The almanac

Today is Saturday, Sept. 28, the 271st day of 2013 with 94 to follow.

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

Those born on this date are under the sign of Libra. They include French writer and alchemist Nicolas Flamel in 1330; Frances Willard, founder of the Women's Christian Temperance Union, in 1839; sports entrepreneur and IOC President Avery Brundage in 1887; CBS Chairman William Paley and TV variety show host and columnist Ed Sullivan, both in 1901; former heavyweight boxing champ Max Schmeling in 1905; cartoonist Al Capp (L'il Abner) in 1909; actors Peter Finch in 1916, Arnold Stang in 1918, William Windom in 1923 and Marcello Mastroianni in 1924; actor and animal rights advocate Brigitte Bardot in 1934 (age 79); musician Ben E. King in 1938 (age 75); football Hall of Fame member and former member of Congress Steve Largent in 1954 (age 59); hockey Hall of Fame member Grant Fuhr in 1962 (age 51); and actors Jeffrey Jones in 1946 (age 67), Janeane Garofalo in 1964 (age 49), Mira Sorvino in 1967 (age 46), Naomi Watts in 1968 (age 45) and Hilary Duff in 1987 (age 26).

On this date in history:

In 490 B.C., the Greeks defeated the Persians at Marathon. A Greek soldier named Phidippides ran more than 26 miles to tell Athenians of the victory and died after his announcement. His feat provided the model for the modern marathon race.

In 1892, Mansfield University was the home team for the first night football game at Smythe Park in Mansfield, Pa.

In 1920, in baseball's biggest scandal, a grand jury indicted eight Chicago White Sox players for throwing the 1919 World Series with the Cincinnati Reds.

In 1928, Alexander Fleming discovered penicillin.

In 1982, the first reports appeared of deaths in the Chicago area from Extra-strength Tylenol capsules laced with cyanide. Seven people died and the unsolved case resulted in tamper-proof packaging for consumer products.

In 1987, a federal appeals court declared Boston public schools officially desegregated after a 13-year effort.

In 1989, former Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos died in exile in Hawaii.

In 1992, a Pakistani jetliner carrying 167 people crashed into a hill southeast of Kathmandu, Nepal, killing all aboard.

In 1993, U.S. first lady Hillary Clinton was the administration's lead witness in congressional hearings on a proposed national healthcare program.

In 2001, the U.N. Security Council unanimously passed a resolution to require members to put a stop to financing and training of terrorists within their borders.

In 2003, legendary Broadway and film director Elia Kazan died at his home in New York at the age of 94.

In 2004, the price of oil topped $50 a barrel for the first time in trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange.

In 2005, U.S. Rep. Tom DeLay, R-Texas, the U.S. House of Representatives majority leader, was indicted in Texas for allegedly conspiring to violate a state fundraising law.

In 2007, the U.S. Senate joined the House of Representatives in defying a veto threat from President George W. Bush to approve an expansion of the child health insurance program. The bill would spend about $35 billion to expand health insurance to more than 4 million children.

In 2008, U.S. congressional negotiators and Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson agreed on a $700 billion banking industry bailout plan. It gave the Treasury Department unprecedented authority, including the ability to buy a range of troubled financial assets.

In 2009, Iran said it successfully tested long-range missiles, one of which has a range of 1,250 miles, which put Moscow, southern Italy and Athens, Greece, within striking distance.

In 2011, a Massachusetts man was arrested for allegedly plotting to use an explosives-packed drone aircraft to attack the U.S. Capitol and Pentagon.

In 2012, a twin-engine propeller plane carrying 19 people to Lukla near Mount Everest hit an eagle and crashed in Nepal, killing all aboard.

A thought for the day: "If it sounds like writing, I rewrite it." -- Elmore Leonard.