The almanac

Today is Tuesday, Jan. 22, the 22nd day of 2013 with 343 to follow.

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

Those born on this date are under the sign of Aquarius. They include Russian Czar Ivan III, known as Ivan the Great, in 1440; English philosopher and statesman Francis Bacon in 1561; French physicist Andre-Marie Ampere in 1775; British poet George Byron in 1788; D.W. Griffith, famed silent film director ("The Birth of a Nation"), in 1875; Chief Justice of the United States Fred Vinson in 1890; U.N. Secretary-General U Thant in 1909; actors Conrad Veidt in 1893, Ann Sothern in 1909 and Piper Laurie in 1932 (age 81); soul singer Sam Cooke in 1931; actor Bill Bixby and television chef Graham Kerr (age 79), both in 1934; author Joseph Wambaugh in 1937 (age 76); television chef Jeff Smith in 1939; actor John Hurt in 1940 (age 73); Journey lead singer Steve Perry in 1949 (age 64); and actors Linda Blair ("The Exorcist") in 1959 (age 54); Diane Lane in 1965 (age 48); Olivia d'Abo in 1969 (age 44) and Balthazar Getty in 1975 (age 38).

On this date in history:

In 1771, Spain ceded the Falkland Islands to Britain.

In 1901, Queen Victoria of Britain died at age 82 after a reign of 64 years. She was succeeded by her son, Edward VII.

In 1943, U.S. and Australian troops took New Guinea in the first land victory over the Japanese in World War II.

In 1944, U.S. troops invaded Italy, landing at Anzio beach in a move to outflank German defensive positions.

In 1973, in the Roe vs. Wade decision, the U.S. Supreme Court struck down state laws restricting abortions during the first six months of pregnancy.

In 1987, Glen Tremml, 27, pedaled the ultralight aircraft Eagle over Edwards Air Force Base, Calif., for a human-powered flight record of 37.2 miles.

In 1991, Iraq launched a Scud missile attack against Israel, injuring 98 people. Three others died of heart attacks.

In 1995, two Palestinians killed 18 Israeli soldiers, a civilian and themselves in a bombing outside a military camp in central Israel.

In 1996, Costas Simitis was named prime minister of Greece. His predecessor, Andreas Papandreou, had stepped down due to ill health.

In 1998, accused bomber Ted Kaczynski pleaded guilty to all counts against him in California and New Jersey. He was sentenced to life in prison.

In 2003, the U.S. Senate approved the nomination of former Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Ridge to be the first secretary of Homeland Security by a 94-0 vote.

Also in 2003, snowboard pioneer Craig Kelly died in a British Columbia avalanche.

In 2005, the Indian navy in New Delhi reported finding a tsunami victim 25 days after he had been sucked into the sea and tossed onto a small island where he survived by eating coconuts until rescued.

In 2006, Evo Morales was inaugurated as president of Bolivia.

In 2008, in response to the global stock market plunge and a weak economic outlook, the U.S. Federal Reserve bank cut interest rates by 0.75 percent, the largest single-day reduction in the bank's history.

Also in 2008, Jose Padilla, a U.S. citizen accused of plotting to explode a radioactive "dirty bomb" in the United States, was sentenced to 17 years and 4 months in prison for aiding terrorists.

And, a suicide bomber struck at a school in Baquba, northeast of Baghdad, killing more than 20 people, including 17 students.

In 2009, U.S. President Barack Obama, in his second full day in office, signed executive orders to close all secret prisons and detention camps, including the Guantanamo Bay facility in Cuba, run by the CIA, and banning coercive interrogation methods.

Also in 2009, two dairy company officials convicted in China's tainted milk scandal were given death sentences for their roles in the incident. Six babies died from the bad milk but nearly 300,000 infants reportedly got sick from drinking it.

In 2011, South Korean troops stormed a hijacked South Korean ship in the Arabian Sea, freeing all 21 crew members and killing eight Somali pirates.

In 2012, Joe Paterno, the former Penn State football coach who won a record 409 games in his storied six-decade career but was forced out amid a sex scandal involving an ex-assistant coach, died of lung cancer. He was 85.

Also in 2012, U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, D-Ariz., recovering from the 2011 assassination attempt against her at a Phoenix rally, resigned her House seat because she said she couldn't focus on her recovery and still serve in Congress.

A thought for the day: Linus Pauling said, "The best way to have a good idea is to have lots of ideas."