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The almanac

By United Press International
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Today is Monday, Aug. 26, the 238th day of 2013 with 127 to follow.

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

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Those born on this date are under the sign of Virgo. They include British statesman Robert Walpole in 1676; French scientist Antoine Lavoisier, the founder of modern chemistry, in 1743; Lee De Forest, known as the father of radio, in 1873; "Charlie Chan" detective series author Earl Derr Biggers in 1884; poet/novelist Christopher Isherwood in 1904; bacteriologist Albert Sabin, discoverer of an oral vaccine for polio, in 1906; Nobel Peace Prize laureate Mother Teresa in 1910; basketball Hall of Fame member Tom Heinsohn in 1934 (age 79); Geraldine Ferraro, 1984 Democratic vice presidential candidate and first woman to seek so high a position on a major U.S. political party ticket, in 1935; voice actor and movie trailer specialist Don LaFontaine in 1940; singer Leon Redbone in 1949 (age 64); crossword editor Will Shortz in 1952 (age 61); jazz musician Branford Marsalis in 1960 (age 53); and actors Melissa McCarthy in 1970 (age 43), Macaulay Culkin and Chris Pine, both in 1980 (age 33).

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On this date in history:

In 1920, women were given the right to vote in the United States when the 19th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution went into effect.

In 1964, Democrats nominated U.S. President Lyndon Johnson and Hubert Humphrey to face the Republicans in November.

In 1974, Charles Lindbergh died at the age of 72.

In 1978, Cardinal Albino Luciani was elected the 263rd pope and chose the name John Paul I. He died 33 days later.

In 1992, U.S. President George H.W. Bush announced a ban on Iraqi military flights over southern Iraq to protect the Shiite Muslims. He said any planes that violate the order would be shot down by U.S.-led coalition forces.

In 1996, a court in South Korea sentenced former President Chun Doo-hwan to death for the coup that put him in power. His successor, Roh Tae-woo, was sentenced to prison for taking bribes. Chun's death sentence was commuted in 1997.

In 2003, the U.N. Security Council denounced as a "grave violation of human rights" the killings of Kuwaiti prisoners, believed to be in the hundreds, by Iraqi President Saddam Hussein's regime.

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In 2004, a leader in the U.S. Army panel investigating prisoner abuse at Baghdad's Abu Ghraib prison said the team had discovered "serious misconduct and a loss of moral values."

In 2005, Hurricane Katrina struck Florida's Atlantic coast, causing flooding that claimed 11 lives. The massive storm then moved into the Gulf of Mexico where it picked up strength and sent thousands of Gulf Coast residents fleeing its expected onslaught.

In 2007, wildfires, all believed to be the act of arsonists, killed at least 59 people and destroyed thousands of acres of crops, pasture land and forests in Greece. The fires were fanned by gale-force winds.

In 2008, Russian President Dmitry Medvedev signed decrees recognizing the independence of Georgia breakaway regions South Ossetia and Abkhazia. Medvedev said granting them independence was an act of necessity and he urged other nations to make similar diplomatic moves.

In 2009, U.S. President Barack Obama nominated Ben Bernanke for a second term as chairman of the U.S. Federal Reserve.

In 2011, Japanese Prime Minister Naota Kan resigned after a hectic 15 months that included an earthquake, a tsunami and a nuclear disaster. He was succeeded three days later by Yoshihiko Noda, the finance minister.

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In 2012, U.S. Republican officials, gathered in Tampa, Fla., for the party's national convention, announced it would be delayed a day because of Tropical Storm Isaac.


A thought for the day: Alan Patrick Herbert wrote, "The critical period in matrimony is breakfast-time."

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