The almanac

Today is Friday, Aug. 2, the 214th day of 2013 with 151 to follow.

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

Those born on this date are under the sign of Leo. They include French sculptor Frederic Auguste Bartholdi, designer of the Statue of Liberty, in 1834; film executive Jack Warner in 1892; singer Helen Morgan in 1900; actors Myrna Loy in 1905 and Beatrice Straight in 1914; former Israeli President Shimon Peres in 1923 (age 90); author James Baldwin and actor Carroll O'Connor, both in 1924; businessman and sports team owner Lamar Hunt, inducted into the football Hall of Fame, in 1932; football Hall of Fame member Billy Cannon and Rock and Roll Hall of Fame member Garth Hudson, both in 1937 (age 76); filmmaker Wes Craven in 1939 (age 74); Chilean writer Isabel Allende in 1942 (age 71); actors Peter O'Toole in 1932 (age 81), Joanna Cassidy in 1945 (age 68), Kathryn Harrold in 1950 (age 63), Victoria Jackson in 1959 (age 54), Mary Louise Parker in 1964 (age 49) and Edward Furlong in 1977 (age 36); author Caleb Carr in 1955 (age 58); and writer/director/actor Kevin Smith in 1970 (age 43).

On this date in history:

In 1776, the Declaration of Independence, adopted on July 4, was signed by members of the Continental Congress.

In 1923, U.S. President Warren G. Harding, on a tour of Alaska and the West Coast, died of a stroke in a San Francisco hotel at the age of 58 as rumors of a potential corruption scandal swirled in Washington. He was succeeded by Vice President Calvin Coolidge.

In 1934, with the death of German President Paul von Hindenburg, Chancellor Adolf Hitler became absolute dictator of Germany under the title of fuehrer, or "leader."

In 1968, a major earthquake in the Philippines rocked Manila, killing 307 people.

In 1974, John Dean, counsel to U.S. President Richard Nixon, was sentenced to 1-to-4 years in prison for his part in the Watergate coverup.

In 1985, 135 people died in the crash of a Delta Airlines L-1011 jet at Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport.

In 1988, U.S. military investigators concluded that crew errors led to the shooting down on July 3 of an Iranian passenger jet by the USS Vincennes in the Persian Gulf.

In 1990, Iraq invaded neighboring Kuwait after weeks of tension over disputed land and oil production quotas.

In 1999, in a magazine interview, U.S. first lady Hillary Clinton said her husband sought to protect her when he lied about his relationship with Monica Lewinsky.

In 2000, the Republican Party nominated George W. Bush and Dick Cheney to head its ticket for the November elections.

In 2001, former Bosnian Gen. Radislav Krstic was found guilty of genocide in the massacre of 7,000 Bosnian Muslim men and boys.

In 2005, U.S. President George W. Bush signed the Central America Trade Agreement with six countries, granting greater access for U.S. products.

In 2009, riot police in Kuala Lumpur fired tear gas and water cannons at an estimated 10,000 demonstrators protesting a Malaysian security law that allowed imprisonment without trial, authorities said. Nearly 600 protesters were arrested.

In 2010, U.S. scientists estimated that the BP oil spill touched off by an April 20 explosion on an offshore rig leaked 5 million barrels of crude into the Gulf of Mexico, making it the world's largest oil spill of its kind.

In 2012, Kofi Annan, outgoing U.N. Arab League envoy to Syria, said a political solution "is essential" in the war-torn country because "military means alone will not end the crisis." He said Syrian President Bashar Assad had to step down. Annan's comments were in a newspaper op-ed article titled, "My advice on how to end the conflict in Syria."

A thought for the day: English philosopher Samuel Johnson said, "A man should keep his friendships in constant repair."