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The almanac

By United Press International
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Today is Friday, Nov. 9, the 314th day of 2012 with 52 to follow.

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

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Those born on this date are under the sign of Scorpio. They include astronomer Benjamin Banneker in 1731; Russian author Ivan Turgenev in 1818; architect Stanford White in 1853; actor-comedian Ed Wynn in 1886; actors Marie Dressler in 1868 and Hedy Lamarr in 1913; Sargent Shriver, first director of the Peace Corps, in 1915; former Vice President Spiro T. Agnew in 1918; actor Dorothy Dandridge in 1922; astronomer Carl Sagan in 1934; baseball Hall of Fame members Whitey Herzog in 1931 (age 81) and Bob Gibson in 1935 (age 77); folk singer Mary Travers (of Peter, Paul and Mary) in 1936; bodybuilder/actor Lou Ferrigno (TV's "Incredible Hulk") in 1951 (age 61); musician Susan Tedeschi in 1970 (age 42); and singer Nick Lachey in 1973 (age 39).

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On this date in history:

In 1918, Germany's Kaiser Wilhelm II abdicated as World War I drew to a close.

In 1933, U.S. President Franklin Roosevelt set up the Civil Works Administration as an emergency depression agency to provide jobs for the unemployed.

In 1938, mobs of Germans attacked Jewish businesses and homes throughout Germany in what became known as Kristallnacht, or Crystal Night.

In 1953, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled Major League Baseball isn't within the scope of federal anti-trust laws.

In 1965, a massive power failure left more than 30 million people in the dark in the northeastern United States and eastern Canada.

In 1984, the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington was completed by the addition of the Frederick Hart statue called "Three Servicemen."

In 1985, Gary Kasparov, 22, became the youngest world chess champion, ending the 10-year reign of Anatoly Karpov in Moscow.

In 1989, East Germany announced free passage for its citizens through border checkpoints. The announcement rendered the Berlin Wall, the most reviled symbol of the Cold War, virtually irrelevant 28 years after its construction.

In 1995, Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat visited Israel for the first time to offer personal condolences to the wife of slain Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin.

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In 2002, the death toll from West Nile virus on this date was at least 148 in 2,796 cases, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported.

In 2003, Iran's foreign minister said his country wanted closer relations with the European Union and was stopping uranium enrichment.

In 2005, a series of explosions rocked three major hotels in Amman, Jordan, killing 57 people and injuring hundreds. Al-Qaida in Mesopotamia claimed responsibility.

In 2006, losses by incumbent Republicans in Virginia and Montana gave the Democratic Party a majority in the U.S. Senate in 2006 midterm elections.

In 2008, three men were executed by firing squad for the 2002 bombings in Bali that killed 202 people, mostly tourists.

Also in 2008, China announced plans for a stimulus package worth more than $500 billion over two years for infrastructure projects.

In 2009, the investigation into the Fort Hood, Texas, massacre and motives of the alleged shooter, Army Maj. Nidal Hasan, turned up repeated email contacts with a radical Muslim cleric who praised Hasan after the shootings as a "hero." The Nov. 5 shooting rampage killed 12 soldiers and a civilian and injured about 30 others.

Also in 2009, three American hikers arrested in July near the Iran-Iraq border were charged with spying.

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And, Germans celebrated the 20th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall, a 96-mile barricade separating West and East Germany and a relic of the Cold War.

In 2010, a U.S. Navy aircraft carrier was sent to help a cruise ship stalled and stranded by fire about 150 miles southwest of San Diego with close to 5,000 people aboard. No injuries were reported.

In 2011, the burgeoning child sexual abuse scandal at Penn State University claimed its legendary football coach when the school's board of trustees fired Joe Paterno. Investigation into the 40 child abuse counts against former defensive coordinator Jerry Sandusky accused Paterno of helping conceal allegations against his old friend. Penn State President Graham Spanier also was sacked.


A thought for the day: Edgar Watson Howe wrote, "What people say behind your back is your standing in the community."

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