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The almanac

By United Press International
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Today is Friday, June 1, the 153rd day of 2012 with 213 to follow.

The moon is waxing. Morning stars are Jupiter, Neptune and Uranus. Evening stars are Mercury, Saturn, Mars and Venus.

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Those born on this date are under the sign of Gemini. They include Jacques Marquette, Jesuit priest and French explorer of the Mississippi, in 1637; Mormon leader Brigham Young in 1801; actor Frank Morgan in 1890; bandleader Nelson Riddle in 1921; actors Marilyn Monroe in 1926, Andy Griffith also in 1926 (age 86) and Edward Woodward in 1930; singer Pat Boone in 1934 (age 78); novelist Colleen McCullough in 1937; mezzo-soprano Frederica von Stade ion 1945 (age 67); actors Morgan Freeman also in 1937 (age 75), Cleavon Little in 1939, Rene Auberjonois in 1940 (age 72) and Jonathan Pryce in 1947 (age 65); musician Ron Wood of the Faces and the Rolling Stones, also in 1947 (age 65); actors Diana Canova in 1953 (age 59) and Lisa Hartman Black in 1956 (age 56); comedian/actor Mark Curry in 1961 (age 51); singers Ronnie Dunn in 1953 (age 59) and Alanis Morissette in 1974 (age 38); supermodel Heidi Klum in 1973 (age 39); and actor Willow Shields in 2000 (age 12).

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On this date in history:

In 1779, Continental Army Gen. Benedict Arnold was court-martialed.

In 1792, Kentucky joined the union as the 15th member of the United States.

In 1796, Tennessee joined the United States as the 16th state.

In 1812, U.S. President James Madison warned Congress that war with Britain was imminent. The War of 1812 started 17 days later.

In 1880, the first public pay telephone began operation in New Haven, Conn.

In 1964, the U.S. Supreme Court banned prayers and Bible teaching in public schools on the constitutional grounds of separation of church and state.

In 1968, Helen Keller, a world-renowned author and lecturer despite being blind and deaf from infancy, died in Westport, Conn., at the age of 87.

In 1973, Greek Prime Minister George Papadopoulos abolished the Greek monarchy and proclaimed Greece a republic with himself as president.

In 1980, the Cable News Network -- CNN -- TV's first all-news service, went on the air.

In 1990, U.S. President George H.W. Bush and Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev agreed to sharp cuts in chemical and nuclear weapons.

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Also in 1990, the South African government proposed a bill to scrap the 37-year-old law segregating buses, trains, toilets, libraries, swimming pools and other public amenities.

In 1993, the Guatemalan military, acting in response to appeals from the judiciary and the public, ousted President Jorge Serrano Elias from office.

Also in 1993, President Dobrica Cosic of Yugoslavia was voted out of office by Parliament.

In 1997, French parliamentary elections brought parties of the left into power for the first time since 1986.

In 2001, Crown Prince Dipendra of Nepal killed several members of his family, including his father and mother, King Birendra and Queen Aiswarya.

In 2004, oil prices jumped to a record $42.33 a barrel.

Also in 2004, the Iraq Governing Council chose Ghazi al-Yawer to be the country's president as shells killed 15 near Baghdad's "Green Zone," home of the U.S. Army command and Coalition Authority.

In 2005, Dutch voters joined France in overwhelmingly rejecting the proposed EU constitution.

In 2007, U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates acknowledged that a U.S. force might remain in Iraq for decades, possibly in some sort of mission to protect the sovereignty of the host nation.

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In 2009, General Motors, the largest auto maker in the United States, filed for bankruptcy and said it would close 14 plants. The federal government promised an additional $30.1 billion to keep the company operating.

Also in 2009, Air France Flight 447, en route from Rio de Janeiro to Paris, plunged into the Atlantic Ocean, killing all 228 people on board, officials said. Rescuers searched for five days before finding a trace of the wreckage off the northeast coast of Brazil. Mechanical failure was suspected.

In 2010, Yukio Hatoyama, Japan's fourth prime minister to step down in less than four years, announced his resignation after less than a year in office when polls indicated low public support. He was succeeded by Naoto Kan, the former finance minister.

In 2011, the U.S. economy added 25,000 jobs in May, a sharp decline after several months of job growth and only one-third of what economists predicted. In each of the three previous months about 220,000 jobs were added.

Also in 2011, the U.S. government has advised Indiana officials that their new Iaw to deny Medicaid funding to Planned Parenthood was illegal.


A thought for the day: Jean de la Fontaine wrote, "Everyone believes very easily whatever he fears or desires."

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