Subscribe | UPI Odd Newsletter Subscribe Today is Thursday, Oct. 17, the 290th day of 2013 with 75 to follow. The moon is waxing. The morning stars are Jupiter and Mars. The evening stars are Mercury, Neptune, Saturn, Uranus and Venus. Advertisement Those born on this day are under the sign of Libra. They include Jupiter Hammon, America's first published black poet, in 1711; actors Spring Byington in 1886, Jean Arthur in 1900 and Irene Ryan in 1902; playwright Arthur Miller in 1915; actors Rita Hayworth in 1918, Montgomery Clift in 1920 and Tom Poston in 1921; football Hall of Fame member Don Coryell in 1924; diet developer Dr. Robert Atkins and newspaper columnist Jimmy Breslin (age 83), both in 1930; daredevil Robert "Evel" Knievel in 1938; singers Jim Seals in 1941 (age 72) and Gary Puckett in 1942 (age 71); Olympic gold medal-winning pole vaulter Bob Seagren in 1946 (age 67); actors Michael McKean in 1947 (age 66) and Margot Kidder and George Wendt, both in 1948 (age 65); former astronaut Mae Jemison, the first African-American woman in space, in 1956 (age 57); country singer Alan Jackson in 1958 (age 55); musician Ziggy Marley in 1968 (age 45); golf Hall of Fame member Ernie Els in 1969 (age 44); and rapper Eminem, born Marshall Mathers, and singer Wyclef Jean, both in 1972 (age 41). Advertisement On this date in history: In 1777, at one of the turning points of the American Revolution, British Gen. John Burgoyne surrendered to American Gen. Horatio Gates at Saratoga, N.Y. In 1945, Juan Peron became dictator of Argentina. He remained in power for 11 years before being overthrown. In 1973, the Arab-dominated Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries said it would cut oil exports to the United States and other nations that provided military aid to Israel in the Yom Kippur War of October 1973. A full oil embargo hit the United States in December causing a serious energy crisis. In 1979, Mother Teresa of Calcutta, a Roman Catholic nun who cared for the sick and poor, was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. In 1986, Congress passed a landmark immigration bill, the first U.S. law authorizing penalties for employers who hire illegal aliens. In 1989, the most powerful California earthquake since the legendary temblor of 1906 struck the San Francisco Bay area at evening rush hour, just before the scheduled start of Game 3 of the World Series in San Francisco between the Giants and the Oakland A's. At least 67 people were killed. Advertisement In 1996, O.J. Simpson, who had been acquitted in a highly publicized trial of killing his estranged wife and her friend, went on trial in civil court in a suit brought by the victims' families accusing him of responsibility for the deaths. In 2001 the U.S. Congress closed for security sweeps after 321 staff members and police officers tested positive for exposure to anthrax. In 2005, the U.S. Supreme Court rejected a government demand for $280 billion in penalties from American cigarette makers. In 2007, Israeli President Shimon Peres said Israel didn't intend to split Jerusalem, a matter often brought up during Palestinian peace talks. In 2010, at least 60 people died and 50 others were hurt in violence that preceded special parliamentary elections in Karachi, Pakistan. In 2012, Microsoft announced it would launch a news service called MSN News. A thought for the day: Russian novelist Fyodor Dostoyevsky wrote, "With love one can live even without happiness."
