UPI Almanac for Wednesday, Sept. 7, 2016

Today is Wednesday, Sept. 7, the 251st of 2016 with 115 to follow.

The moon is waxing. 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 England's Queen Elizabeth I in 1533; American painter Anna "Grandma" Moses in 1860; financier J. Pierpont Morgan Jr. in 1867; novelist Taylor Caldwell in 1900; pioneering heart surgeon Dr. Michael DeBakey in 1908; football Hall of Fame member Paul Brown in 1908; film director Elia Kazan in 1909; physicist/rocket developer James Van Allen in 1914; actor Peter Lawford in 1923; U.S. Sen. Daniel Inouye, D-Hawaii, in 1924; fashion designer Laura Ashley in 1925; philanthropist John Paul Getty Jr.in 1932; rock 'n' roll pioneer Buddy Holly in 1936; pop singer Gloria Gaynor in 1949 (age 67); actor John Phillip Law in 1937; actor Julie Kavner in 1950 (age 66); actor Corbin Bernsen in 1954 (age 62); actor Michael Emerson in 1954 (age 62); political commentator Peggy Noonan in 1950 (age 66); singer Chrissie Hynde (Pretenders) in 1951 (age 65); singer/pianist Michael Feinstein in 1956 (age 60); actor Toby Jones in 1967 (age 49); actor Evan Rachel Wood in 1987 (age 29).

On this date in history:

In 1822, Brazil declared independence from Portugal.

In 1892, James Corbett knocked out John L. Sullivan in the 21st round of a prizefight at New Orleans, the first major fight under the Marquess of Queensberry Rules.

In 1901, the Boxer Rebellion in China ended with the Boxer Protocol, a peace agreement between China and other world powers.

In 1926, Hollywood studios closed for the day in honor of the funeral of Rudolph Valentino, the silent movie superstar who had died after ulcer surgery.

In 1940, Nazi Germany launched the London blitz, bombings that Adolf Hitler believed would soften Britain for invasion. The invasion never materialized.

In 1963, the Pro Football Hall of Fame opened in Canton, Ohio. The inaugural inductees included George Halas and Harold "Red" Grange.

In 1977, U.S. President Jimmy Carter and Panamanian leader Omar Torrijos signed a treaty agreeing to transfer control of the Panama Canal from the United States to Panama at the end of the 20th century.

In 1986, Desmond Tutu was installed as the Anglican archbishop of Cape Town, becoming first black titular head of South Africa's fourth-largest Christian church.

In 1992, 12 people were killed when a twin-engine plane carrying skydivers crashed in a soybean field in Hinckley, Ill.

In 1996, rapper Tupac Shakur was shot four times in Las Vegas. Shakur died six days later.

In 2006, longtime British Prime Minister Tony Blair announced he would resign within one year.

In 2007, the Roman Catholic Diocese of San Diego agreed to pay almost $200 million to 144 people who said they were sexually abused by members of the clergy.

In 2009, the British government convicted three men of plotting to blow up seven trans-Atlantic flights, smuggling explosives aboard in soft drink bottles, a plan that led to tighter airline regulations on carry-on bottles of liquid.

In 2011, a plane crash near the Russian city of Yaroslavl killed 44 people, including almost the entire Lokomotiv Yaroslavl Kontinental Hockey League team. Several of the victims had ties to North America's National Hockey League. A member of the aircraft's crew was the only survivor.

In 2013, Tokyo was chosen to host the 2020 Olympics.

In 2014, American tennis star Serena Williams won the U.S. Open for the third straight year, defeating Denmark's Caroline Wozniacki 6-3, 6-3.

A thought for the day: "When you are honest and open with young people, they let you in." -- Earvin "Magic" Johnson