The Almanac

Today is Monday, Oct. 22, the 295th day of 2001 with 70 to follow.

The moon is waxing, moving toward its first quarter.

The morning stars are Venus, Jupiter and Saturn.

The evening stars are Mercury and Mars.

Those born on this date are under the sign of Libra. They include Hungarian composer Franz Liszt in 1811; actresses Sarah Bernhardt in 1844 and Joan Fontaine in 1917 (age 83); English author Doris Lessing in 1919 (age 82); psychologist and LSD advocate Timothy Leary in 1920; artist Robert Rauschenberg in 1925 (age 76); actors Derek Jacobi and Christopher Lloyd, both in 1938 (age 63), Annette Funicello in 1942 (age 59), Catherine Deneuve in 1943 (age 58), and Jeff Goldblum in 1952 (age 49); and champion skater Brian Boitano in 1963 (age 38).

On this date in history:

In 1797, the first parachute jump was made by Andre-Jacques Garnerin, who dropped from a height of about 6500 feet over a Paris park.

In 1836, Gen. Sam Houston was sworn in as the first president of the Republic of Texas.

In 1938, inventor Charles Carlson produced the first dry, or xerographic, copy, but had trouble attracting investors.

In 1962, President Kennedy announced that Soviet missiles had been deployed in Cuba and ordered a blockade of the island.

In 1978, Pope John Paul II was installed as pontiff of the Roman Catholic Church.

In 1990, President Bush vetoed the Civil Rights Act of 1990, saying it would lead to a quota system.

Also in 1990, a judge in Santa Ana, Calif., ruled that a surrogate mother not genetically linked to a baby she bore for a childless couple had no right to the infant.

In 1991, Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Shamir warned that Israel would refuse to negotiate with any Palestinians who claimed alliance to the PLO.

In 1992, sportscasting pioneer Red Barber died at age 84.

A thought for the day: of the existence of God, Clarence Darrow said, "I do not pretend to know where many ignorant men are sure."