The almanac

Today is Friday, Dec. 2, the 336th day of 2011 with 29 to follow.

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

Those born on this date are under the sign of Sagittarius. They include French painter Georges-Pierre Seurat in 1859; circus co-founder Charles Ringling in 1863; engineer Peter Carl Goldmark, the inventor of the long-playing record, in 1906; composer/lyricist Adolph Green and actor Ray Walston, both in 1914; opera singer Maria Callas in 1923; former Secretary of State Alexander Haig Jr. in 1924; actor Julie Harris in 1925 (age 86); former U.S. Attorney General Edwin Meese III in 1931 (age 80); U.S. Sen. Harry Reid, D-Nev., in 1939 (age 72); artist and dog photographer William Wegman in 1943 (age 68); actor Cathy Lee Crosby in 1944 (age 67); fashion designer Gianni Versace in 1946; figure skater Randy Gardner in 1958 (age 53); actor Lucy Liu in 1968 (age 43); tennis player Monica Seles in 1973 (age 38); singer-songwriter Nelly Furtado in 1978 (age 33); and pop singer Britney Spears in 1981 (age 30).

On this date in history:

In 1804, Napoleon crowned himself emperor of France.

In 1823, during his annual address to the U.S. Congress, President James Monroe proclaimed a new U.S. foreign policy initiative that became known as the "Monroe Doctrine."

In 1859, abolitionist John Brown was hanged for his raid on the federal arsenal at Harper's Ferry, W.Va.

In 1927, the Model A Ford was introduced as the successor to the Model T. The price of a Model A roadster was $395.

In 1942, the Atomic Age was born when scientists demonstrated the first self-sustaining nuclear chain reaction at a laboratory below the stands at the University of Chicago football stadium.

In 1954, the U.S. Senate voted 65 to 22 to condemn Sen. Joseph R. McCarthy, R-Wis., for conduct unbecoming a senator. The condemnation, which was equivalent to a censure, related to McCarthy's controversial investigation of allegedly suspected communists in the U.S. government, military and civilian society.

In 1961, Fidel Castro disclosed he was a communist, acknowledging he concealed the fact until he solidified his hold on Cuba.

In 1982, retired dentist Barney Clark, 62, became the first person to receive a permanent artificial heart. He survived 112 days.

In 1990, Aaron Copland, the dean of American music, died at age 90; and actor Bob Cummings died at age 80.

In 1993, Colombian drug trafficker Pablo Escobar was killed in a shoot-out with police and soldiers in the Colombian city of Medellin.

In 2001, U.S. forces in Afghanistan captured John Walker Lindh, 20, a U.S. citizen from San Anselmo, Calif., found fighting with the Taliban.

Also in 2001, Enron, the giant Houston energy trading company, its stock nearly worthless, became the largest firm to file for bankruptcy.

In 2004, John Danforth, the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, resigned.

In 2006, at least 32 people died and 16 were injured when a 150-year-old pedestrian bridge collapsed onto a passenger train near Bhagalpur, India.

Also in 2006, three Baghdad car bombs, detonated in quick succession, killed at least 51 people, many shopping at a food market in a Shiite neighborhood.

In 2007, Russian President Vladimir Putin's party dominated parliamentary elections. Putin, who couldn't seek another consecutive term, was expected to name his successor and run for prime minister.

In 2008, U.S. officials joined India in blaming Pakistan for the terrorist attacks on Mumbai.

In 2010, the U.S. Congress approved a national child nutrition bill expanding the scope of the current school lunch program and implementing improvements to the overall health of available foods to help reduce childhood hunger and obesity.

Also in 2010, South Korea military officials say they believe North Korea suffered "many casualties" in Seoul's bombardment response to the North's shelling of a South island.

A thought for the day: Casey Stengel once remarked, "There comes a time in every man's life and I've had many of them."