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UPI Almanac for Friday, July 25, 2014

Ocean liners collide off New England, a Concorde crashes in France ... on this date in history.

By United Press International
Crews work to extinguish a fire at the site of an Air France Concorde crash outside of Paris July 25, 2000. jr/jr/str UPI
1 of 6 | Crews work to extinguish a fire at the site of an Air France Concorde crash outside of Paris July 25, 2000. jr/jr/str UPI | License Photo

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Today is Friday, July 25, the 206th day of 2014 with 159 to follow.

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

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Those born on this date are under the sign of Leo. They include Revolutionary War Gen. Henry Knox in 1750; artists Thomas Eakins in 1844 and Maxfield Parrish in 1870; actors Walter Brennan in 1894, Jack Gilford in 1908, Estelle Getty in 1923 and Barbara Harris in 1935 (age 79); Rock and Roll Hall of Fame members Jim McCarty (the Yardbirds) in 1943 (age 71) and Jose Areas (Santana) in 1946 (age 68); folk singer/songwriter Steve Goodman in 1948; football Hall of Fame member Walter Payton in 1954; model/actor Iman Abdulmajid in 1955 (age 59); actor Matt LeBlanc in 1967 (age 47); Louise Joy Brown, the first "test-tube" baby, in 1978 (age 36); and actor Brad Renfro in 1982.

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On this date in history:

In 1909, French pioneer aviator Louis Bleriot became the first person to fly a "heavier-than-air machine" across the English Channel. It took him 36 minutes.

In 1917, Mata Hari was sentenced to death in France as a spy for Germany in World War I. (She was executed by firing squad less than three months later and her name became a synonym for a seductive female spy.)

In 1952, Puerto Rico became a self-governing U.S. commonwealth.

In 1956, the Italian luxury liner Andrea Doria and Swedish liner Stockholm collided at night in heavy fog off Nantucket, Mass. (The accident had a death toll of 52. Hundreds of people were rescued. The Andrea Doria sank the next morning.)

In 1965, folk legend Bob Dylan performed for the first time with electric instruments, so upsetting his fans that they booed him.

In 1972, the Democratic vice presidential nominee, U.S. Sen. Thomas Eagleton of Missouri, disclosed he had undergone psychiatric treatment in the 1960s. Presidential nominee George McGovern replaced him on the ticket with Sargent Shriver.

In 1978, the world's first "test-tube" baby, Louise Brown, was born in Oldham, England.

In 1986, former Navy radioman Jerry Whitworth was convicted of selling U.S. military secrets to the Soviets through the John Walker spy ring. The government called it the most damaging espionage case since World War II. (Whitworth was sentenced to 365 years in prison.)

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In 1994, Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin and Jordan's King Hussein signed a declaration that ended the 46-year state of war between their countries.

In 2000, an Air France Concorde supersonic jet crashed on takeoff from Paris, killing 113 people, including four on the ground. It was the first crash of a Concorde.

In 2007, as Iraqis celebrated their national soccer team's victory over South Korea in the Asian Cup semifinals, two suicide bombers attacked crowds in Baghdad, killing at least 50 people and injuring about 140.

In 2008, California banned the use of trans fats in all restaurants and retail bakeries in the state, beginning in 2010.

In 2012, North Korea announced its leader, Kim Jong Un, had married Ri Sol Ju.

In 2013, U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said the death toll in the 2 1/2-year conflict in Syria had surpassed 100,000


A thought for the day: Phil Jackson, who coached 11 teams to NBA titles, said, "Approach the game with no preset agendas and you'll probably come away surprised at your overall efforts."

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