The almanac

Today is Tuesday, July 26, the 207th day of 2011, with 158 to follow.

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

Those born on this date are under the sign of Leo. They include artist George Catlin, painter of American Indian scenes, in 1796; playwright George Bernard Shaw in 1856; Carl Jung, founder of analytic psychology, in 1875; novelist Aldous Huxley in 1894; comedian Gracie Allen in 1895; U.S. Sen. Estes Kefauver, D-Tenn., who led the 1950-51 Senate investigation of organized crime, in 1903; actor Vivian Vance in 1909; Erskine Hawkins, trumpet virtuoso, band leader, in 1914; storyteller Jean Shepherd in 1921; actor Jason Robards, movie producer Blake Edwards and baseball Hall of fame member Hoyt Wilhelm, all in 1922; children's author Jan Berenstain in 1923 (age 87); filmmaker Stanley Kubrick in 1928; rock star Mick Jagger of the Rolling Stones in 1943 (age 68); actor Helen Mirren in 1945 (age 66); tennis player Vitas Gerulaitis in 1954; Olympic gold medal skater Dorothy Hamill in 1956 (age 55); and actors Kevin Spacey in 1959 (age 52), Sandra Bullock in 1964 (age 47) and Kate Beckinsale in 1973 (age 38).

On this date in history:

In 1788, New York becomes the 11th state of the United States upon ratification of the U.S. Constitution.

In 1847, Liberia became a republic and Africa's first sovereign, black-ruled democratic nation.

In 1908, the Federal Bureau of Investigation was born when a group of newly hired investigators were ordered to report to the Justice Department. It officially became the FBI in 1935.

In 1941, U.S. Army Gen. Douglas MacArthur was named commander of U.S. forces in the Philippines.

In 1948, U.S. President Harry S. Truman orders desegregation of the U.S. military.

In 1956, Egypt created a crisis by nationalizing the British and French-owned Suez Canal.

In 1984, "The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson" became the first network television show to be broadcast in stereo.

In 1990, the U.S. House of Representatives voted 408-18 to reprimand Rep. Barney Frank, D-Mass., for actions he took on behalf of a male prostitute.

In 1992, under pressure, Iraq backed down and agreed to allow a U.N. inspection team to look for documentation on weapons of mass destruction.

Also in 1992, Motown singer/songwriter Mary Wells died of cancer at age 49.

In 1994, the U.S. Congress opened hearings into the Whitewater affair, an Arkansas land deal involving U.S. President Bill Clinton and first lady Hillary Clinton.

In 2005, the shuttle Discovery lifted off from Cape Canaveral in the first launch since the 2003 Columbia tragedy.

In 2007, the U.S. Congress overwhelmingly passed anti-terrorism legislation that enhances screening of air and sea cargo and allocates more funds to states deemed at risk of attack.

In 2008, the U.S. Senate used a rare weekend session to pass a landmark housing bill meant to mitigate the ongoing mortgage crisis. The bill, which offered up to $300 billion in loan guarantees for consumers saddled with subprime, adjustable-rate mortgages and facing possible foreclosure.

Also in 2008, bombs concealed in tea boxes rocked the second Indian city in two days, killing at least 29 people and injuring 88. Nine explosions in a similar attack the day earlier at Bangalore, killed two and injured 29 others.

In 2009, the Senate Judiciary Committee approved the nomination of Sonia Sotomayor for the U.S. Supreme Court.

Also in 2009, Nigerian security forces clashed with a radical Islamic group in a 5-day battle that left a reported 700 people dead.

In 2010, the founder of Wikileaks, Julian Assange, said the decision to post more than 75,000 secret U.S. Afghan war documents on the Internet was to give a complete picture of the conflict. The White House called the deed "a potential to be very harmful."

A thought for the day: Matthew Arnold wrote, "The free thinking of one age is the common sense of the next."