UPI Almanac for Monday, Aug. 21, 2017

Today is Monday, Aug. 21, the 233rd day of 2017 with 132 to follow.

The moon is new. Morning star is Venus. Evening stars are Jupiter and Mercury.

Those born on this date are under the sign of Leo. Britain's Princess Margaret in 1930; actor Melvin Van Peebles in 1932 (age 85); basketball Hall of Fame member Wilt Chamberlain in 1936; country/pop singer Kenny Rogers in 1938 (age 79); actor Clarence Williams III in 1939 (age 78); pop singer Jackie DeShannon in 1944 (age 73); film director Peter Weir in 1944 (age 73); actor Patty McCormack in 1945 (age 72); actor Loretta Devine in 1949 (age 68); rock musician Glenn Hughes in 1951 (age 65); actor Kim Cattrall in 1956 (age 61); rock musician Joe Strummer in 1952; former Ohio State football running back Archie Griffin, the only two-time Heisman Trophy winner, in 1954 (age 63); America Online co-founder Steve Case in 1958 (age 59); French satirical cartoonist Stéphane Charbonnier in 1967; actor Carrie-Anne Moss in 1967 (age 50); singer Serj Tankian in 1967 (age 50); actor Alicia Witt in 1975 (age 42); singer Kelis in 1979 (age 38); reality star Brody Jenner in 1983 (age 34); Olympic gold medal sprinter Usain Bolt in 1986 (age 31); actor Hayden Panettiere in 1989 (age 28); actor RJ Mitte in 1992 (age 25).

On this date in history:

In 1831, Nat Turner launched a bloody slave insurrection in Southampton County, Va., leading to the deaths of 60 people. Turner, an educated minister who considered himself chosen by God to lead his people out of slavery, was hanged.

In 1911, the Mona Lisa was stolen from the Louvre. The painting by Leonardo di Vinci recovered in 1913.

In 1935, Benny Goodman's nationally broadcast concert at Los Angeles' Palomar Theater was such a hit that it often has been referred to as the kickoff of the swing era.

In 1940, exiled Bolshevik leader Leon Trotsky was assassinated in Mexico City on orders from Soviet dictator Joseph Stalin.

In 1951, the United States ordered construction of the world's first atomic submarine, the USS Nautilus. The vessel was retired in 1985.

In 1959, Hawaii became the 50th state of the United States.

In 1983, Philippine opposition leader Benigno Aquino Jr. was assassinated as he stepped from a plane at the Manila airport.

In 1986, gas released from a volcanic lake in the remote mountains of Cameroon killed more than 1,700 people and injured 500. It became known as the Lake Nyos disaster.

In 1994, Ernesto Zedillo Ponce de Leon was elected president of Mexico.

In 2002, U.S. President George W. Bush said that while no decision had been made whether to go to war against Iraq he believed a "regime change" would be "in the best interest of the world."

In 2009, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control, assessing the H1N1 virus, or swine flu, in a mostly flu-free time of year, said there had been 522 reported deaths from confirmed cases of the illness and 7,963 people hospitalized.

In 2011, Libyan rebels, with NATO support, stormed into Tripoli and seized control of Moammar Gadhafi's besieged country, setting up their own government at the end of a three-day battle.

In 2013, a U.S. military judge sentenced Army Pfc. Bradley Manning to 35 years in prison for giving classified documents to the WikiLeaks whistle-blower site. Manning, with credit for time already served, would be eligible for parole in seven years. In 2016, President Barack Obama pardoned Manning, who was by then going by Chelsea Manning.

A thought for the day: "A friend is someone who gives you total freedom to be yourself." -- Jim Morrison