The almanac

Today is Sunday, Feb. 19, the 50th day of 2012 with 316 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 Pisces. They include Polish astronomer Nicolaus Copernicus in 1473; British actor David Garrick in 1717; Romanian sculptor Constantin Brancusi in 1876; jockey Eddie Arcaro in 1916; novelist Carson McCullers in 1917; actor Lee Marvin in 1924; television and movie director John Frankenheimer in 1930; singers William "Smokey" Robinson in 1940 (age 72) and Lou Christie in 1943 (age 69); author Amy Tan in 1952 (age 60); Argentine President Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner in 1953 (age 59); actors Jeff Daniels in 1955 (age 57), Justine Bateman in 1966 (age 46) and Benicio Del Toro in 1967 (age 45); singer Seal in 1963 (age 49); and Britain's Prince Andrew in 1960 (age 52).

On this date in history:

In 1473, Nicolaus Copernicus, the father of modern astronomy, was born in Torun, a city in north-central Poland.

In 1807, Aaron Burr, a former U.S. vice president, was arrested in Alabama on charges of plotting to annex Spanish territory in Louisiana and Mexico to be used toward the establishment of an independent republic.

In 1878, Thomas Edison patented the first gramophone.

In 1922, vaudeville star Ed Wynn became the first big name in show business to sign for a regular radio show.

In 1942, as a security measure during World War II, the U.S. government began relocating Japanese-Americans living in coastal Pacific areas to internment camps in remote areas of several states. They were allowed to return to their homes in January 1945.

In 1945, U.S. Marines landed on the island of Iwo Jima, opening one of the bloodiest battles in the Pacific during World War II.

In 1986, the U.S. Senate endorsed the U.N. convention against genocide, 37 years after U.S. President Harry Truman first sought approval of the accord.

Also in 1986, the Soviet Union launched the Mir space station. It was occupied for 10 of its 15 years in orbit.

In 1991, Russian Federation President Boris Yeltsin demanded the resignation of Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev.

In 1997, China's "paramount leader" Deng Xiaoping died at age 92.

In 2003, all 289 people aboard an Iranian military transport plane were killed when it crashed in a mountainous region of southeastern Iran.

In 2005, Iran was reported to be making ready for a possible U.S. attack or at least appearing to prepare for war to dissuade Washington from such an attack.

Also in 2005, U.S. Roman Catholic officials said they received 1,092 charges of clergy sex abuse, most involving boys.

In 2007, European environment ministers called or a 20 percent cut in carbon dioxide emissions by EU member states by 2020.

In 2008, Cuban President Fidel Castro, 81, who temporarily handed power to his brother Raul in July, 2006, when he fell ill, stepped down permanently after 49 years in power. Raul, 76, formally succeeded him as chief of state, promising few changes in governing of the Communist island nation.

In 2009, Mexican President Felipe Calderon says the military will help fight drug cartels until police are retrained to do the job. More than 6,000 people died in drug-related violence in 2008.

In 2010, U.S. President Barack Obama announced a $1.3 billion funding program to help families in states hardest hit by the plunging housing market.

Also in 2010, Tiger Woods accepted responsibility for his reckless actions, apologizing to a global audience and telling the media to leave his family alone. Admitting his infidelity, he said, "I am the only person to blame."

In 2011, a U.S. intelligence report said Iran had resumed research on development of a nuclear bomb.

A thought for the day: it was Henry Ward Beecher who said, "Every charitable act is a stepping stone toward heaven."