UPI Almanac for Tuesday, Aug. 23, 2016

Today is Tuesday, Aug. 23, the 236th day of 2016 with 130 to follow.

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

Those born on this date are under the sign of Virgo. They include French King Louis XVI in 1754; British economist Arnold Toynbee in 1852; poet and novelist Edgar Lee Masters in 1868; British radio pioneer William Eccles in 1875; Gen. Jonathan Wainwright, hero of Bataan in World War II, in 1883; humorist Will Cuppy in 1884; cartoonist Ernie Bushmiller (creator of "Nancy") in 1905; dancer/actor/director Gene Kelly in 1912; bandleader/singer Bob Crosby in 1913; baseball Hall of Fame member George Kell in 1922; actor Vera Miles in 1930 (age 86); actor Barbara Eden in 1931 (age 85); political comedian Mark Russell in 1932 (age 84); football Hall of Fame member Sonny Jurgensen in 1934 (age 82); drummer Keith Moon (The Who) in 1946; actor Shelley Long in 1949 (age 67); singer/actor Rick Springfield in 1949 (age 67); Jordan's Queen Noor in 1951 (age 65); actor Jay Mohr in 1970 (age 46); actor River Phoenix in 1970; pro basketball star Kobe Bryant in 1978 (age 38); Olympic gold medal-winning swimmer Natalie Coughlin in 1982 (age 34).

On this date in history:

In 1926, silent screen idol Rudolph Valentino died.

In 1927, despite worldwide demonstrations on their behalf, Italian-born anarchists Nicola Sacco and Bartolomeo Vanzetti were executed for murder.

In 1939, Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union signed a non-aggression pact. Less than two years later, Germany launched a blitzkrieg attack on Russia.

In 1982, Beirut Christian leader Beshir Gemayel was elected president of Lebanon. He was assassinated less than one month later and was succeeded by his brother Amin.

In 2008, U.S. Sen. Barack Obama of Illinois confirmed he chose fellow Sen. Joe Biden of Delaware as his vice presidential running mate at the top of the Democratic Party ticket.

In 2010, rescue workers at a caved-in gold and copper mine in northern Chile made contact with 33 men trapped nearly 2,300 feet underground for 17 days who had found refuge in a small emergency shelter that had water and ventilation. In an unrelenting effort, all hands were rescued two months later.

In 2011, a 5.8 magnitude earthquake, unusually strong for the eastern United States, rattled Washington and Virginia with shockwaves as far north as Canada. The quake was the strongest to hit Virginia in more than a century, briefly causing a power shutdown at a nuclear plant. The Washington Monument and National Cathedral in Washington were damaged by the quake.

In 2012, Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney said, if elected, he would replace longtime Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke and appoint someone who "shared my economic views."

In 2013, Nidal Malik Hasan was convicted of killing 13 people and wounding dozens of others in a November 2009 gunfire attack at the Fort Hood Army post in Texas. He was later sentenced to death.

In 2014, the NBA's Cleveland Cavaliers, who reacquired four-time league MVP Lebron James in June, added Kevin Love, another big star, to their lineup. Love left the Minnesota Timberwolves and joined the Cavs in a three-team deal that also involved the Philadelphia 76ers.

A thought for the day: "Don't tell people how to do things. Tell them what to do and let them surprise you with their results." -- Gen. George S. Patton