Subscribe | UPI Odd Newsletter Subscribe Today is Thursday, Nov. 21, the 325th day of 2013 with 40 to follow. The moon is waning. The morning stars are Jupiter, Mars, Mercury and Saturn. The evening stars are Neptune, Uranus and Venus. Advertisement Those born on this date are under the sign of Scorpio. They include French explorer of North America Rene Robert de La Salle in 1643; French author Francois-Marie Arouet, known as Voltaire, in 1694; William Beaumont, pioneer U.S. Army surgeon, in 1785; British steamship company founder Samuel Cunard in 1787; Belgian painter Rene Magritte in 1898; jazz saxophonist Coleman Hawkins in 1904; dancer/actor Eleanor Powell in 1912; football Hall of fame member Sid Luckman in 1916; baseball Hall of Fame member Stan Musial in 1920; actors Joseph Campanella in 1927 (age 86), Laurence Luckinbill in 1934 (age 79), Marlo Thomas in 1937 (age 76) and Juliet Mills in 1941 (age 72); musician Dr. John, born Malcolm John "Mac" Rebennack, Jr., in 1940 (age 73); basketball Hall of Fame member Earl Monroe, TV producer Marcy Carsey and filmmaker/actor Harold Ramis, all in 1944 (age 69); actors Goldie Hawn in 1945 (age 68), Lorna Luft in 1952 (age 61), Nicollette Sheridan in 1963 (age 50) and Rain Phoenix in 1972 (age 41); musician Bjork in 1965 (age 48); and football Hall of Fame member Troy Aikman in 1966 (age 47). Advertisement On this date in history: In 1783, in Paris, Jean de Rozier and the Marquis d'Arlandes made the first free-flight ascent in a balloon. In 1877, Thomas Edison announced his invention of the phonograph. In 1938, Nazi forces occupied western Czechoslovakia and declared its people German citizens. In 1974, The U.S. Congress passed the Freedom of Information Act over U.S. President Gerald Ford's veto. In 1985, Jonathan Jay Pollard, a civilian U.S. Navy intelligence analyst and Jewish American, was arrested on charges of illegally passing classified U.S. security information about Arab nations to Israel. In 1991, U.S. President George H.W. Bush signed the Civil Rights Act of 1991, making it easier for workers to sue in job discrimination cases. In 2003, U.S. House of Representatives and Senate conferees finished the final version of an approximately $400 billion, 1,000-page bill that would create prescription drug coverage for 42 million Americans on Medicare. In 2004, Iraqi authorities set Jan. 30, 2005, as the date for the nation's first election since the collapse of Saddam Hussein's dictatorship. In 2005, General Motors Corp., the world's biggest carmaker, announced it was cutting its payroll by 30,000 employees and shutting nine major plants. In 2006, Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki announced a restoration of diplomatic ties with Syria, ending 24 years of strained relations. Advertisement In 2008, U.S. Sen. Hillary Clinton accepted President-elect Barack Obama's offer to be the secretary of state nominee. In 2010, Ireland asked its European partners for a financial rescue package of about $90 billion to bolster its sagging economy. In 2011, the United States and Britain imposed new sanctions on Iran because of its suspected pursuit of nuclear weapons. In 2012, a cease-fire was announced after eight days of fighting that officials said killed about 130 Palestinians and six Israelis. Hundreds of people were injured. Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak said he held Hamas responsible to keep the truce. A thought for the day: It was Voltaire who said, "I disapprove of what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it."
