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The almanac

By United Press International
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Today is Thursday, Feb. 6, the 37th day of 2014 with 328 to follow.

The moon is waxing. 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 England's Queen Anne in 1665; statesman Aaron Burr in 1756; Confederate Gen. J.E.B. Stuart in 1833; baseball great George Herman "Babe" Ruth in 1895; former U.S. President Ronald Reagan in 1911; Eva Braun, mistress of Adolf Hitler, in 1912; actors Zsa Zsa Gabor in 1917 (age 97), Patrick Macnee in 1922 (age 92) and Rip Torn and Mamie Van Doren, both in 1931, (age 83); French film director Francois Truffaut in 1932; actors Mike Farrell in 1939 (age 75) and Michael Tucker in 1945 (age 69); TV newsman Tom Brokaw in 1940 (age 74); handgun control activist Sarah Brady in 1942 (age 72); Jamaican reggae singer/songwriter Bob Marley in 1945; singers Fabian Forte in 1943 (age 71), Natalie Cole in 1950 (age 64) and W. Axl Rose in 1962 (age 52); actor Kevin Whately in 1951 (age 63); and actor/director Robert Townsend and actor Kathy Najimy, both in 1957 (age 57).

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On this date in history:

In 1788, Massachusetts ratified the federal Constitution, the sixth state to do so.

In 1819, Singapore was founded with the establishment of a British East India Co. trading post.

In 1865, Gen. Robert E. Lee was appointed commander in chief of the armies of the Confederacy.

In 1943, U.S. Army Gen. Dwight D. Eisenhower was named commander of Allied expeditionary forces in North Africa. (He later became World War II supreme Allied commander in Europe.)

In 1952, Princess Elizabeth became sovereign of Great Britain upon the death of her father, King George VI. (She was crowned Queen Elizabeth II on June 2, 1953.)

In 1987, broad no-smoking rules took effect for 890,000 employees in 6,800 U.S. federal buildings nationwide.

In 1992, a military transport plane crashed into a restaurant and hotel in Evansville, Ind., killing 16 people.

In 1998, U.S. President Bill Clinton said he would never consider resigning because of allegations that he had an affair with former White House intern Monica Lewinsky.

In 2001, Ariel Sharon was elected prime minister of Israel.

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In 2004, a female suicide bomber detonated explosives in a suitcase on a Moscow subway car, killing 39 people and injuring about 200.

In 2005, the New England Patriots won their third Super Bowl in four years, defeating the Philadelphia Eagles 24-21.

In 2006, U.S. Attorney General Alberto Gonzales told Congress President George W. Bush was within his legal rights when he authorized warrantless surveillance of people in the United States by the National Security Agency.

In 2012, the United States suspended operations at its embassy in Damascus and evacuated its staff, citing the deteriorating situation across Syria.

In 2013, a Public Policy Polling survey indicated U.S. voters are more likely to view an endorsement by the National Rifle Association negatively than positively.


A thought for the day: U.S. President Ronald Reagan said, "You can accomplish much if you don't care who gets the credit."

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