UPI Almanac for Friday, July 21, 2017

Today is Friday, July 21, the 202nd day of 2017 with 163 to follow.

The moon is waning. Morning star is Venus. Evening stars are Jupiter, Mercury and Saturday.

Those born on this date are under the sign of Cancer. They include composer Chauncey Olcott ("When Irish Eyes Are Smiling") in 1858; author Ernest Hemingway in 1899; violinist Isaac Stern in 1920; singer Kay Starr in 1922; producer Norman Jewison in 1926 (age 91); actor/comedian Don Knotts in 1924; former U.S. Attorney General Janet Reno in 1938; actor Edward Herrmann in 1943; singer Yusuf Islam, formerly known as Cat Stevens, in 1948 (age 69); cartoonist Garry Trudeau in 1948 (age 69); actor/comedian Robin Williams in 1951; actor Jon Lovitz in 1957 (age 60); actor Josh Hartnett in 1978 (age 39); reggae singer Damian Marley in 1978 (age 39); baseball player CC Sabathia in 1980 (age 37); actor Juno Temple in 1989 (age 28).

On this date in history:

In 1861, the first major military engagement of the Civil War occurred at Bull Run Creek, Va.

In 1925, the so-called Monkey Trial, which pitted Clarence Darrow against William Jennings Bryan in Dayton, Tenn., in one of the great confrontations in legal history, ended with John Thomas Scopes convicted and fined $100 for teaching evolution in violation of state law.

In 1969, U.S. astronauts Neil Armstrong and Edwin "Buzz" Aldrin, lifted off from the moon in the Apollo 11 lunar module Eagle and docked with the command module Columbia piloted by Michael Collins.

In 1970, after 11 years of construction, the massive Aswan High Dam across the Nile River in Egypt was completed, ending the cycle of flood and drought in the Nile River region but triggering an environmental controversy.

In 2000, a report from special counsel John Danforth cleared U.S. Attorney General Janet Reno and the government of wrongdoing in the April 19, 1993, fire that ended the Branch Davidian siege near Waco, Texas.

In 2007, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, the seventh and final installment in the best-selling series, sold more than 8.3 million copies on its first day in bookstores.

In 2011, Greece continued efforts to climb out of a financial chasm with a second bailout pledge from other eurozone countries and the International Monetary Fund worth $157 billion. Earlier, the nation dealt with its debt crisis with the help of a $146 billion loan package.

In 2012, Staff Sgt. Luis A. Walker, a U.S. Air Force boot camp instructor convicted of sexual offenses, including rape, was sentenced to 20 years in prison. The victims were female trainees. Walker died in September 2014 of suicide.

In 2013, Phil Mickelson, five shots back starting the final round, birdied four of his last six holes, shot a 5-under-par 66 and won the British Open at Muirfield in Scotland -- his fifth Grand Slam title.

A thought for the day: John Wayne said, "Talk low, talk slow -- and don't say too much."