The almanac

Today is Friday, Feb. 17, the 48th day of 2012 with 318 to follow.

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

Those born on this date are under the sign of Aquarius. They include mail order retailer Aaron Montgomery Ward in 1843; engraver Frederic Ives in 1856; Texas oil millionaire H.L. Hunt in 1889; sportscaster Red Barber in 1908; author Margaret Truman Daniel, daughter of U.S. President Harry Truman, in 1924; actors Hal Holbrook in 1925 (age 87) and Alan Bates in 1934; football Hall of Fame member and actor Jim Brown in 1936 (age 76); singer Gene Pitney in 1940; political activist Huey P. Newton in 1942; actors Brenda Fricker in 1945 (age 67), Rene Russo in 1954 (age 58), Richard Karn in 1956 (age 56) and Lou Diamond Phillips in 1962 (age 50); comedian Larry the Cable Guy in 1963 (age 49); basketball Hall of Fame member Michael Jordan in 1963 (age 49); film director Michael Bay in 1965 (age 47); actor Jerry O'Connell in 1974 (age 38); actor Joseph Gordon-Levitt and heiress Paris Hilton, both in 1981 (age 31); and actor Bonnie Wright in 1991 (age 21).

On this date in history:

In 1801, the U.S. House of Representatives chose Thomas Jefferson as the third president of the United States after he and Aaron Burr tied in the Electoral College. It took 35 House ballots before Jefferson won and Burr became vice president.

In 1817, Baltimore became the first U.S. city with gas-burning street lights.

In 1867, the first ship passed through the Suez Canal.

In 1904, Giacomo Puccini's "Madama Butterfly" premiered in Milan, Italy.

In 1909, Apache leader Geronimo died while under military confinement at Fort Sill, Okla.

In 1933, Newsweek magazine published its first issue.

In 1968, the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame opened in Springfield, Mass.

In 1979, "A Prairie Home Companion," hosted by Garrison Keillor, made its debut on National Public Radio.

In 1986, Johnson and Johnson halted production of all non-prescription drugs in capsules following the death of a Peekskill, N.Y., woman from cyanide-laced Extra-Strength Tylenol.

In 2002, a series of raids by communist rebels left 137 dead in Nepal.

In 2003, when security guards used pepper spray to break up a fight at a packed Chicago social club the ensuing panic by patrons resulted in 21 deaths as the crowd stampeded for the exits.

In 2005, U.S. President George W. Bush nominated John Negroponte to be the first director of national intelligence.

In 2006, more than 1,000 people were believed killed in a mudslide that covered a village on Leyte in the central Philippines.

In 2007, 22-year-old Prince Harry of England was ordered to the front lines in Iraq along with his British army unit. He didn't go, however, since publicity about his presence was deemed a potential danger to his unit.

In 2008, the province of Kosovo declared independence from Serbia as thousands of ethnic Albanians celebrated in the streets but some others resorted to violent protest. The United States and several other nations, including Britain, Germany, and France, recognized Kosovo as a sovereign and independent state.

Also in 2008, a suicide bomber attacked a crowded dogfight near Kandahar in Afghanistan, killing about 80 people, including a local police chief, and injuring nearly 100.

In 2009, U.S. President Barack Obama signed the $787 billion stimulus package into law, hoping to create 3.5 million jobs for Americans in the next two years. Most Republican lawmakers argued it contained too much "pork-barrel" spending and not enough tax cuts.

Also in 2009, General Motors and Chrysler asked for an additional $14 billion from the government to keep from going bankrupt. That made their total request to $39 billion.

In 2011, the British government advised same-sex couples they can form civil partnerships in church if they wish. A spokesman said Britain also was considering rewriting the law on marriage.

Also in 2011, the latest Gallup Poll indicated that U.S. voters were evenly split over whether they would support President Barrack Obama or an unknown Republican candidate in the 2012 presidential election.

A thought for the day: Aldous Huxley wrote, "Experience is not what happens to you; it's what you do with what happens to you."