The Almanac

Today is Thursday, Aug. 10, the 222nd day of 2006 with 143 to follow.

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

Those born on this day are under the sign of Leo. They include Edmund Jennings Randolph, the first U.S. attorney general, in 1753; Herbert Hoover, 31st president of the United States, in 1874; actor Jack Haley (the Tin Woodsman in "The Wizard of Oz") in 1898; actresses Norma Shearer in 1902 and Rhonda Fleming in 1923 (age 83); guitar maker Leo Fender in 1909; singers Jimmy Dean and Eddie Fisher, both in 1928 (age 78); rock musician Ian Anderson of Jethro Tull in 1947 (age 59); and actors Rosanna Arquette in 1959 (age 47) and Antonio Banderas in 1960 (age 46).

On this date in history:

In 1776, a committee of Benjamin Franklin, John Adams and Thomas Jefferson suggested the United States adopt "E pluribus unum" -- "Out of many, one" -- as the motto for its Great Seal.

In 1821, Missouri entered the United States as the 24th state and the first located entirely west of the Mississippi River.

In 1977, the United States and Panama reached agreement in principle to transfer the Panama Canal to Panama by the year 2000.

Also in 1977, 24-year-old postal employee David Berkowitz was arrested and charged with being the "Son of Sam," the serial killer who terrorized New York City for more than a year, killing six young people and wounding seven others.

In 1984, Nevada's chief U.S. district judge, Harry Claiborne, was convicted on tax evasion charges. It was the first conviction of a sitting federal judge.

In 1987, the Dow Jones Industrial Average closed above 2,600 for the first time.

In 1990, Washington Mayor Marion Barry was convicted on one misdemeanor cocaine possession charge and acquitted on another. The jury deadlocked on the 12 other counts and a mistrial was declared.

In 1991, China agreed in principle to sign the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty.

In 1993, Ruth Bader Ginsburg was sworn in as the U.S. Supreme Court's 107th justice, and second female member.

Also in 1993, U.S. President Bill Clinton signed a bill designed to reduce the federal budget deficit by $496 billion over five years.

In 1994, lawyers for U.S. President Bill Clinton sought the dismissal, for the duration of his presidency, of a sexual harassment lawsuit brought against him by a former Arkansas state worker.

In 1996, Republican presidential nominee Bob Dole selected former congressman, Cabinet secretary and NFL quarterback Jack Kemp as his running mate.

In 1999, a white supremacist gunman wounded five people, including three children, when he opened fire in the lobby of a Los Angeles Jewish community center. Police said Buford Furrow Jr. killed a letter carrier as he fled, surrendering the next day in Las Vegas.

In 2001, about 250 people were killed in a train wreck in Albania, caused by a mine set on the tracks by rebels.

In 2003, more than 80 prisoners tunneled their way out of Brazil's Joao Pessoa prison, one of the nation's top security facilities.

In 2004, U.S. Rep. Porter Goss, R-Fla., a former CIA clandestine operative, was nominated by U.S. President George Bush to head the spy agency.

In 2005, U.S. President George Bush signed a 6-year, $286.4 billion transportation bill to build highways, bridges and other public works and contains also a reported $24 billion in "pork barrel" projects.

Also in 2005, the head of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security says he supports pre-screening airline passengers and providing them with special identification cards.

A thought for the day: Leonard Nimoy, as Mr. Spock, said to a captured enemy commander, "Military secrets are the most fleeting of all."