The almanac

Today is Monday, Oct. 14, the 287th day of 2013 with 78 to follow.

This is Columbus Day in the United States.

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

Those born on this date are under the sign of Libra. They include William Penn, the English Quaker who founded Pennsylvania, in 1644; Irish political leader Eamon de Valera in 1882; Dwight D. Eisenhower, World War II military leader and 34th president of the United States, in 1890; actor Lillian Gish in 1893; poet E.E. Cummings in 1894; singer Allan Jones in 1907; college basketball coaching legend John Wooden in 1910; Nobel Peace Prize laureate Le Duc Tho in 1911; former U.S. Surgeon General Dr. C. Everett Koop in 1916; actor Roger Moore in 1927 (age 86); Watergate figure, author and lecturer John Dean in 1938 (age 75); fashion designer Ralph Lauren in 1939 (age 74); British pop singer Cliff Richard in 1940 (age 73); actors Harry Anderson in 1952 (age 61) and Greg Evigan in 1953 (age 60); golf Hall of Fame member Beth Daniel in 1956 (age 57) musician Thomas Dolby in 1958 (age 55); sports talk show host Jim Rome in 1964 (age 49); country music singer Natalie Maines in 1974 (age 39); and singer and actor Usher in 1978 (age 35).

On this date in history:

In 1066, William, Duke of Normandy, better known as William the Conqueror, led his invading army to victory over England's King Harold at Hastings.

In 1912, former U.S. President Theodore Roosevelt, campaigning for a return to office, was shot in Milwaukee. He refused to have the wound treated until he finished his speech.

In 1926, A.A. Milne's "Winnie-the-Pooh" was published.

In 1944, British and Greek troops liberated Athens, ending three years of World War II occupation by German forces.

In 1947, U.S. Air Force Capt. Chuck Yeager, 24, flying a Bell X-1, became the first person to fly faster than the speed of sound.

In 1964, U.S. civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr., 35, became the youngest recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize.

In 1977, Bing Crosby, one of the most popular singers of his day and winner of the Best Actor Academy Award for his role in "Going My Way," died of a heart attack while playing golf in Madrid. He was 74.

In 1992, the Toronto Blue Jays beat the Oakland A's, 4 games to 2, to win the American League pennant and become the first Canadian team to go to the World Series.

In 1994, the kidnapping of an Israeli soldier by Palestinian extremists ended with the soldier and four others being killed in a shootout. The same day, the Nobel Peace Prize was awarded to Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin and PLO leader Yasser Arafat.

In 1996, the Dow Jones industrial average cracked 6,000, closing at a record 6,010.

In 2008, the Canadian Conservative Party, led by Prime Minister Stephen Harper, retained power by defeating the Liberal Party in the national elections.

In 2011, U.S. President Barack Obama advised Congress that 100 military trainers and advisers were being sent to Africa to combat the Lord's Resistance Army, which was accused of committing atrocities in at least four African countries.

In 2012, Arlen Specter, who served five consecutive terms in the U.S. Senate, died at his home in Philadelphia. Specter, 82, a longtime Republican after beginning his political career as a Democrat, switched back to the Democratic Party in 2009.

A thought for the day: U.S. Gen. George S. Patton said, "Do more than is required of you."