The Almanac

Today is Tuesday, Aug. 22, the 234th day of 2006 with 131 to follow.

The moon is waning. The morning stars are Saturn, Mercury, Venus and Uranus. The evening stars are Neptune, Mars, Jupiter 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 airplane brakes and the conical drinking cup, in 1867; writer, critic Dorothy Parker in 1893; heart surgeon Denton Cooley and science fiction writer Ray Bradbury, both in 1920 (age 86); French fashion designer Marc Bohan in 1926 (age 80); Gulf War hero and retired U.S. Army Gen. Norman Schwarzkopf in 1934 (age 72); actresses Valerie Harper in 1940 (age 66) and Cindy Williams in 1947 (age 59); and singer/songwriter Tori Amos in 1963 (age 43).

On this date in history:

In 1851, the U.S.-built schooner America outran a fleet of Britain's finest ships around England's Isle of Wight in an international race that became known as America's Cup.

In 1881, American humanitarians Clara Barton and Adolphus Solomons founded the National Red Cross.

In 1911, Leonardo da Vinci's "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 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 1995, U.S. Rep. Mel Reynolds, D-Ill, was convicted of having sex with an underage girl, leading to his resignation later in the year.

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

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 were suspected of helping the suicide bomber that hit the Baghdad U.N. compound earlier in the week, killing 22 and injuring about 100 others.

In 2004, two masked robbers stole Edvard Munch's "The Scream" and another painting from the Munch Museum in Oslo, Norway. "The Scream" was stolen once before, 10 years earlier, but was recovered within three months.

Also in 2004, Israel Radio reported that the opening of a nuclear reactor being built at Bushehr, Iran, with the assistance of Russia, has been delayed until 2006.

In 2005, the last Jewish settlers moved peacefully out of the Gaza Strip after carrying the Torah scrolls down the main street of Netzarim, last of 21 settlements to be evacuated.

Also in 2005, Iraq's constitution committee returned to the drawing board after submitting a draft document to the National Assembly and then withdrawing it. Many Sunni negotiators reportedly objected to the draft.

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."