The Almanac

Today is Tuesday, Nov. 11, the 315th day of 2003 with 50 to follow.

This is Veteran's Day. (In Canada, it's Remembrance Day.)

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

Those born on this date are under the sign of Scorpio. They include Russian author Fyodor Dostoyevsky in 1821; Gen. George Patton in 1885; actor Pat O'Brien in 1899; Alger Hiss, who was accused of being a communist spy in Washington in the late 1940s, in 1904; novelist Kurt Vonnegut Jr. in 1922 (age 81); comedian Jonathan Winters in 1925 (age 78); jazz musician Mose Allison in 1927 (age 76); golfer Frank "Fuzzy" Zoeller in 1951 (age 52); and actors Demi Moore in 1962 (age 41), Philip McKeon and Calista Flockhart, both in 1964 (age 39), and Leonardo DiCaprio in 1974 (age 29).

On this date in history:

In 1831, Nat Turner, who led fellow slaves on a bloody uprising in Virginia, was hanged. Turner, an educated minister, believed he was chosen by God to lead his people out of slavery. Some 60 whites were killed in the two-day rampage.

1889, Washington was admitted to the Union as the 42nd state.

In 1918, World War I ended with the signing of the Armistice.

In 1921, President Harding dedicated the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier at Arlington National Cemetery.

In 1938, Kate Smith first performed "God Bless America" on her weekly radio show. The song had been written for her by Irving Berlin.

In 1945, composer Jerome Kern, who wrote such memorable tunes as "Ol' Man River," "Smoke Gets in Your Eyes" and "The Last Time I Saw Paris," died at the age of 60.

In 1982, the space shuttle Columbia blasted off on the first commercial space mission.

In 1987, President Reagan nominated Judge Anthony Kennedy to the U.S. Supreme Court after Judge Douglas Ginsburg withdrew his nomination and Judge Robert Bork was rejected by the Senate.

In 1989, an estimated 1 million East Germans poured into West Germany for a day of celebration, visiting and shopping. Most returned home.

In 1990, Stormie Jones, the Texas girl who underwent the world's first heart-liver transplant, died in Pittsburgh of a possible heart infection.

In 1992, the twin girls whose 53-year-old mother was believed to be the oldest woman to bear twins by in-vitro fertilization were introduced to the public in Anaheim, Calif.

Also in 1992, the Church of England broke the tradition of a male-only clergy when it voted to allow the ordination of women as priests.

In 1994, Jimi Hendrix's stage outfit, John Lennon's "army" shirt and guitars from the Grateful Dead's Jerry Garcia and the Beach Boys were among the items sold at the first-ever pop memorabilia and guitar sale at Christie's in New York.

In 1996, a massive snowstorm hit the snow belt east of Cleveland.

In 1997, Toronto Blue Jays pitcher Roger Clemens became the first American League player and only the third major league player to win the Cy Young Award four times.

In 2001, on the two-month anniversary of the terrorist attacks, President Bush and leaders from around the world stood in the shadow of the World Trade Center ruins and, in a colorful and solemn ceremony, honored the dead from more than 80 nations.

In 2002, as many as 34 people were killed by tornadoes and straight-line windstorms that swept across the South and the Ohio Valley.

Also in 2002, it's reported that prosecutors believe that John Lee Malvo, 17, performed most of the Washington-area sniper attacks. Malvo and John Allen Muhammad are charged in the wave of shootings that left at least 10 dead.

And in 2002 sports, San Francisco Giants leftfielder Barry Bonds won his fifth Most Valuable Player award, surpassing his own major league record.

A thought for the day: upon formation of United Artists film corporation, Richard Rowland said, "The lunatics have taken charge of the asylum." (UA was founded by Charlie Chaplin, Douglas Fairbanks, Mary Pickford and D.W. Griffith.)