On This Day in History - August 2nd - Almanac

Today is Tuesday, Aug. 2, the 215th day of 2014 with 151 to follow.

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

Those born on this date are under the sign of Leo. They include French sculptor Frederic Auguste Bartholdi, designer of the Statue of Liberty, in 1834; film executive Jack Warner in 1892; singer Helen Morgan in 1900; actor Myrna Loy in 1905; actor Beatrice Straight in 1914; former Israeli President Shimon Peres in 1923 (age 92); author James Baldwin in 1924; actor Carroll O'Connor in 1924; businessman/sports team owner Lamar Hunt, inducted into the football Hall of Fame, in 1932; actor Peter O'Toole in 1932; football Hall of Fame member Billy Cannon in 1937 (age 79); musician Garth Hudson in 1937 (age 79); filmmaker Wes Craven in 1939; Chilean writer Isabel Allende in 1942 (age 74) ; actor Joanna Cassidy in 1945 (age 71); actor Kathryn Harrold in 1950 (age 66); author Caleb Carr in 1955 (age 61); actor Victoria Jackson in 1959 (age 57); actor Mary-Louise Parker in 1964 (age 52); writer/director/actor Kevin Smith in 1970 (age 46); actor Edward Furlong in 1977 (age 38).

On this date in history:

In 1776, the Declaration of Independence, adopted on July 4, was signed by members of the Continental Congress.

In 1923, U.S. President Warren G. Harding died of a stroke in a San Francisco hotel at the age of 58. He was succeeded by Vice President Calvin Coolidge.

In 1934, with the death of German President Paul von Hindenburg, Chancellor Adolf Hitler became absolute dictator of Germany under the title of fuehrer, or "leader."

In 1968, a major earthquake in the Philippines rocked Manila, killing 307 people.

In 1974, John Dean, counsel to U.S. President Richard Nixon, was sentenced to 1-to-4 years in prison for his part in the Watergate coverup. Dean's sentenced was reduced and he was released after four months.

In 1985, 135 people died in the crash of a Delta Airlines L-1011 jet at Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport.

In 1990, Iraq invaded neighboring Kuwait after weeks of tension over disputed land and oil production quotas.

In 2000, the Republican Party nominated George W. Bush and Dick Cheney to head its ticket for the November elections.

In 2010, U.S. scientists estimated that the BP oil spill touched off by an April 20 explosion on an offshore rig leaked 5 million barrels of crude into the Gulf of Mexico, making it the world's largest oil spill of its kind.

In 2012, Kofi Annan, outgoing U.N. Arab League envoy to Syria, said a political solution "is essential" in the war-torn country because "military means alone will not end the crisis." He said Syrian President Bashar Assad had to step down.

In 2013, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported the U.S. unemployment rate fell to 7.4 percent -- a four-year low.

In 2014, an accidental explosion in an eastern China factory that authorities said had unsafe conditions killed about 75 people and injured scores of others. .

A thought for the day: English philosopher Samuel Johnson said, "A man should keep his friendships in constant repair."