UPI Almanac for Thursday, Aug. 11, 2016

Today is Thursday, Aug. 11, the 224th day of 2016 with 142 to follow.

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

Those born on this day are under the sign of Leo. They include author Robert Ingersoll in 1833; songwriter Carrie Jacobs Bond ("I Love You Truly") in 1862; art collector Joseph Hirshhorn in 1899; actor Lloyd Nolan in 1902; author Alex Haley in 1921; singer June Hutton in 1920; TV host Mike Douglas in 1925; actor Arlene Dahl in 1925 (age 91); European socialite Claus von Bulow in 1926 (age 90); evangelist Jerry Falwell in 1933; columnist Marilyn vos Savant ("Ask Marilyn") in 1946 (age 70); pop singer Eric Carmen, formerly of the Raspberries, in 1949 (age 67); Apple computer co-founder Steve Wozniak in 1950 (age 66); professional wrestler/actor Hulk Hogan, born Terry Gene Bollea, in 1953 (age 63); British singer/songwriter Joe Jackson in 1954 (age 62); political commentator David Brooks in 1961 (age 55); actor Viola Davis in 1965 (age 51); actor Chris Hemsworth in 1983 (age 33).

On this date in history:

In 1877, Thomas Edison described the fundamentals of the phonograph to an assistant and instructed him to build the first one.

In 1934, the first group of federal prisoners classified as "most dangerous" arrived at Alcatraz Island, a 22-acre rocky outcrop 1.5 miles offshore in San Francisco Bay.

In 1954, a formal announcement ended the seven-year war in Indochina between France and forces of the communist Viet Minh.

In 1965, riots began in the Watts section of Los Angeles. In six days of violence, 34 people were killed.

In 1984, in an off-air radio voice check picked up by TV cameras, U.S. President Ronald Reagan joked, "My fellow Americans, I'm pleased to tell you today that I've signed legislation that will outlaw Russia forever. We begin bombing in 5 minutes." The Kremlin wasn't amused.

In 1991, a Lebanese militant group, the Revolutionary Justice Organization, released U.S. hostage Edward Tracy, 60, who was a captive for nearly five years.

In 1993, U.S. President Bill Clinton endorsed the "Brady Bill" handgun control measure and signed an executive order banning the import of semiautomatic assault-style handguns.

In 1994, Major League Baseball players went on strike following the conclusion of the day's games.

In 1997, Bill Clinton became the first U.S. president to use the line-item veto, a power granted by Congress the year before.

In 1998, two boys, ages 12 and 14, were found to be "delinquent" (the juvenile court equivalent of a guilty verdict) in the fatal March shootings of four students and a teacher at their middle school in Jonesboro, Ark.

In 1999, the Kansas State Board of Education voted to drop the theory of evolution from the public school curriculum.

In 2007, the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America voted to refrain from disciplining members of the clergy involved in same-sex relationships.

In 2009, Eunice Kennedy Shriver, younger sister of President John Kennedy, mother of former California first lady Maria Shriver and founder of the Special Olympics, died in a Cape Cod, Mass., hospital. She was 88. She devoted much of her life to raising funds for, and awareness of, people with mental disabilities.

In 2010, former U.S. Rep Dan Rostenkowski, D-Ill., who rose to be chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee and went to prison after he was indicted on corruption charges and pleaded guilty to mail fraud, died after a long battle with cancer. He was 82.

In 2012, Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney introduced U.S. Rep. Paul Ryan, R-Wis., as his running mate.

In 2013, laid-back Jason Dufner won the PGA Championship at Oak Hill in Pittsford, N.Y. After the victory, his wife, Amanda, was asked if Dufner ever got nervous. "If he has been," she said, "he's never told me."

In 2014, Oscar-winning actor and comedian Robin Williams died at age 63 in Tiburon, Calif. "This is a sudden and tragic loss," his publicist said. Williams' wife, Susan Schneider, said "the world lost one of its most beloved artists and beautiful human beings." Williams' death was ruled a suicide.

A thought for the day: U.S. President Theodore Roosevelt said, "Obedience to the law is demanded as a right; not asked as a favor."