The almanac

Today is Wednesday, Oct. 14, the 287th day of 2009 with 78 to follow.

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

Those born on this date are under the sign of Libra. They include William Penn, the English Quaker who founded Pennsylvania, in 1644; Irish political leader Eamon de Valera in 1882; Dwight D. Eisenhower, World War II military leader and 34th president of the United States, in 1890; poet E.E. Cummings in 1894; actress Lillian Gish in 1893; singer Allan Jones in 1907; former basketball Coach John Wooden in 1910 (age 99); former U.S. Surgeon General Dr. C. Everett Koop in 1916 (age 93); actor Roger Moore in 1927 (age 82); Watergate figure John Dean in 1938 (age 71); designer Ralph Lauren in 1939 (age 70); British pop singer Cliff Richard in 1940 (age 69); and actors Harry Anderson in 1952 (age 57) and Greg Evigan in 1953 (age 56).

On this date in history:

In 1066, William, Duke of Normandy, better known as William the Conqueror, led his invading army to victory over England's King Harold at Hastings.

In 1912, former U.S. President Theodore Roosevelt, campaigning for a return to office, was shot in Milwaukee. He refused to have the wound treated until he finished his speech.

In 1944, British and Greek troops liberated Athens, ending three years of World War II occupation by German troops.

In 1947, U.S. Air Force Capt. Chuck Yeager, 24, flying a Bell X-1, became the first person to fly faster than the speed of sound.

In 1964, civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr., 35, became the youngest recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize.

In 1977, Bing Crosby, one of the most popular singers of his day and winner of the best actor Academy Award for his role in "Going My Way," died of a heart attack while playing golf in Madrid. He was 74.

In 1992, the Toronto Blue Jays beat the Oakland A's, 4 games to 2, to win the American League pennant and become the first Canadian team to go to the World Series.

In 1993, gunmen killed Haitian Justice Minister Guy Malary, who'd been appointed by President Jean-Bertrand Aristide, in an apparent attempt to scuttle the agreement to return Aristide to power.

In 1994, the kidnapping of an Israeli soldier by Palestinian extremists ended with the soldier and four others being killed in a shootout. The same day, the Nobel Peace Prize was awarded to Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin and PLO leader Yasser Arafat.

In 1996, the Dow Jones industrial average cracked 6,000, closing at a record 6,010.

In 2005, on the eve of the Iraqi constitutional referendum, insurgents focused attacks on Iraq's largest Sunni Party and disrupted much of Baghdad's electrical services with an attack on the city's main power line.

In 2006, the U.N. Security Council unanimously agreed to impose sanctions on North Korea for its nuclear test.

In 2007, two new misconduct inquiries were ordered into the political past of Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert.

Also in 2007, rock slides killed at least 21 people in Colombia after rumors of gold sent them digging in a mine southwest of Bogota. Ten others were reported missing.

In 2008, U.S. Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson said he found the idea of the government buying stakes in nine large banks to help restore confidence in the financial system to be objectionable. Paulson says he objected to government owning a stake in any private U.S. company but added, "The alternative of leaving businesses and consumers without access to financing is totally unacceptable."

Also in 2008, the Canadian Conservative Party, led by Prime Minister Stephen Harper, retained power by defeating the Liberal Party in the national elections.

A thought for the day: American author Margaret Sangster said, "Creative genius is a divinely bestowed gift which is the coronation of the few."