The almanac

Today is Saturday Sept. 14, the 257th day of 2013 with 108 to follow.

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

Those born on this date are under the sign of Virgo. They include Russian physiologist Ivan Pavlov in 1849; Nobel Peace Prize laureate Robert Cecil in 1864; artist and illustrator Charles Dana Gibson, "Gibson Girl" creator, in 1867; Margaret Sanger, American pioneer in the birth-control movement, in 1879; film director/producer Hal Wallis in 1898; actors Jack Hawkins in 1910, Clayton Moore, serial action star of the 1940s who later played the Lone Ranger on television, in 1914, Walter Koenig (age 77) and Nicol Williamson, both in 1936; basketball Hall of Fame member Larry Brown in 1940 (age 73); actor Joey Heatherton in 1944 (age 69); actor Sam Neill and rock singer Jon "Bowzer" Bauman, both in 1947 (age 67), actors Mary Crosby in 1959 (age 54) and Faith Ford in 1964 (age 49); Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev in 1965 (age 48); actor Kimberly Williams-Paisley in 1971 (age 42); and British singer Amy Winehouse in 1983.

On this date in history:

In 1628, Salem, Mass., focal point of the notorious witch trials of the late 17th century, was founded.

In 1776, the British army entered New York City after defeating the Americans, under Gen. George Washington, at the Battle of Long Island.

In 1847, Mexico City was occupied by the U.S. Army.

In 1901, U.S. President William McKinley died of wounds inflicted by an assassin eight days earlier. He was succeeded by Vice President Theodore Roosevelt.

In 1920, the first live radio dance music was broadcast, carried by a Detroit station and featuring Paul Specht and his orchestra.

In 1959, the Soviet probe Lunik-2 became the first Earth-launched space vehicle to land on the moon.

In 1960, the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries was founded.

In 1962, Princess Grace of Monaco -- American film actress Grace Kelly -- was killed when her car plunged off a mountain road by the Cote D'Azur. She was 52.

In 1984, Joe Kittinger, 56, left Caribou, Maine, in a 10-story-tall helium balloon to make the first solo trans-Atlantic balloon crossing. He reached the French coast in three days and landed in Italy another day later.

In 1991, the South African government, ANC, Inkatha Freedom Party and 20 other anti-apartheid groups signed a peace accord to end black factional violence.

In 1996, Bosnians elected a three-person collective presidency: one Muslim, one Serb and one Croat.

In 2001, U.S. President George W. Bush proclaimed this to be a day of national mourning and remembrance for those killed in the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. The FBI identified the hijackers and said several had taken flying lessons in Florida.

In 2003, an estimated 124 people were dead or missing after South Korea was struck by the most powerful typhoon to hit the country in a century.

In 2005, Delta Air Lines and Northwest Airlines, the third and fourth largest U.S. air carriers, filed for bankruptcy as the industry reeled under record high jet fuel costs.

In 2008, the U.S. brokerage firm Merrill Lynch agreed to sell itself to Bank of America for $50 billion and Lehman Brothers declared bankruptcy after it failed to find a buyer.

In 2010, the French government faced international criticism over closing of gypsy camps and expulsion of thousands of people to Romania and Bulgaria and for backing legislation to ban face-hiding clothing worn by some Muslim women.

In 2010, Reggie Bush, a former University of Southern California football star, returned his 2005 Heisman Trophy after USC was heavily penalized by the NCAA on charges Bush and his family received improper gifts while he was in school.

In 2012, Alexandria, Va., resident Amine Mohamed El-Khalifi, 29, whose plot to make a suicide attack on the U.S. Capitol was foiled by the FBI, was sentenced to 30 years in prison.

A thought for the day: John Kenneth Galbraith wrote: "The salary of the chief executive of a large corporation is not a market award for achievement. It is frequently in the nature of a warm personal gesture by the individual to himself."