The Almanac

Today is Saturday, July 30, the 211th day of 2005 with 154 to follow.

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

Those born on this date are under the sign of Leo. They include English novelist Emily Bronte in 1818; auto pioneer Henry Ford in 1863; baseball player/manager Casey Stengel in 1890; English sculptor Henry Moore in 1898; Baseball Commissioner Allan "Bud" Selig in 1934 (age 71); film director Peter Bogdanovich in 1939 (age 66); singer Paul Anka in 1941 (age 64); California governor/actor Arnold Schwarzenegger in 1947 (age 58); Anita Hill, of the Clarence Thomas hearings fame, in 1956 (age 49); and actors Ken Olin in 1954 (age 51), Delta Burke in 1956 (age 49), Laurence Fishburne in 1961 (age 44), Lisa Kudrow in 1963 (age 42), and Hilary Swank in 1974 (age 31).

On this date in history:

In 1619, in Jamestown, Va., the first elected legislative assembly in the New World -- the House of Burgesses -- convened in the choir loft of the town's church.

In 1932, Walt Disney released his first color cartoon, "Flowers and Trees," made in three-color Technicolor.

In 1936, author Margaret Mitchell sold the film rights for "Gone With the Wind" to MGM for $50,000, most ever for a first novel.

In 1937, the American Federation of Radio Artists was organized. It later became AFTRA, the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists, under the AFL-CIO.

In 1966, in the first televised World Cup soccer match, host England beat Germany 4-2 to win the tournament final at Wembley Stadium.

In 1974, the House Judiciary Committee, by a vote of 21-17, approved a third article of impeachment against President Nixon, charging him with ignoring congressional subpoenas. Nixon resigned before the issue came to trial.

In 1975, former Teamsters Union President Jimmy Hoffa was last seen outside a suburban Detroit restaurant. He was declared dead in 1982.

In 1976, Kate Smith made her last public appearance on this date, singing her signature number "God Bless America" on a TV program honoring the U.S. Bicentennial.

In 1985, South Africa recalled its Washington ambassador-designate following the recall of the U.S. ambassador from Pretoria.

In 1990, George Steinbrenner, under investigation for making a $40,000 payment to a known gambler, agreed to withdraw from active operation of the New York Yankees, of which he was principal owner. The move, however, was temporary.

In 1991, a special UN commission to Iraq announced it had found 46,000 chemical shells and warheads and 3,000 tons of raw materials for weapons.

In 1992, more than 60 people were injured when a TWA jetliner caught fire after veering off the runway at New York's Kennedy International Airport during an aborted takeoff.

In 1994, the United States, Germany, Britain, France and Russia decided to tighten sanctions on the Serb-dominated government in what remained of Yugoslavia.

In 1995, negotiators for Russia and the breakaway republic of Chechnya agreed to stop fighting.

In 1997, militants detonated two bombs in an outdoor market in West Jerusalem, killing themselves and 13 other people.

In 1999, a Maryland grand jury indicted Linda Tripp for illegally taping her phone conversations with Monica Lewinsky.

In 2000, the Republican National Convention opened in Philadelphia. It would nominate Texas Gov. George W. Bush as its candidate for president.

In 2002, President Bush signed a bill aimed at reforming corporate fraud, accounting and security laws.

Also in 2002, Pope John Paul II was present for the canonization of Pedro de San Jose Betanur of Guatamala, Central America's first saint, and Juan Diego of Mexico City, first American Indian saint.

In 2003, President Bush indicated he would favor a law or constitutional amendment barring same-sex marriages. The Vatican also condemned gay unions.

In 2004, the U.N. Security Council adopted a U.S.-drafted resolution demanding Sudan disarm within 30 days and prosecute those responsible for thousands of deaths in Darfur.

A thought for the day: President U.S. Grant said, "Labor disgraces no man; unfortunately you occasionally find men disgrace labor."