The almanac

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Today is Monday, Nov. 9, the 313th day of 2009 with 52 to follow.

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

Those born on this date are under the sign of Scorpio. They include astronomer Benjamin Banneker in 1731; Russian author Ivan Turgenev in 1818; architect Stanford White in 1853; actor-comedian Ed Wynn in 1886; actresses Marie Dressler in 1868 and Hedy Lamarr in 1914; Sargent Shriver, first director of the Peace Corps, in 1915 (age 94); former Vice President Spiro T. Agnew in 1918; actress Dorothy Dandridge in 1923; astronomer Carl Sagan in 1934; baseball Hall of Fame pitcher Bob Gibson in 1935 (age 74), and bodybuilder/actor Lou Ferrigno (TV's "Incredible Hulk") in 1951 (age 58).

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On this date in history:

In 1918, German Kaiser Wilhelm II abdicated as World War I drew to a close.

In 1933, U.S. President Franklin Roosevelt set up the Civil Works Administration as an emergency depression agency to provide jobs for the unemployed.

In 1938, mobs of Germans attacked Jewish businesses and homes throughout Germany in what became known as Kristallnacht, or Crystal Night.

In 1953, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled major league baseball isn't within the scope of federal anti-trust laws.

In 1965, a massive power failure left more than 30 million people in the dark in the northeastern United States and eastern Canada.

In 1984, the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington was completed by the addition of the Frederick Hart statue called "Three Servicemen."

In 1985, Gary Kasparov, 22, became the youngest world chess champion, ending the 10-year reign of Anatoly Karpov in Moscow.

In 1989, East Germany announced free passage for its citizens through border checkpoints. The announcement rendered the Berlin Wall, the most reviled symbol of the Cold War, virtually irrelevant 28 years after its construction.

Also in 1989, aging Chinese leader Deng Xiaoping resigned from his last official position as chairman of the powerful Central Military Commission.

In 1991, Hong Kong reinitiated its controversial program of forced repatriation when it deported 59 Vietnamese refugees.

In 1992, violence escalated along the Israeli-Lebanese border one day before the resumption of Middle East peace talks in Washington.

In 1995, Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat visited Israel for the first time to offer personal condolences to the wife of slain Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin.

In 2002, the death toll from West Nile virus on this date was at least 148 in 2,796 cases, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported.

In 2003, Iran's foreign minister said his country wanted closer relations with the European Union and was stopping uranium enrichment.

In 2005, a series of explosions rocked three major hotels in Amman, Jordan, killing 57 people and injuring hundreds. Al-Qaida in Mesopotamia claimed responsibility.

In 2006, losses by incumbent Republicans in Virginia and Montana gave the Democratic Party a majority in the U.S. Senate in 2006 midterm elections.

In 2007, Michael Mukasey was sworn in as U.S. attorney general in a private ceremony at the Justice Department, He succeeded Alberto Gonzales, who resigned under fire.

In 2008, three men were executed by firing squad for the 2002 bombings in Bali that killed 202 people, mostly tourists.

Also in 2008, China announced plans for a stimulus package worth more than $500 billion over two years for infrastructure projects, including new airports, subways, low-income housing and rail systems.

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A thought for the day: Edgar Watson Howe wrote, "What people say behind your back is your standing in the community."