On This Day in History - February 6th - Almanac

Today is Friday, Feb. 6, the 37th day of 2015 with 328 to follow.

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

Those born on this date are under the sign of Aquarius. They include England's Queen Anne in 1665; statesman Aaron Burr in 1756; Confederate Gen. J.E.B. Stuart in 1833; baseball great George Herman "Babe" Ruth in 1895; former U.S. President Ronald Reagan in 1911; Eva Braun, mistress of Adolf Hitler, in 1912; actor Zsa Zsa Gabor in 1917 (age 98), actor Patrick Macnee in 1922 (age 93); actor Rip Torn in 1931; actor Mamie Van Doren in 1931 (age 84); French film director Francois Truffaut in 1932; actor Mike Farrell in 1939 (age 76); TV newsman Tom Brokaw in 1940 (age 75); handgun control activist Sarah Brady in 1942 (age 73); singer Fabian Forte in 1943 (age 72); actor Michael Tucker in 1945 (age 70); Jamaican reggae singer/songwriter Bob Marley in 1945; singer Natalie Cole in 1950 (age 65); actor Kevin Whately in 1951 (age 64); actor/director Robert Townsend in 1957 (age (58); actor Kathy Najimy in 1957 (age 58); singer W. Axl Rose in 1962 (age 53).

On this date in history:

In 1819, Singapore was founded with the establishment of a British East India Co. trading post.

In 1865, Gen. Robert E. Lee was appointed commander in chief of the armies of the Confederacy.

In 1943, U.S. Army Gen. Dwight D. Eisenhower was named commander of Allied expeditionary forces in North Africa. (He later became World War II supreme Allied commander in Europe.)

In 1952, Princess Elizabeth became sovereign of Great Britain upon the death of her father, King George VI. (She was crowned Queen Elizabeth II on June 2, 1953.)

In 1987, broad no-smoking rules took effect for 890,000 employees in 6,800 U.S. federal buildings nationwide.

In 1992, a military transport plane crashed into a restaurant and hotel in Evansville, Ind., killing 16 people.

In 2001, Ariel Sharon was elected prime minister of Israel.

In 2004, a female suicide bomber detonated explosives in a suitcase on a Moscow subway car, killing 39 people and injuring about 200.

In 2005, the New England Patriots won their third Super Bowl in four years, defeating the Philadelphia Eagles 24-21. (The Patriots won their fourth title in 2015.)

In 2006, U.S. Attorney General Alberto Gonzales told Congress President George W. Bush was within his legal rights when he authorized warrantless surveillance of people in the United States by the National Security Agency.

In 2013, a Public Policy Polling survey indicated U.S. voters were more likely to view an endorsement by the National Rifle Association negatively than positively.

In 2014, competition began in some events in the Winter Olympics began in Sochi, Russia. (The official opening ceremony was a day later.)

A thought for the day: U.S. President Ronald Reagan said, "You can accomplish much if you don't care who gets the credit."