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UPI Almanac for Thursday, Feb. 11, 2016

Hosni Mubarak steps down after nearly 30 years as president of Egypt, Whitney Houston drowns in her bathtub ... on this date in history.

By United Press International
Nelson Mandela (L) and his wife Winnie salute supporters after the anti-apartheid activist was freed after 27 years in prison on February 11, 1990. UPI File Photo
1 of 8 | Nelson Mandela (L) and his wife Winnie salute supporters after the anti-apartheid activist was freed after 27 years in prison on February 11, 1990. UPI File Photo | License Photo

Today is Thursday, Feb. 11, the 42nd day of 2016 with 324 to follow.

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

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Those born on this date are under the sign of Aquarius. They include Englishman Henry Fox Talbot, a developer of photography, in 1800; Chief Justice of the United States Melville Weston Fuller in 1833; inventor Thomas Edison in 1847; boxer Max Baer in 1909; film director Joseph L. Mankiewicz, in 1909; author Sidney Sheldon in 1917; actor Eva Gabor in 1919; King Farouk, Egypt's last monarch, in 1920; actor Kim Stanley in 1925; actor Leslie Nielsen in 1926; actor Tina Louise in 1934 (age 82); actor Burt Reynolds in 1936 (age 80); songwriter Gerry Goffin in 1939; Brazilian musician Sergio Mendes in 1941 (age 75); Jeb Bush, former Florida governor and presidential son and brother, in 1953 (age 63); singer/songwriter Sheryl Crow in 1962 (age 54); former Alaska governor and GOP vice presidential nominee Sarah Palin in 1964 (age 52); actor Jennifer Aniston in 1969 (age 47); singer/actor Brandy (Norwood) in 1979 (age 37); actor Taylor Lautner in 1992 (age 24).

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On this date in history:

In 1858, French peasant girl Bernadette Soubirous said the Virgin Mary appeared to her at Lourdes.

In 1929, a Lateran treaty signed in Italy recognized the sovereignty of Vatican City.

In 1929, Miss Bobbi Trout, 18-year-old "Tomboy" who took up flying to avoid dish-washing, broke three world aviation records.

In 1941, Glenn Miller's Chattanooga Choo Choo was awarded the first gold record, given for sales of 1 million copies.

In 1945, U.S. President Franklin Roosevelt, British Prime Minister Winston Churchill and Soviet leader Josef Stalin ended a wartime conference at Yalta.

In 1965, U.S. and South Vietnamese planes made their first bombing raids on North Vietnam.

In 1970, Japan put a satellite in space, following the Soviet Union, the United States and France.

In 1987, Corazon Aquino was sworn in for a six-year presidential term in the Philippines.

In 1990, Nelson Mandela, leader of the movement to end South African apartheid, was released after 27 years in prison.

In 1993, British Prime Minister John Major said Queen Elizabeth II would pay income tax on her personal income as well as being subject to capital and inheritance levies.

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In 2005, playwright Arthur Miller, a fiery moralist whose plays include "Death of a Salesman" and "The Crucible," died at the age of 89.

In 2006, U.S. adventurer Steve Fossett broke the solo flight record when he landed near Bournemouth, England, covering 24,997 miles after taking off from Kennedy Space Center in Florida four days earlier.

In 2009, a long, bitter political fight in Zimbabwe apparently was resolved when President Robert Mugabe swore in opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai as prime minister.

In 2011, Hosni Mubarak stepped down after nearly 30 years as president of Egypt, bowing to intense public pressure to resign after 18 days of massive, often violent protests that spawned a reported death toll of more than 800 people. Mubarak, 82, ceded power to the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces.

In 2012, Whitney Houston, an American pop singing star who sold millions of albums and starred in movies, was found dead in a Beverly Hills, Calif., hotel room. The Los Angeles coroner said the 48-year-old entertainer died of accidental drowning in her bathtub but that cocaine and heart disease also played a role.

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In 2013, the Medal of Honor was awarded to former U.S. Army Staff Sgt. Clinton Romesha, who led an Alamo-like defense of an outpost against 300 Taliban attackers in Afghanistan.

In 2014, an Algerian Hercules C-130 military plane crashed into a mountain in eastern Algeria, killing 77 people, including women and children. There was one survivor, a soldier.


A thought for the day: "No one is born hating another person because of the color of his skin, or his background, or his religion. People must learn to hate, and if they can learn to hate, they can be taught to love, for love comes more naturally to the human heart than its opposite." -- Nelson Mandela

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