The almanac

Today is Wednesday, Oct. 27, the 300th of 2010 with 65 to follow.

The moon is waning. No morning stars. The evening stars are Mercury, Saturn, Neptune, Uranus, Jupiter, Venus and Mars.

Those born on this date are under the sign of Scorpio. They include English explorer Capt. James Cook in 1728; Italian violin virtuoso Niccolo Paganini in 1782; Isaac Singer, developer of the first practical home sewing machine, in 1811; Theodore Roosevelt, 26th president of the United States and Nobel Peace Prize laureate, in 1858; etiquette arbiter Emily Post in 1872; longtime "Tonight Show" producer/director Fred De Cordova in 1910; Welsh poet Dylan Thomas in 1914; actors Nanette Fabray in 1920 (age 90) and Ruby Dee in 1924 (age 86); baseball Hall of Fame member Ralph Kiner in 1922 (age 88); pop artist Roy Lichtenstein in 1923; former Secretary of State Warren Christopher in 1925 (age 85); Nixon aide H.R. Haldeman in 1926; poet Sylvia Plath in 1932; pop pianist Floyd Cramer in 1933; comedian John Cleese in 1939 (age 71); country singer Lee Greenwood in 1942 (age 68); Brazilian President Luis Inacio Lula da Silva in 1945 (age 65); filmmaker Ivan Reitman in 1946 (age 64); writer Fran Lebowitz in 1950 (age 60); actors Carrie Snodgress in 1946, Roberto Benigni ("Life Is Beautiful") in 1952 (age 58) and Robert Picardo in 1953 (age 57); singer Simon Le Bon in 1958 (age 52); blogger Matt Drudge in 1966 (age 44); and television personality Kelly Osbourne in 1984 (age 26).

On this date in history:

In 1659, William Robinson and Marmaduke Stevenson, two Quakers who left England in 1656 to escape religious persecution, were executed in the Massachusetts Bay Colony for their outlawed religious beliefs.

In 1682, the city of Philadelphia founded.

In 1787, a New York newspaper published the first of 77 essays explaining the new Constitution and urging its ratification, written by Alexander Hamilton, James Madison and John Jay and later combined as "The Federalist Papers."

In 1795, a treaty with Spain settled Florida's northern boundary and gave navigation rights on the Mississippi River to the United States.

In 1904, the first rapid transit subway system in America opened in New York City.

In 1946, the travel show "Geographically Speaking," sponsored by Bristol-Myers, became the first television program with a commercial sponsor.

In 1954, Marilyn Monroe and Joe DiMaggio divorced, reportedly after a blowup over her famous scene in "The Seven-Year Itch" in which a blast of air lifts her skirt.

In 1981, the National Labor Relations Board withdrew recognition of the Professional Air Traffic Controllers Organization for an illegal strike by its members.

In 1990, CBS founder William S. Paley died at age 89 and band leader/rumba king Xavier Cugat died at 90.

In 1991, Poland had its first fully free parliamentary elections.

In 1992, Israeli tanks rolled into Lebanon as air force jets carried out renewed raids in an effort to crush Muslim fundamentalist guerrillas.

In 1993, U.S. President Bill Clinton and first lady Hillary Clinton presented Congress with the administration's plan for healthcare reform in a ceremony at the Capitol.

Also in 1993, Southern California was hit by dozens of brush fires -- the worst in six years. Hundreds of homes were destroyed and thousands of people were forced to flee the flames.

In 1994, the U.S. Justice Department announced that the U.S. prison population topped the 1 million mark.

In 1998, Hurricane Mitch, one of the strongest Atlantic storms ever recorded, began its four-day siege of Central America, causing at least 10,000 deaths.

In 2003, as many as 40 civilians and U.S. soldiers were killed in a flurry of terrorist bombings in Baghdad. Among the targets was the headquarters of the International Committee of the Red Cross.

In 2004 sports, The Boston Red Sox win the World Series for the first time in 86 years.

In 2006, a former General Services Administration official was sentenced to 18 months in federal prison for helping lobbyist Jack Abramoff. David Safavian told the judge he didn't realize that passing on inside information about properties controlled by the GSA was wrong.

In 2007, Russian observers predicted Vladimir Putin would seek the post of prime minister when he steps down from the presidency. Putin said earlier he wouldn't seek a third term as president.

In 2008, U.S. Sen. Ted Stevens, R-Alaska, at 84 the longest-serving Senate Republican in history, was found guilty of seven federal felony charges related to unreported gifts and renovation work on his home. The convictions were later vacated due to prosecutorial misconduct.

In 2009, the Federal Aviation Administration revoked the licenses of two Northwest Airlines pilots who overshot their Minneapolis destination by 150 miles after becoming distracted while working on laptop computers.

Also in 2009, a new Anglican rite within the Roman Catholic Church would allow for some married Anglican clergy to be ordained as Catholic priests but only unmarried clergy could serve as bishops, church leaders said.

A thought for the day: U.S. President Theodore Roosevelt said, "The first requisite of a good citizen in this Republic of ours is that he shall be able and willing to pull his own weight."