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The Almanac

By United Press International
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Today is Friday, Nov. 11, the 315th day of 2005 with 50 to follow.

This is Veteran's Day.

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

Those born on this date are under the sign of Scorpio. They include Russian author Fyodor Dostoyevsky in 1821; Gen. George Patton in 1885; actor Pat O'Brien in 1899; Alger Hiss, who was accused of being a communist spy in Washington in the late 1940s, in 1904; novelist Kurt Vonnegut Jr. in 1922 (age 83); comedian Jonathan Winters in 1925 (age 80); jazz musician Mose Allison in 1927 (age 78); golfer Frank "Fuzzy" Zoeller in 1951 (age 54); and actors Demi Moore in 1962 (age 43), Philip McKeon and Calista Flockhart, both in 1964 (age 41), and Leonardo DiCaprio in 1974 (age 31).

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On this date in history:

In 1831, Nat Turner, who led fellow slaves on a bloody uprising in Virginia, was hanged. Turner, an educated minister, believed he was chosen by God to lead his people out of slavery. Some 60 whites were killed in the two-day rampage.

1889, Washington was admitted to the union as the 42nd state.

In 1918, World War I ended with the signing of the Armistice.

In 1921, President Harding dedicated the Tomb of the Unknown at Arlington National Cemetery.

In 1938, Kate Smith first performed "God Bless America" on her weekly radio show. The song had been written for her by Irving Berlin.

In 1945, composer Jerome Kern, who wrote such memorable tunes as "Ol' Man River," "Smoke Gets in Your Eyes" and "The Last Time I Saw Paris," died at the age of 60.

In 1982, the space shuttle Columbia blasted off on the first commercial space mission.

In 1987, President Reagan nominated Judge Anthony Kennedy to the U.S. Supreme Court after Judge Douglas Ginsburg withdrew his nomination and Judge Robert Bork was rejected by the Senate.

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In 1989, an estimated 1 million East Germans poured into West Germany for a day of celebration, visiting and shopping. Most returned home.

In 1990, Stormie Jones, the Texas girl who underwent the world's first heart-liver transplant, died in Pittsburgh of a possible heart infection.

In 1992, the twin girls whose 53-year-old mother was believed to be the oldest woman to bear twins by in-vitro fertilization were introduced to the public in Anaheim, Calif.

Also in 1992, the Church of England broke the tradition of a male-only clergy when it voted to allow the ordination of women as priests.

In 1994, Jimi Hendrix's stage outfit, John Lennon's "army" shirt and guitars from the Grateful Dead's Jerry Garcia and the Beach Boys were among the items sold at the first pop memorabilia and guitar sale at Christie's in New York.

In 1996, a massive snowstorm hit the so-called "snow belt" east of Cleveland.

In 2001, on the 2-month anniversary of the terrorist attacks, President Bush and leaders from around the world stood in the shadow of the World Trade Center ruins and, in a colorful and solemn ceremony, honored the dead from more than 80 nations.

In 2002, as many as 34 people were killed by tornadoes and straight-line windstorms that swept across the South and the Ohio Valley.

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And in 2002 sports, San Francisco Giants leftfielder Barry Bonds won his fifth Most Valuable Player award, surpassing his own major league record.

In 2003, an international study claimed that London was at greater risk of a terrorist attack by Islamic extremists than New York or Washington.

In 2004, Yasser Arafat, the longtime Palestinian leader whose colorful career ranged from terrorist to diplomat, a key figure in the forever smoldering Middle East, died in a Paris hospital after several days in a coma. He was 75.

Also in 2004, Delta Air Lines pilots accepted pay cuts worth more than $1 billion, helping the airline avert a bankruptcy filing. The airline also planned to cut 6,900 jobs


A thought for the day: upon formation of United Artists film corporation, Richard Rowland said, "The lunatics have taken charge of the asylum." (UA was founded by Charlie Chaplin, Douglas Fairbanks, Mary Pickford and D.W. Griffith.)

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