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The almanac

By United Press International
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Today is Thursday, Oct. 3, the 276th day of 2013 with 89 to follow.

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

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Those born on this date are under the sign of Libra. They include Cherokee Chief John Ross, who led opposition to the forced move of his people to what is now Oklahoma, in 1790; historian George Bancroft in 1800; actor Warner Oland ("Charlie Chan") in 1879; German pacifist and Nobel Peace Prize laureate Cal von Ossietzky in 1889; writers Thomas Wolfe in 1900, James Herriot in 1916 and Gore Vidal in 1925; hockey Hall of Fame member Glenn Hall in 1931 (age 82); Rock and Roll Hall of Fame member Eddie Cochran in 1938; rock 'n' roll singer Chubby Checker in 1941 (age 72); Rock and Roll Hall of Fame member Lindsey Buckingham in 1949 (age 64); musician Keb' Mo' in 1851 (age 62); activist Rev. Al Sharpton (age 59) and guitarist Stevie Ray Vaughan, both in 1954; golf Hall of Fame member Fred Couples and actor/singer Jack Wagner, both in 1959 (age 54); rock drummer Tommy Lee in 1962 (age 51); actors Clive Owen in 1964 (age 49) and Neve Campbell in 1973 (age 40); singers Gwen Stefani in 1969 (age 44), India.Arie in 1975 (age 38) and Ashlee Simpson-Wentz in 1984 (age 29); and Rock and Roll Hall of Fame member Josh Klinghoffer (Red Hot Chili Peppers), in 1979 (age 34).

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On this date in history:

In 1922, Rebecca Felton, a Georgia Democrat, became the first woman to serve in the U.S. Senate.

In 1932, Iraq won its independence after Britain ended its mandate following 17 years of British rule.

In 1952, Britain successfully tested its first atomic bomb.

In 1955, the children's TV show "Captain Kangaroo" with Bob Keeshan in the title role was broadcast for the first time.

In 1967, folksinger and songwriter Woody Guthrie died at the age of 55.

In 1972, U.S. President Richard Nixon and Soviet Foreign Minister Andrei Gromyko signed strategic arms limitation agreements, putting the first restrictions on the two countries' nuclear weapons.

In 1981, IRA prisoners at Maze Prison in Belfast, Northern Ireland, ended a seven-month hunger strike in which 10 men died.

In 1990, formerly communist East Germany merged with West Germany, ending 45 years of post-war division.

In 1992, William Gates III, the college-dropout founder of Microsoft Corp., headed the Forbes magazine list of the 400 richest Americans, with a net worth of $6.3 billion.

In 1995, O.J. Simpson was acquitted of charges that he killed his former wife, Nicole Brown Simpson, and her friend, Ron Goldman.

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In 2001, amid rising concerns about the use of lethal substances by terrorists, the U.S. government said it was planning to stockpile 40 million doses of smallpox vaccine.

In 2007, U.S. President George W. Bush vetoed a bill that would have increased funding of the State Children's Health Insurance Program to provide health coverage to more than 10 million children. Bush said the proposal was a move toward universal healthcare, which he opposed.

In 2009, General Motors announced it was closing its Saturn line of cars.

In 2010, Dilma Rousseff narrowly missed the necessary 50 percent to become Brazil's next president and was forced into an Oct. 31 runoff with Jose Serra. Rousseff won that vote and took office Jan. 1, 2011.

In 2012, U.S. President Obama and Republican challenger Mitt Romney engaged in the first of three debates. The consensus among political analysts, focus group participants and snap polls was that Romney gave the better performance in the debate in Denver.


A thought for the day: "It's hard to beat a person who never gives up." -- Babe Ruth

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