The Almanac

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Today is Sunday, March 14, the 74th day of 2004 with 292 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 Thomas Marshall, vice president under Woodrow Wilson, in 1854; railroad engineer and hero of the ballad Casey Jones, whose real name was John Luther Jones, in 1864; physicist Albert Einstein in 1879; bandleader Les Brown in 1912; cartoonist Hank Ketcham ("Dennis the Menace") in 1920 (age 84); astronaut Frank Borman in 1928 (age 76); actor Michael Caine and composer Quincy Jones, both in 1933 (age 71); comedian Billy Crystal in 1947 (age 57); and Prince Albert, heir to the throne of Monaco, in 1958 (age 46).

On this date in history:

In 1812, the U.S. government authorized issue of America's first war bonds, to pay for military equipment for use against the British.

In 1950, the FBI's "10 Most Wanted Fugitives" list made its debut.

In 1951, Seoul, South Korea, was recaptured by U.N. troops during the Korean War.

In 1964, Dallas nightclub owner Jack Ruby was convicted of murdering Lee Harvey Oswald, the assumed assassin of President Kennedy. Ruby was sentenced to death but the conviction was overturned and he died of cancer while awaiting a new trial.

In 1985, the United States evacuated American officials from Lebanon, leaving only a small diplomatic presence in war-torn Beirut.

In 1989, the Bush administration announced it would ban imports of semi-automatic assault rifles indefinitely.

In 1991, scientists from around the world reported the discovery of the gene that triggers colon cancer.

Also in 1991, the emir of Kuwait returned to his country for the first time since the Iraq invasion.

In 1992, a U.S. aircraft carrier was sent to the Persian Gulf as U.N. officials pressed Iraq on the destruction of weapons in compliance with Security Council resolutions.

Also in 1992, researchers said a substance occurring naturally in broccoli helps the body fight off cancer-causing chemicals.

In 1994, Sen. Robert Packwood, R-Oregon, dropped a court battle to prevent a Senate panel from gaining access to his diaries. The committee was investigating allegations of sexual harassment and influence peddling.

In 1995, testifying at the O.J. Simpson murder trial, Los Angeles police Detective Mark Fuhrman denied allegations that he'd made racist statements.

In 1996, millionaire Steve Forbes withdrew from the presidential contest.

In 1997, President Clinton underwent knee surgery at Bethesda Naval Hospital in Maryland after injuring himself while visiting golfer Greg Norman in Palm Beach, Fla.

Also in 1997, gangs seeking to oust Albanian President Sali Berisha took control of Tirane, the capital city, as unrest triggered by the collapse of pyramid investment funds the previous month continued.

In 2001, British Prime Minister Tony Blair ordered a step-up in the slaughter of livestock as the "foot-and-mouth" disease outbreak continued.

In 2002, the Justice Department announced that the accounting firm Arthur Andersen had been indicted for destroying thousands of documents related to the investigation into the collapse of Enron, the energy-trading company.

In 2003, Philippine military officials say almost 200 separatist militants had been killed in three days of fighting on Mindanao.

A thought for the day: Albert Einstein wrote, "Science without religion is lame, religion without science is blind."