UPI Almanac for Wednesday, Jan. 11, 2017

Today is Wednesday, Jan. 11, the 11th day of 2017 with 355 to follow.

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

Those born on this date are under the sign of Capricorn. They include American statesman Alexander Hamilton in 1757; Ezra Cornell, founder of Western Union Telegraph company and Cornell University, in 1807; John MacDonald, first prime minister of Canada, in 1815; psychologist and philosopher William James in 1842; feminist lawyer Alice Paul in 1885; South African novelist Alan Paton ("Cry, the Beloved Country") in 1903; automobile designer Carroll Shelby in 1923; actor Rod Taylor in 1930 (age 86); former Canadian Prime Minister Jean Chretien in 1934 (age 83); musician Clarence Clemons in 1942; singer Naomi Judd in 1946 (age 71); Olympic gold medal-winning swimmer Tracy Caulkins in 1963 (age 54); singer Mary J. Blige in 1971 (age 46); actor Amanda Peet in 1972 (age 45).

On this date in history:

In 1785, the Continental Congress convened in New York City.

In 1787, William Herschel discovered two moons of Uranus. They are named Titania and Oberon.

In 1861, Alabama seceded from the United States.

In 1935, aviator Amelia Earhart completed the first solo flight ever made between the Hawaiian Islands and the American mainland.

In 1949, Los Angeles noted a record setting snowfall, a rare event for the city's semitropical climate. A three-day storm in early 1949 dumped more than a foot of snow through much of the San Fernando and outlying valleys.

In 1964, U.S. Surgeon General Luther Terry released a report saying smoking cigarettes is a definite "health hazard."

In 1972, East Pakistan was renamed Bangladesh.

In 1984, the U.S. Supreme Court reinstated a $10 million award to the family of Oklahoma nuclear worker Karen Silkwood, who died in 1974.

In 1990, martial law, imposed during the June 1989 Tiananmen Square pro-democracy movement, was lifted in Beijing.

In 1996, the Japanese Diet elected Ryutaro Hashimoto, head of the Liberal Democratic Party, as prime minister.

In 2002, Ford announced it planned to lay off 35,000 employees, drop four car models and close four plants.

In 2009, Russia and Ukraine signed an agreement with the European Union that led to resumption of natural gas deliveries, which had been cut off in a back-payment dispute.

In 2010, 78 percent of U.S. air travelers said they supported using full-body airport scanners, a Gallup poll indicated.

In 2011, heavy rain in Brazil triggered floods and mudslides that killed more than 900 people and left an estimated 25,000 homeless.

In 2013, U.S. President Barack Obama said the war in Afghanistan "will come to a responsible end" by the end of 2014.

In 2014, former Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon died at age 85. He had been in a coma for eight years following a massive stroke.

A thought for the day: "Children are made readers on the laps of their parents." -- Emilie Buchwald