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The Almanac

By United Press International
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Today is Wednesday, Feb. 16, the 47th day of 2005 with 318 to follow.

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

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Those born on this date are under the sign of Aquarius. They include historian Henry Brooks Adams in 1838; orchestra leader Wayne King and actor Chester Morris, both in 1901; ventriloquist Edgar Bergen in 1903; singer Patti Andrews of the Andrews Sisters in 1920 (age 85); Rep. Sonny Bono, R-Calif. in 1935; actor William Katt in 1955 (age 50); actor/director LeVar Burton in 1957 (age 48); and tennis star John McEnroe in 1959 (age 46).


On this date in history:

In 1923, archaeologists opened the treasure-laden tomb of Tutankhamen, "King Tut," in Egypt's Valley of the Kings.

In 1933, a patent for the synthetic fiber nylon was awarded to the DuPont Co.

In 1959, Fidel Castro was sworn in as Cuba's leader.

In 1986, Mario Soares was elected Portugal's first civilian head of state in 60 years.

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In 1990, former President Reagan provided videotaped testimony for the Iran-Contra trial of former National Security Adviser John Poindexter.

In 1992, the chief of the Iranian-financed Hezbollah and two family members were killed in a bombing raid by Israel in an apparent retaliation for attacks against its soldiers.

Also in 1992, the Los Angeles Lakers retired the jersey number of "Magic" Johnson, who stepped down after contracting the AIDS virus.

In 1999, Germany announced that $1.7 billion dollars would be set aside to compensate victims of the Holocaust.

Also in 1999, Northern Ireland's legislature approved the structure for a new executive government in the strife-torn province -- a major step toward implementing the 1998 Good Friday peace agreement.

In 2003, a massive storm hit the Northeastern United States resulting in record snowfall in several locations, including Boston which caught 27.5 inches.

Also in 2003, North Korea celebrated the 61st birthday of President Kim Jong il with nationwide celebrations and a threat to "annihilate" the United States if it is attacked.

In 2004, a draft survey showed U.S. children accused more than 4,000 Catholic priests of sexual abuse in the years between 1950 and 2002.


A thought for the day: it was Steve Wozniak who said, "Never trust a computer you can't throw out a window."

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