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The almanac

By United Press International
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Today is Wednesday, Jan. 22, the 22nd day of 2014 with 343 to follow.

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

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Those born on this date are under the sign of Aquarius. They include Russian Czar Ivan III, known as Ivan the Great, in 1440; British writer and explorer Walter Raleigh in 1552; English philosopher and statesman Francis Bacon in 1561; French physicist Andre-Marie Ampere in 1775; British poet George Byron in 1788; D.W. Griffith, famed silent film director ("The Birth of a Nation"), in 1875; Chief Justice of the United States Fred Vinson in 1890; U.N. Secretary-General U Thant in 1909; actors Conrad Veidt in 1893, Ann Sothern in 1909 and Piper Laurie in 1932 (age 82); soul singer Sam Cooke in 1931; actor Bill Bixby and television chef Graham Kerr (age 80), both in 1934; author Joseph Wambaugh in 1937 (age 77); television chef Jeff Smith in 1939; actor John Hurt in 1940 (age 74); Journey lead singer Steve Perry in 1949 (age 65); actors Linda Blair ("The Exorcist") in 1959 (age 55); Diane Lane in 1965 (age 49); Olivia d'Abo in 1969 (age 45) and Balthazar Getty in 1975 (age 39); and restaurateur Guy Fieri in 1968 (age 46).

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On this date in history:

In 1771, Spain ceded the Falkland Islands to Britain.

In 1901, Queen Victoria of Britain died at age 82 after a reign of 64 years. She was succeeded by her son, Edward VII.

In 1943, U.S. and Australian troops took New Guinea in the first land victory over the Japanese in World War II.

In 1944, U.S. troops invaded Italy, landing at Anzio beach in a move to outflank German defensive positions.

In 1973, in the Roe vs. Wade decision, the U.S. Supreme Court struck down state laws restricting abortions during the first six months of pregnancy.

In 1987, Glen Tremml, 27, pedaled the ultralight aircraft Eagle over Edwards Air Force Base, Calif., for a human-powered flight record of 37.2 miles.

In 1991, Iraq launched a Scud missile attack against Israel, injuring 98 people.

In 1996, Costas Simitis was named prime minister of Greece. His predecessor, Andreas Papandreou, had stepped down due to ill health.

In 1998, accused bomber Ted Kaczynski pleaded guilty to all counts against him in California and New Jersey. (He was sentenced to life in prison.)

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In 2003, the U.S. Senate approved the nomination of former Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Ridge to be the first secretary of Homeland Security by a 94-0 vote.

In 2006, Evo Morales was inaugurated as president of Bolivia.

In 2008, Jose Padilla, a U.S. citizen accused of plotting to explode a radioactive "dirty bomb" in the United States, was sentenced to 17 years and 4 months in prison for aiding terrorists.

In 2012, Joe Paterno, the former Penn State football coach who won a record 409 games in his storied six-decade career but was forced out amid a sex scandal involving an ex-assistant coach, died of lung cancer. He was 85.

In 2013, an NBC-Wall Street Journal poll on the 40th anniversary of Roe vs. Wade found that 70 percent of U.S. residents didn't want the landmark abortion ruling overturned.


A thought for the day: Linus Pauling said, "The best way to have a good idea is to have lots of ideas."

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