UPI Almanac for Tuesday, May 30, 2017

Today is Tuesday, May 30, the 150th day of 2017 with 215 to follow.

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

Those born on this date are under the sign of Gemini. They include film director Howard Hawks in 1896; movie executive Irving Thalberg in 1899; Mel Blanc, the voice of Bugs Bunny, Porky Pig and many other cartoon characters, in 1908; bandleader/clarinet virtuoso Benny Goodman in 1909; restaurant executive Bob Evans in 1918; Christine Jorgensen, who became widely known after a 1952 sex-change operation, in 1926; actor Clint Walker in 1927 (age 90); actor Keir Dullea in 1936 (age 81); actor Michael J. Pollard in 1939 (age 78); NFL Hall of Fame running back Gale Sayers in 1943 (age 74); actor Colm Meaney in 1953 (age 64); actor Ted McGinley in 1958 (age 59); publisher Kevin Eastman, one of the creators of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, in 1962 (age 55); country singer Wynonna Judd in 1964 (age 53); musician Tom Morello in 1964 (age 53); musician Cee-Lo Green in 1974 (age 43); businesswoman Marissa Mayer in 1975 (age 42); soccer player Steven Gerrard in 1980 (age 37); model/actor Jennifer Ellison in 1983 (age 34).

On this date in history:

In 1431, Joan of Arc was burned at the stake in Rouen, France, at age 19. She had been convicted of sorcery.

In 1783, the Pennsylvania Evening Post became the first daily newspaper published in the United States.

In 1806, future U.S. President Andrew Jackson took part in a duel, killing Charles Dickinson, a Kentucky lawyer who had called Jackson's wife a bigamist.

In 1868, the first major Memorial Day observance was held to honor those killed during the Civil War. It was originally known to some as Decoration Day.

In 1911, Ray Harroun won the first Indianapolis 500 with an average speed of 74.6 mph.

In 1922, the Lincoln Memorial was dedicated in Washington.

In 1943, the Aleutian Islands of Kiska and Attu off the Alaskan coast were retaken by U.S. forces after being occupied by Japanese troops.

In 1972, the unmanned U.S. space probe Mariner 9 was launched on a mission to gather scientific data on Mars. It was the first spacecraft to orbit a planet other than Earth.

In 1972, three Japanese terrorists used automatic weapons to kill 24 people at the airport in Tel Aviv, Israel.

In 1998, Pakistan conducted an underground nuclear test despite condemnation from many countries and the imposition of U.S. economic sanctions.

In 2002, U.S. Attorney General John Ashcroft announced the FBI would have expanded powers to monitor religious, political and other organizations as well as the Internet as a guard against terrorist attacks.

In 2012, former Liberian President Charles Taylor, convicted of aiding war crimes, was sentenced to 50 years in prison.

A thought for the day: "Ninety percent of the politicians give the other 10 percent a bad reputation." -- Henry Kissinger