The Almanac

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Today is Thursday, Oct. 28, the 302nd day of 2004 with 64 to follow.

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

Those born on this date are under the sign of Scorpio. They include riflemaker Eliphalet Remington in 1793; actress Elsa Lanchester in 1902; English novelist Evelyn Waugh in 1903; Dr. Jonas Salk, a developer of the polio vaccine, in 1914; former Baseball Commissioner Bowie Kuhn in 1926 (age 78); country musician Charlie Daniels in 1936 (age 68); actors Jane Alexander in 1939 (age 65) and Dennis Franz in 1944 (age 60); singer/actress Thelma Hopkins in 1948 (age 56); Olympic decathlon champion-turned-sportscaster Bruce Jenner in 1949 (age 55); Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates in 1955 (age 49); actresses Annie Potts in 1952 (age 52), Lauren Holly in 1963 (age 41), and Jami Gertz in 1965 (age 39); and actress Julia Roberts in 1967 (age 37).

On this date in history:

In A.D. 312, in a battle that marked the beginning of the Christian era in Europe, Constantine's army, wearing the cross, defeated the forces of Maxentius at Mulvian Bridge in Rome.

In 1636, Harvard College, now Harvard University, was founded in Massachusetts.

In 1846, the pioneering Donner Party of 90 people set out from Springfield, Ill., for California.

In 1886, the Statue of Liberty, a gift of friendship from the people of France to the United States, was dedicated in New York Harbor by President Cleveland.

In 1919, Congress passed the Volstead Act, over President Wilson's veto, enforcing the Constitutional Amendment prohibiting the use of alcoholic beverages.

In 1962, Nikita Krushchev announced that all Soviet offensive missiles would be removed from Cuba.

In 1985, the leader of the so-called "Walker family spy ring," John Walker, pleaded guilty to giving U.S. Navy secrets to the Soviet Union.

In 1986, the Statue of Liberty reached the actual 100th anniversary of its dedication, without the hoopla of the July 4th ceremonies.

In 1989, the Oakland A's wrapped up an earthquake-delayed sweep of the World Series over the San Francisco Giants.

In 1992, scientists using sonar to map Scotland's Loch Ness made contact with a mysterious object, but declined to speculate what that implies about whether or not legendary monster "Nessie" exists.

In 1993, a U.S. budget deficit of $254.9 billion was reported for fiscal year 1993.

In 1994, President Clinton visited U.S. troops in Kuwait during a Middle Eastern trip.

In 2001, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention confirmed a third New Jersey postal worker had an anthrax inhalation infection, bringing the total number to eight, including three people who have died from the most serious form of the disease.

Also in 2001, on this date, U.S.-led forces resumed air strikes against targets in Afghanistan, bombing the Taliban's southern stronghold of Kandahar.

In 2002, U.S. diplomat John Foley was slain in Amman, Jordan. An unknown group called the Honest People of Jordan claimed responsibility, calling it a response to U.S. support of Israel and actions in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Also in 2002, authorities said two men charged with capital murder in a three-week sniper rampage in the Washington, D.C., area are also suspects in the shooting death of a Tacoma, Wash., woman.

In 2003, President George W. Bush warned Iran and Syria not to allow terrorists to cross into Iraq from their territory.

Also in 2003, after reaching record lows in the 1990s, crime in the United States was moving back up, according to a FBI report.

A thought for the day: poet Emily Dickinson wrote,

"I'll tell you how the sun rose --

"A Ribbon at a time --"