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The almanac

By United Press International
Subscribe | UPI Odd Newsletter

Today is Wednesday, Aug. 14, the 226th day of 2013 with 139 to follow.

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

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Those born on this date are under the sign of Leo. They include pioneer German psychologist Richard von Krafft-Ebing in 1840; American West figure Doc Holliday in 1851; naturalist Ernest Thompson Seton in 1860; writer Ernest Thayer ("Casey at the Bat") in 1863; English novelist John Galsworthy in 1867; writer Russell Baker in 1925 (age 88); actor Alice Ghostley in 1926; singer Buddy Greco, also in 1926 (age 87); baseball Hall of Fame member Earl Weaver in 1930; Rock and Roll Hall of Fame member David Crosby in 1941 (age 72); comedian Steve Martin in 1945 (age 68); actor Susan Saint James in 1946 (age 67); author Danielle Steele in 1947 (age 66); "The Far Side" cartoonist Gary Larson in 1950 (age 63); composer James Horner in 1953 (age 60); actor Marcia Gay Harden and basketball Hall of Fame member Earvin "Magic" Johnson, both in 1959 (age 54); stage soprano Sarah Brightman in 1960 (age 53); actors Halle Berry in 1966 (age 47) and Mila Kunis in 1983 (age 30); and football player Tim Tebow, winner of the Heisman Trophy in 2007, in 1987 (age 26).

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On this date in history:

In 1784, Grigory Shelikhov, a Russian fur trader, founded the first permanent Russian settlement in Alaska on Kodiak Island.

In 1900, about 2,000 U.S. Marines joined with European forces to capture Beijing, ending the Boxer Rebellion against the Western presence in China.

In 1935, the U.S. Congress passed the Social Security Act and U.S. President Franklin Roosevelt immediately signed it into law.

In 1945, U.S. President Harry Truman announced that Japan had accepted terms for unconditional surrender, ending World War II.

In 1966, the unmanned U.S. Orbiter 1 spacecraft began orbiting the moon.

In 1994, the notorious international terrorist known as "Carlos the Jackal" was captured in Sudan. He was extradited to France the next day.

In 1995, following a long legal battle, Shannon Faulkner was admitted to the cadet corps of the previously all-male Citadel. She resigned from the South Carolina military school four days later.

In 1996, the Republican Party nominated Sen. Bob Dole of Kansas for president to face incumbent Bill Clinton in the November election.

In 2003, a massive power failure spread through Ohio, Michigan, the northeastern United States and eastern Canada, leaving 50 million people in eight states and the province of Ontario without electricity for as long as two days.

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In 2005, authorities say the crash of a Helios Airways plane in Greece with 121 people aboard could have been caused by a sudden drop in cabin pressure. There were no survivors.

In 2006, the conflict between Israel and Hezbollah in Lebanon ended in a truce, effective on this date, after 34 days of fighting.

In 2007, Mattel, the world's largest toy company, recalled nearly 19 million toys made in China, about half of them distributed in the United States. Included were more than 400,000 toy cars said to be coated with lead.

In 2008, Poland agreed to allow the United States to install an anti-missile system on its soil. The move by Poland is said to be aimed at defending itself from a possible threat from Russia and to establish closer ties with the West. It also angered Russia whose leaders warned that Poland was risking retaliation.

In 2010, Pakistan's worst flooding in 80 years left 20 million people homeless, officials reported.

In 2012, at least 43 people were killed and dozens injured in suicide bombings in three Afghan provinces.


A thought for the day: U.S. President Theodore Roosevelt said, "Obedience to the law is demanded as a right; not asked as a favor."

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