UPI Almanac for Friday, June 9, 2017

Today is Friday, June 9, the 160th day of 2017 with 205 to follow.

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

Those born on this date are under the sign of Gemini. They include Russian Czar Peter the Great in 1672; composer Cole Porter in 1891; composer/conductor/inventor Fred Waring in 1900; actor Robert Cummings in 1910; guitarist/recording pioneer Les Paul in 1915; Robert S. McNamara, former U.S. defense secretary/World Bank president, in 1916; journalist Marvin Kalb in 1930 (age 87); comedian Jackie Mason in 1931 (age 86); soul singer Jackie Wilson in 1934; sportscaster Dick Vitale in 1939 (age 78); writer Patricia Cornwell in 1956 (age 61); writer and producer Aaron Sorkin in 1961 (age 56); actor Michael J. Fox in 1961 (age 56); actor Johnny Depp in 1963 (age 54); actor Gloria Reuben in 1964 (age 53); actor Natalie Portman in 1981 (age 36).

On this date in history:

In 1534, French navigator Jacques Cartier became the first European explorer to discover the St. Lawrence River in present-day Quebec.

In 1898, Britain leased Hong Kong from China for 99 years. The territory returned to Chinese rule in 1997.

In 1934, Donald Duck made his first screen appearance in "The Wise Little Hen."

In 1943, the U.S. Congress passed an act authorizing employers to withhold income tax payments from salary checks.

In 1973, Secretariat, having won the Kentucky Derby and Preakness, captured racing's Triple Crown with a spectacular victory in the Belmont Stakes. The big chestnut colt, ridden by Ron Turcotte, was the first horse to do so since Citation in 1948.

In 1993, Japanese Crown Prince Naruhito married former diplomat Masako Owada in Tokyo.

In 1997, recognizing the findings of The National Bioethics Advisory Commission, which unanimously recommended a new federal law banning the creation of human babies through cloning, President Bill Clinton urged Congress to ban human cloning, saying it reflects ''our humanity and it is the right thing to do."

In 1998, Gen. Abdulsalam Abubakar was sworn in as Nigeria's military ruler, one day after the death of Gen. Sani Abacha of a heart attack.

In 2005, after weeks of protests, Bolivian President Carlos Mesa resigned.

In 2008, Internet providers Verizon, Sprint and Time Warner agreed to block access to websites that distribute child pornography.

In 2010, the United Nations passed another set of sanctions against Iran's nuclear program, a move strongly supported by President Barack Obama.

In 2013, Spaniard Rafael Nadal defeated countryman David Ferrer in straight sets to win an unprecedented eighth French Open championship. Nadal won the tournament for the ninth time June 8, 2014.

In 2014, an attack by Taliban gunmen at busy Jinnah International Airport in Karachi, Pakistan, ended with about three-dozen people dead, including the attackers who disguised themselves a government security officers.

A thought for the day: "Ending racial discrimination in jury selection can be accomplished only by eliminating peremptory challenges entirely." -- Thurgood Marshall