The Almanac

Today is Thursday, Jan. 10, the 10th day of 2002 with 355 to follow.

The moon is waning, moving toward its new phase.

The morning star is Venus.

The evening stars are Mercury, Mars, Jupiter and Saturn.

Those born on this date are under the sign of Capricorn. They include silent screen actor Francis X. Bushman in 1883; poet Robinson Jeffers in 1887; actors Ray Bolger in 1904, Paul Henreid in 1908 and Sal Mineo in 1939; singers Johnnie Ray in 1927, Frank Sinatra Jr. in 1940 (age 62), Jim Croce in 1942 and Rod Stewart in 1945 (age 57); boxer George Foreman in 1949 (age 53); and singer Pat Benatar in 1953 (age 49).

On this date in history:

In 1776, "Common Sense" by political philosopher Thomas Paine was published. The pamphlet advocated independence from England.

In 1878, a constitutional amendment that would give women the right to vote was introduced into the U.S. Senate. It wasn't until 42 years later that the amendment was signed into law.

In 1901, oil was discovered at the Spindletop claim near Beaumont, Texas, launching the Southwest oil boom.

In 1920, the League of Nations came into being as the Treaty of Versailles went into effect. The United States did not join the League.

In 1946, the first meeting of the United Nations General Assembly was held in London.

In 1984, the United States established full diplomatic relations with the Vatican for the first time in 116 years.

On 1994, NATO approved a plan for a limited expansion of the membership to Eastern European nations.

In 1995, the Senate unanimously approved President Clinton's nomination of Robert Rubin as Secretary of the Treasury.

In 1996, rebels in the Russian republic of Chechnya holding 2,000 rebels released all but 130 and were allowed to flee. However, before they reached the border, Russian troops attacked the convoy, causing the rebels to hole up in a nearby town and beginning a five-day standoff.

Also in 1996, Israel freed 812 Palestinians from jails.

In 2000, America Online announced it had agreed to buy Time Warner for $165 billion, in what would be the biggest merger in history.

A thought for the day: Ralph Waldo Emerson wrote, "Do not go where the path may lead, go instead where there is no path and leave a trail."