UPI Almanac for Thursday, Feb. 19, 2015

Today is Thursday, Feb. 19, the 50th day of 2015 with 315 to follow.

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

Those born on this date are under the sign of Pisces. They include Polish astronomer Nicolaus Copernicus in 1473; Romanian sculptor Constantin Brancusi in 1876; actor Merle Oberon in 1911; jockey Eddie Arcaro in 1916; novelist Carson McCullers in 1917; actor Lee Marvin in 1924; television/movie director John Frankenheimer in 1930; singer William "Smokey" Robinson in 1940 (age 75); singer Lou Christie in 1943 (age 72); author Amy Tan in 1952 (age 63); Argentine President Cristina Fernandez in 1953 (age 62); actor Jeff Daniels in 1955 (age 60); Britain's Prince Andrew in 1960 (age 55); singer Seal in 1963 (age 52); actor Justine Bateman in 1966 (age 49); actor Benicio Del Toro in 1967 (age 48).

On this date in history:

In 1878, Thomas Edison patented the first gramophone.

In 1922, vaudeville star Ed Wynn became the first big name in show business to sign for a regular radio show.

In 1942, as a security measure during World War II, the U.S. government began relocating Japanese-Americans living in coastal Pacific areas to internment camps in remote areas of several states. (They were allowed to return to their homes in January 1945.)

In 1945, U.S. Marines landed on the island of Iwo Jima, opening one of the major battles in the Pacific during World War II.

In 1986, the Soviet Union launched the Mir space station. (It was occupied for 10 of its 15 years in orbit.)

In 1997, China's "paramount leader" Deng Xiaoping died at age 92.

In 2003, all 289 people aboard an Iranian military transport plane were killed when it crashed in a mountainous region of southeastern Iran.

In 2005, U.S. Roman Catholic officials said they received 1,092 charges of clergy sex abuse, most involving boys.

In 2008, Cuban President Fidel Castro, 81, who temporarily handed power to his brother, Raul, in July 2006, because of illness, stepped down permanently after 49 years in power. Raul, 76, then formally succeeded him.

In 2010, golf superstar Tiger Woods, in a global TV apology, said, "I am deeply sorry for my irresponsible and selfish behavior I engaged in ... I was unfaithful. I had affairs. I cheated. What I did is not acceptable and I am the only person to blame." He praised his wife for her "enormous grace and poise throughout this ordeal," asked for forgiveness and scolded the news media for stalking his family.

In 2012, 44 inmates died and 30 escaped during a prison riot in northern Mexico.

In 2013, Tunisian Prime Minister Hamadi Jebali, unable to forge a new government amid mounting citizen protests, announced his resignation.

In 2014, fires burned at Independence Square in the Ukrainian capital of Kiev where at least 26 people had been killed in anti-government protests.

A thought for the day: "When morality comes up against profit, it is seldom that profit loses. -- Shirley Chisholm