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The almanac

By United Press International
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Today is Thursday, July 19, the 201st day of 2012 with 165 to follow.

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

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Those born on this date are under the sign of Cancer. They include American firearms inventor Samuel Colt in 1814; French painter Edgar Degas in 1834; accused ax murderer Lizzie Borden in 1860; Dr. Charles H. Mayo, co-founder of the Mayo Clinic, in 1865; author A.J. Cronin in 1896; former U.S. Sen. George McGovern, D-S.D., and 1972 Democratic presidential nominee, in 1922 (age 90); former CIA agent-turned-author Philip Agee in 1935 (age 77); singer Vikki Carr in 1941 (age 71); former tennis star Ilie Nastase in 1946 (age 66); and actor Anthony Edwards in 1962 (age 50).

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On this date in history:

In 1848, "bloomers," a radical departure in women's clothing, were introduced to the first women's rights convention in Seneca Falls, N.Y. They were named after Amelia Jenks Bloomer.

In 1911, Pennsylvania became the first U.S. state to pass laws censoring movies.

In 1918, the end of World War I approached as the German army began retreating across the Marne River in France.

In 1946, Marilyn Monroe was given her first screen test at Twentieth Century-Fox Studios. Even without sound, the test was enough to earn Monroe her first contract.

In 1969, John Fairfax of Britain arrived at Fort Lauderdale, Fla., to become the first person to row across the Atlantic alone.

In 1984, U.S. Rep. Geraldine Ferraro, D-N.Y., was chosen as Walter Mondale's vice presidential running mate at the Democratic National Convention. She was the first woman on a major ticket.

In 1989, a crippled DC-10 jetliner crash-landed in a cornfield in Sioux City, Iowa. Amazingly, 181 of the 293 people aboard survived.

In 1990, major league baseball record holder Pete Rose was sentenced to five months in prison for tax evasion.

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In 1991, nine days of combat between Tamil rebels and Sri Lankan soldiers left 78 soldiers and 600 rebels dead in the fiercest fighting since 1983.

In 1993, the Pentagon unveiled its "don't ask, don't tell, don't pursue" policy toward homosexuals in the U.S. military.

In 1996, the Summer Olympics opened in Atlanta with a record 197 nations taking part.

In 1997, the IRA declared a cease-fire in its long war to force Britain out of Northern Ireland.

Also in 1997, Liberia's first peaceful presidential election following a 7-year civil war was won by Charles Taylor, a rebel leader with a reputation for brutality.

In 1999, hot weather settled in over the eastern and midwestern United States, lasting through the end of the month and causing at least 200 deaths -- 80 of them in Illinois.

In 2004, Sandy Berger, former national security adviser to former U.S. President Bill Clinton and campaign adviser to Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry, admitted taking classified documents from the National Archives but said he did so inadvertently.

In 2005, U.S. Appeals Court Judge John Roberts was nominated by U.S. President George Bush to the U.S. Supreme Court, replacing the resigned Sandra Day O'Connor. After the death of William Rehnquist, Roberts' nomination was changed to make him chief justice.

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In 2006, U.S. President George W. Bush issued his first veto of a bill passed by Congress when he rejected a measure to end restrictions on federal funding of human embryonic stem cell research.

In 2007, on Wall Street, the Dow Jones industrial average closed at more than 14,000 for the first time.

In 2008, despite mushrooming festivities honoring the event, former South African President Nelson Mandela said he hoped for a quiet time with his family as he observed his 90th birthday.

In 2009, officials said 10 Mexican police officers were arrested on suspicion of taking part in the killing of a dozen federal agents.

Also in 2009, 16 people were killed in the crash of a U.S. civilian helicopter in Afghanistan. Authorities said the craft wasn't shot down.

In 2010, a speeding express train slammed into the rear of another train preparing to leave a West Bengal station in India, killing more than 60 people and injuring more than 100 others. Driver error was blamed.

In 2011, U.S. President Barack Obama backed legislation that would repeal the law that limits recognition of same-sex marriage in the United States, a spokesman said. The proposal would abolish the Defense of Marriage Act's definition of marriage as the union of a man and a woman.

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A thought for the day: Yogi Berra said, "It ain't over 'til it's over."

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