The Almanac

Today is Sunday, May 30, the 151st day of 2004 with 215 to follow.

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

Those born on this date are under the sign of Gemini. They include Mel Blanc, the voice of Bugs Bunny, Elmer Fudd, Porky Pig and many other cartoon characters, in 1908; bandleader/clarinetist Benny Goodman in 1909; restaurant executive Bob Evans in 1918 (age 86); Christine Jorgensen, who gained notoriety for undergoing a sex-change operation, in 1926; actors Clint Walker in 1927 (age 77), Keir Dullea in 1936 (age 68), and Michael J. Pollard in 1939 (age 65); NFL Hall of Fame running back Gale Sayers in 1943 (age 61); actors Colm Meaney in 1953 (age 51 and Ted McGinley in 1958 (age 46); and "South Park" co-creator Trey Parker in 1972 (age 32).

On this date in history:

In 1431, Joan of Arc was burned at the stake in Rouen, France, at age 19. She had been convicted of sorcery.

In 1783, the "Pennsylvania Evening Post" became the first daily newspaper published in the United States.

In 1806, future President Andrew Jackson took part in a duel, killing Charles Dickinson, a Kentucky lawyer who had called Jackson's wife Rachel a bigamist.

In 1868, the first major Memorial Day observance was held to honor those killed during the Civil War. It was originally known to some as "Decoration Day." In 1922, the Lincoln Memorial was dedicated in Washington, D.C.

In 1937, a battle between police and strikers at the Republic Steel Corp. plant in Chicago killed 10 people and wounded 90.

In 1943, the Aleutian Islands of Kiska and Attu off the Alaskan coast were retaken by U.S. forces after being occupied by Japanese troops during World War II.

In 1972, the unmanned U.S. space probe Mariner 9 was launched on a mission to gather scientific data on Mars, ultimately sending back valuable information and becoming the first spacecraft to orbit a planet other than the earth.

In 1972, three Japanese terrorists killed 22 people with automatic weapons at the airport in Tel Aviv, Israel.

In 1982, Spain became the 16th member nation of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO).

In 1993, Ross Perot ran a 30-minute commercial on television denouncing the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), which President Clinton supported.

In 1995, the United States announced it had moved seven ships and 12,000 Marines and sailors to the Adriatic Sea in response to the Serbian hostage-taking of U.N. peacekeepers.

In 1997, the National Transportation Safety Administration announced it was setting up a privately funded airline disaster response center in New York City to coordinate the release of information to the victims' relatives and the public following an air crash.

In 1998, Pakistan conducted another underground nuclear test, despite condemnation from many leading countries and the imposition of U.S. economic sanctions.

In 2002. Attorney General John Ashcroft announced the FBI would have expanded powers to monitor religious, political and other organizations as well as internet and other media as a guard against possible future terrorist attacks.

Also in 2002, the massive cleanup of the ruins of New York's World Trade Center, destroyed in the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attack, was completed.

In 2003, With the Iraq war declared over and some good prospects in the wings, the U.S. stock market had its third straight month of gains with the Dow Jones industrials up 4.4 percent since May 1, at 8,850.

Also in 2003, Israeli Foreign Minister Silvan Shalom made it clear that he wanted a permanent end to Palestinian attacks on Israeli targets, not just a cease-fire. He also ruled out any discussion of a right of return for Palestinian refugees.

A thought for the day: Harriett Beecher Stowe wrote in "Uncle Tom's Cabin" that, "No one is so thoroughly superstitious as the godless man."