The Almanac

Today is Friday, March 1, the 60th day of 2002 with 305 to follow.

The moon is waning, moving toward its last quarter.

The morning star is Mercury.

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

Those born on this day are under the sign of Pisces. They include Polish composer Frederic Chopin in 1810; author William Dean Howells in 1837; big band leader Glenn Miller in 1904; actor David Niven in 1910; poet Robert Lowell in 1917; legendary Chicago Cubs announcer Harry Caray in 1920; Donald "Deke" Slayton, one of the original Mercury Seven astronauts, in 1924; singers Dinah Shore in 1917 and Harry Belafonte in 1927 (age 75); actors Robert Conrad in 1935 (age 67) and Alan Thicke in 1947 (age 55); Roger Daltrey of The Who in 1944 (age 58); director Ron Howard in 1954 (age 48); and actor Timothy Daly in 1956 (age 46).

On this date in history:

In 1780, Pennsylvania became the first state to abolish slavery.

In 1781, the American colonies adopted the Articles of Confederation, paving the way for a federal union.

In 1872, Yellowstone National Park was established by an act of Congress. It was the first area in the world to be designated a national park.

In 1932, aviator Charles Lindbergh's young son was kidnapped. The boy's body was found May 12th, and Bruno Hauptmann was executed for the crime in 1936.

In 1954, Puerto Rican nationalists opened fire from the gallery of the House of Representatives, wounding five members of Congress.

In 1961, President Kennedy formed the Peace Corps.

In 1991, the United States reopened its embassy in newly liberated Kuwait.

Also in 1991, after 23 years of insurgency in Colombia, the Popular Liberation Army laid down its arms in exchange for two seats in the national assembly.

In 1992, 23 people were killed in the collapse of a building housing a cafe in East Jerusalem.

Also in 1992, Sen. Brock Adams, D-Wash., abandoned his re-election campaign in the wake of allegations he sexually harassed and assaulted women.

In 1993, federal agents opened negotiations with Branch Davidian cult leader David Koresh in a vain attempt to convince him and his followers to surrender.

And in 1993, Yankees owner George Steinbrenner returned to active operations after a two-and-a-half-year suspension.

In 1994, the Muslim-dominated government of Bosnia-Herzegovina and Bosnia's Croats agreed to a federation embracing portions of their war-torn country under their control.

In 1996, Dr. Jack Kevorkian, who has assisted more than two dozen suicides, was again acquitted of murder. He'd be acquitted in a fourth case May 14th.

Also in 1996, Serbian Gen. Djordje Djukic was charged with war crimes, but died from pancreatic cancer less than two months later.

In 1999, Rwandan rebels killed eight tourists, including two Americans, a Ugandan game warden and three rangers in a national forest in Uganda.

In 2000, in a rare unanimous vote, the House passed a bill to allow most Social Security recipients to earn as much money as they want without losing any benefits.

A thought for the day: "Some people can stay longer in an hour than others can in a week." William Dean Howells said that.