The Almanac

Today is Sunday, Aug. 22, the 235th day of 2004 with 131 to follow.

The moon is waxing. The morning stars are Venus, Uranus and Saturn. The evening stars are Mercury, Jupiter, Neptune, Mars and Pluto.

Those born on this date are under the sign of Leo. They include French composer Claude Debussy in 1862; Charles Jenkins, inventor of the conical drinking cup and also airplane brakes, in 1867; writer and critic Dorothy Parker in 1893; heart surgeon Denton Cooley and science fiction writer Ray Bradbury, both in 1920 (age 84); French fashion designer Marc Bohan in 1926 (age 78); Gulf War hero and retired U.S. Army Gen. Norman Schwarzkopf in 1934 (age 70); actresses Valerie Harper in 1941 (age 63) and Cindy Williams in 1947 (age 57); and singer/songwriter Tori Amos in 1963 (age 41).

On this date in history:

in 1851, the U.S.-built schooner America defeated a fleet of Britain's finest ships in a race around England's Isle of Wight. The ornate silver trophy won by the America, which became known as America's Cup, was later donated to the New York Yacht Club on condition that it be forever placed in international competition.

In 1881, American humanitarians Clara Barton and Adolphus Solomons founded the American National Red Cross, an organization designed to provide humanitarian aid to victims of wars and natural disasters in congruence with the International Red Cross.

In 1911, the "Mona Lisa" was stolen from the Louvre Museum in Paris. It was recovered four months later.

In 1922, Michael Collins, a founder of the Irish Republican Army and a key figure in Ireland's independence movement, was assassinated by political opponents.

In 1968, Pope Paul VI arrived in Colombia, becoming the first pontiff ever to visit South America.

In 1986, Kerr-McGee Corp. agreed to pay the estate of nuclear industry worker Karen Silkwood more than $1 million, ending a 10-year legal battle waged by her family over her exposure to radioactive materials at the company's plant.

In 1991, Soviet President Gorbachev refused to join Russian Republic President Boris Yeltsin in holding the Communist parliament responsible for the coup.

In 1995, Rep. Mel Reynolds, D-Ill, was convicted of having sex with an underage girl. He would resign his office, effective Oct. 1.

In 1997, a judge scheduled the trial of Paula Jones' sexual harassment lawsuit against President Clinton to begin in May 1998. The suit was later thrown out before the trial began.

Also in 1997, federal officials ordered a new election for president of the Teamsters Union after determining that the campaign of winner Ron Carey had received illegal contributions.

In 2001, the Bush administration projected that the federal surplus, not including Social Security, would be $600 million, a far cry from the $122 billion projected in July.

In 2003, a senior U.S. official said Iraqi security guards are suspected of helping the suicide bomber that hit the Baghdad U.N. compound earlier in the week, killing 22 and injuring about 100 others.

A thought for the day: Adlai Stevenson said, "...shouting is not a substitute for thinking and reason is not the subversion but the salvation of freedom."