The almanac

• Tweet

Today is Tuesday, Aug. 28, the 241st day of 2012 with 125 to follow.

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

Those born on this date are under the sign of Virgo. They include German poet, novelist and dramatist Johann von Goethe in 1749; Elizabeth Ann Seton, first U.S.-born saint of the Roman Catholic Church, in 1774; French actor Charles Boyer in 1899; psychologist Bruno Bettelheim in 1903; actor Nancy Kulp in 1921; actor/dancer Donald O'Connor in 1925; actor Ben Gazzara in 1930; former U.S. Secretary of Defense William S. Cohen in 1940 (age 72); former baseball manager Lou Piniella and singer/actor David Soul, both in 1943 (age 69); actor Daniel Stern in 1957 (age 55); Olympic gold medal ice skater Scott Hamilton in 1958 (age 54); actors Emma Samms in 1960 (age 52), Billy Boyd in 1968 (age 44); and Jack Black and Jason Priestley, both in 1969 (age 43); figure skating Hall of Fame member Todd Eldredge and Olympic gold medal swimmer Janet Evans, both in 1971 (age 41); country singers Shania Twain in 1965 (age 47) and LeAnn Rimes in 1982 (age 30); and Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit, captured in 2006 and held captive by Palestinian militants for more than five years, in 1986 (age 26).

On this date in history:

In 1922, a New York City realty company paid $100 for the first radio commercial, on station WEAF.

In 1955, while visiting family in Money, Miss., 14-year-old Emmett Till, an African-American from Chicago, was slain for flirting with a white woman four days earlier. His alleged killers were acquitted.

In 1963, Martin Luther King Jr. delivered his "I have a dream" speech from the steps of the Lincoln Memorial before more than 200,000 people gathered for the "Freedom March" in Washington.

In 1968, the Democratic Party nominated Hubert Humphrey for president as thousands of anti-Vietnam War demonstrators battled police in the streets and parks of Chicago.

In 1986, Soviet spy Jerry Whitworth was sentenced in San Francisco to 365 years in prison and fined $410,000.

In 1988, more than 50 people were killed in the Philippines in an unsuccessful coup attempt against President Corazon Aquino.

In 1990, at least 27 people died and more than 350 were injured when a tornado struck Will County, Ill., southwest of Chicago.

In 1996, after four years of separation, Prince Charles, heir to the British throne, and his wife, Princess Diana, were formally divorced.

In 2004, U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell canceled plans to attend closing ceremonies at the Summer Olympics in Greece after protests against U.S. foreign policy.

In 2005, Hurricane Katrina picked up strength as it roared toward the U.S. Gulf Coast, reaching Category 5 status, with winds of almost 150 miles an hour, touching off one of the largest evacuations in U.S. history. The mayor of New Orleans issued a mandatory evacuation order while fleeing residents clogged highways in other parts of Louisiana and in Mississippi and Alabama.

In 2007, Abdullah Gul was elected president in the third round of parliamentary voting in Turkey, reported to be the nation's first Islamist chief in modern history.

Also in 2007, U.S. Sen. Larry Craig, R-Idaho, admitted he pleaded guilty without consulting a lawyer to disorderly conduct in a Minneapolis airport men's room incident in June but insisted he had done nothing wrong.

In 2008, Sen. John McCain, the presumed Republican nominee for president, chose Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin as his vice presidential running mate.

In 2009, the June 27 death of entertainer Michael Jackson was ruled a homicide by drug overdose after his personal physician admitted giving him the powerful anesthetic propofol and the sedative lorazepam on the day of his death.

In 2010, U.S. Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke acknowledged to a group of world economic policymakers that "the pace of recovery in output and employment has slowed somewhat."

In 2011, an artillery barrage by Afghan Muslim militants killed at least 40 Pakistani soldiers in an attack on seven military posts guarding the border between the two countries. News reports said militants had "heavy casualties."

Also in 2011, Tony Tan was elected the seventh president of Singapore after more than 83 percent of eligible voters cast their ballots.

A thought for the day: author Salman Rushdie said, "Literature is the one place in any society where, within the secrecy of our own heads, we can hear voices talking about everything in every possible way."