned to his hometown of Crystal City, Mo., to announce he was a candidate for the Democratic presidential nomination.

In 2002, Pete Sampras won his fifth men's U.S. Open tennis championship with a four-set victory over Andre Agassi. Sampras retired the following year as the 2003 Open was about to begin.

A thought for the day: in "Middlemarch," English novelist Mary Anne Evans (George Eliot) wrote, "...men know best about everything, except what women know better."

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