The almanac

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Today is Friday, Oct. 14, the 287th day of 2011 with 78 to follow.

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

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; actor Lillian Gish in 1893; singer Allan Jones in 1907; college basketball coaching legend John Wooden in 1910; Nobel Peace Prize recipient Le Duc Tho in 1911; former U.S. Surgeon General Dr. C. Everett Koop in 1916 (age 95); actor Roger Moore in 1927 (age 84); Watergate figure John Dean in 1938 (age 73); designer Ralph Lauren in 1939 (age 72); British pop singer Cliff Richard in 1940 (age 71); actors Harry Anderson in 1952 (age 59) and Greg Evigan in 1953 (age 58); musician Thomas Dolby in 1958 (age 53).; sports talk show host Jim Rome in 1964 (age 47); country music singer Nathalie Maines in 1974 (age 37); and singer and actor Usher in 1978 (age 33).

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 1926, A.A. Milne's "Winnie-the-Pooh" was published.

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

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

In 2009, U.S. President Barack Obama signed legislation tripling American economic aid to Pakistan, a 5-year, $7.5 billion plan.

In 2010, Israel said its decision to sell $400 million worth of unmanned spy drones to Russia over a 3-year period will help contain Iran's nuclear program.

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