The Almanac

Today is Sunday, July 2, the 183rd day of 2006 with 182 to follow.

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

Those born on this date are under the sign of Cancer. They include German novelist Herman Hesse in 1877; King Olav V of Norway in 1903; former U.S. Supreme Court Thurgood Marshall" class="tpstyle">Justice Thurgood Marshall in 1908; singer/actor Ken Curtis in 1916; comedian Dan Rowan in 1922; civil rights activist Medgar Evers in 1926; Imelda Marcos, wife of former Philippine President Fernando Marcos, in 1931 (age 75); Wendy's fast-food restaurant chain founder Dave Thomas in 1932; actress Polly Holliday and former race car driver Richard Petty, both in 1937 (age 69); actor/director Ron Silver in 1946 (age 50); actors Cheryl Ladd in 1952 (age 54) and Jimmy McNichol in 1961 (age 45); former baseball star Jose Canseco, first to hit 40 or more home runs and steal 40 or more bases in the same major league season, in 1964 (age 42).

On this date in history:

In 1788, it was announced in the U.S. Congress that the new Constitution had been ratified by the required nine states, the ninth being New Hampshire.

In 1839, African slaves being shipped to Cuba revolted and seized the ship Amistad, leading to an eventual end of the African slave market.

In 1881, U.S. President James Garfield was shot and seriously wounded by Charles Guiteau, a mentally disturbed office seeker. Garfield died Sept. 19 and was succeeded by Chester Arthur.

In 1900, the world's first rigid airship was demonstrated by Count Ferdinand Graf von Zeppelin in Germany.

In 1917, as many as 75 blacks were killed in rioting in St. Louis.

In 1934, 6-year-old Shirley Temple signed a new contract with Fox Film Corp. and went on to become one of the biggest movie stars of the day.

In 1937, U.S. aviator Amelia Earhart and navigator Frederick Noonan were reported lost over the Pacific Ocean. They were never found.

In 1964, U.S. President Lyndon Johnson signed into law the Civil Rights Act of 1964.

In 1974, U.S. President Richard Nixon and Soviet leader Leonid Brezhnev agreed during a meeting in Yalta on limitations on underground nuclear testing and on a lower ceiling for defense missiles.

In 1986, the U.S. Supreme Court endorsed numerical hiring goals for minorities, rejecting the Reagan administration view that affirmative action be limited to proven victims of race discrimination.

In 1990, a stampede in a pedestrian tunnel at the Muslim holy city of Mecca during the annual Hajj killed 1,426 pilgrims.

In 1991, fighting broke out between the Yugoslav army and independent Slovenian forces in Ljubljana, Yugoslavia.

In 1993, Sheik Omar Abdel Rahmen, whose followers were linked to two bombing plots, was taken into U.S. federal custody.

Also in 1993, South African President F.W de Klerk and African National Congress leader Nelson Mandela announced that South Africa's first election open to all races would be April 27, 1994.

In 1994, the Colombian soccer player who inadvertently scored a goal for the United States, contributing to his team's loss in the World Cup competition, was shot to death in Medellin, Colombia.

In 2000, Vicente Fox was elected president of Mexico.

In 2002, after five unsuccessful attempts, Steve Fossett" class="tpstyle">American Steve Fossett completed a round-the-world solo flight in a balloon, reaching Queensland in the Australian outback to finish a 13-day, 19,428-mile trip that began in western Australia.

In 2003, talks between Palestinian and Israeli officials in Jerusalem gained momentum as leaders agreed to form high-level committees to deal with issues such as the release by Israel of Palestinian prisoners and Palestinian incitement of hatred toward Jews.

In 2004, a 21-year-old man opened fire on co-workers at a Kansas City, Kan., plant, killing five people before turning the gun on himself. Several others were wounded.

Also in 2004, medical reports said post-traumatic stress disorder was appearing in 1-in-6 U.S. soldiers returning from Iraq.

In 2005, Egypt's new ambassador to Iraq was abducted in Baghdad, reportedly by the al-Qaida. He was later killed.

A thought for the day: the adage "Appearances are often deceiving" comes from Aesop's "Fables," and something similar appears in the New Testament.