The almanac

Today is Saturday, Nov. 28, the 332nd day of 2009 with 33 to follow.

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

Those born on this date are under the sign of Sagittarius. They include English poet William Blake in 1757; John Hyatt, inventor of celluloid, in 1837; architect Henry Bacon, designer of the Lincoln Memorial, in 1866; Motown Records founder Berry Gordy in 1929 (age 80); actress Hope Lange in 1933; singer/composer Randy Newman in 1943 (age 66); ballet dancer Alexander Godunov and band leader Paul Shaffer ("The Late Show With David Letterman") (age 60), both in 1949; actors Ed Harris in 1950 (age 59), S. Epatha Merkerson ("Law & Order") in 1952 (age 57) and Judd Nelson in 1959 (age 50); and comedian Jon Stewart ("The Daily Show") in 1962 (age 47).

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On this date in history:

In 1520, Ferdinand Magellan entered the Pacific Ocean on his way around the world. He was the first European to sail the Pacific from the east.

In 1919, Virginia-born Nancy Astor became the first woman member of the British Parliament.

In 1925, "The Grand Ole Opry," the famed country music show, made its radio debut.

In 1942, a fire at the Cocoanut Grove nightclub in Boston killed 491 people. Most victims suffocated or were trampled to death.

In 1958, the United States fired an intercontinental ballistic missile at full range for the first time.

In 1963, Cape Canaveral, the space center in Florida, was renamed Cape Kennedy to honor the assassinated president. Area residents later voted to revert to the original name.

In 1989, Czechoslovakian Premier Ladislav Adamec agreed to a coalition government. The next day, the Czech Parliament revoked the Communist Party's monopoly.

In 1992, a fire destroyed parts of the Hofburg Palace in Vienna, Austria, threatening the famous Lipizzaner stallions.

In 1993, British officials confirmed they had made secret contacts with the outlawed Irish Republican Army in an effort to end the violence in Northern Ireland.

Also in 1993, Carlos Roberto Reina was elected president of Honduras.

In 1994, serial killer Jeffrey Dahmer and a second inmate were beaten to death by another prisoner at the Columbia Correctional Center in Portage, Wis.

In 2002, an explosion hit an Israeli-owned hotel near Mombasa, Kenya, killing at least 15 people and two missiles were fired at a departing Israeli passenger plane.

In 2003, an estimated 182 people were killed when two crowded ferries collided during a storm in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

In 2004, a gas explosion in a central China mine killed a reported 166 people. About 123 miners escaped.

In 2005, at least 150 miners were killed in a northeast China coal mine explosion. Seventy-one were reported missing.

Also in 2005, U.S. Rep. Randall "Duke" Cunningham, R-Calif., pleaded guilty to tax evasion and conspiracy charges involving bribes from military contractors.

In 2006, Pope Benedict XVI flew to Ankara, Turkey, amid heavy security measures to mend religious fences and establish a dialogue with Muslims. Some 250,000 Muslims demonstrated against the papal visit over remarks Benedict made in September perceived as offensive to Islam.

Also in 2006, leftist candidate Rafael Correa was officially declared winner of the Ecuadorian presidential election.

In 2007, a U.S. airstrike in eastern Afghanistan killed 22 Afghan civilian road construction workers. The men, working on a U.S. military contract, died as they slept in two large tents in a remote mountainous area.

Also in 2007, Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf relinquished his role as head of his country's military forces, one day before he was sworn in for a third term as president.

In 2008, at least 400 people were reported killed and hundreds more wounded in violent clashes in Nigeria between Muslims and Christians over local elections.

Also in 2008, the assault on Mumbai ended after three violent days of shooting and bombings by a team of terrorists. The death toll stood at 173 with about 300 injured. The only attacker captured alive said he belonged to a militant group in Pakistan.

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A thought for the day: Thomas Carlyle said, "Speech is of time, silence is of eternity."