The almanac

Today is Monday, Dec. 2, the 336th day of 2013 with 29 to follow.

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

Those born on this date are under the sign of Sagittarius. They include French painter Georges-Pierre Seurat in 1859; circus co-founder Charles Ringling in 1863; engineer Peter Carl Goldmark, the inventor of the long-playing record, in 1906; composer/lyricist Adolph Green in 1914; opera singer Maria Callas in 1923; former U.S. Secretary of State Alexander Haig Jr. in 1924; actor Julie Harris in 1925; former U.S. Attorney General Edwin Meese III in 1931 (age 82); Sen. Harry Reid, D-Nev., U.S. Senate majority leader, in 1939 (age 74); artist and dog photographer William Wegman in 1943 (age 70); actor Cathy Lee Crosby in 1944 (age 69); fashion designer Gianni Versace in 1946; figure skater Randy Gardner in 1958 (age 55); writer Ann Patchett in 1963 (age 50); actor Lucy Liu in 1968 (age 45); tennis player Monica Seles in 1973 (age 40); singer-songwriter Nelly Furtado in 1978 (age 35); pop singer Britney Spears in 1981 (age 32); and NFL quarterback Aaron Rodgers in 1983 (age 30).

On this date in history:

In 1804, Napoleon crowned himself emperor of France.

In 1823, during his annual address to the U.S. Congress, President James Monroe proclaimed a new U.S. foreign policy initiative that became known as the "Monroe Doctrine."

In 1859, abolitionist John Brown was hanged for his raid on the federal arsenal at Harper's Ferry, W.Va.

In 1927, the Model A Ford was introduced as the successor to the Model T. The price of a Model A roadster was $395.

In 1942, the Atomic Age was born when scientists demonstrated the first self-sustaining nuclear chain reaction at a laboratory below the stands at the University of Chicago football stadium.

In 1954, the U.S. Senate voted 65 to 22 to condemn Sen. Joseph R. McCarthy, R-Wis., for conduct unbecoming a senator. The condemnation, which was equivalent to a censure, related to McCarthy's controversial investigation of alleged communists in the U.S. government, military and civilian society.

In 1961, Fidel Castro disclosed he was a communist, acknowledging he concealed the fact until he solidified his hold on Cuba.

In 1982, retired dentist Barney Clark, 62, became the first person to receive a permanent artificial heart. He survived 112 days.

In 1990, Aaron Copland, the dean of American music, died at age 90 and actor Bob Cummings died at age 80.

In 1993, Colombian drug trafficker Pablo Escobar was killed in a shootout with police and soldiers in the Colombian city of Medellin.

In 2001, U.S. forces in Afghanistan captured John Walker Lindh, 20, a U.S. citizen from San Anselmo, Calif., found fighting with the Taliban.

In 2007, Russian President Vladimir Putin's party dominated parliamentary elections. Putin, who couldn't seek another consecutive term, named his successor and became prime minister.

In 2011, U.S. unemployment declined to 8.6 percent in November, its lowest level in 2 1/2 years.

In 2012, parts of a tunnel collapsed on the Chuo Expressway about 50 miles west of Tokyo, killing nine people, injuring two and trapping at least 30 vehicles. Officials said aging ceiling bolts may have caused the collapse.

A thought for the day: "The way a team plays as a whole determines its success. You may have the greatest bunch of individual stars in the world but if they don't play together the club won't be worth a dime." -- Babe Ruth