UPI Almanac for Wednesday, May 30, 2018

Today is Wednesday, May 30, the 150th day of 2018 with 215 to follow.

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

Those born on this date are under the sign of Gemini. They include film director Howard Hawks in 1896; 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; actor Keir Dullea in 1936 (age 82); actor Michael J. Pollard in 1939 (age 79); NFL Hall of Fame running back Gale Sayers in 1943 (age 75); actor Colm Meaney in 1953 (age 65); actor Ted McGinley in 1958 (age 60); publisher Kevin Eastman, one of the creators of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, in 1962 (age 56); country singer Wynonna Judd in 1964 (age 54); musician Tom Morello in 1964 (age 54); actor Mark Sheppard in 1964 (age 54); actor/singer Idina Menzel in 1971 (age 47); director Duncan Jones in 1971 (age 47); musician Cee-Lo Green, born Thomas DeCarlo Callaway, in 1974 (age 44); businesswoman Marissa Mayer in 1975 (age 43); soccer player Steven Gerrard in 1980 (age 38); rapper Remy Ma, born Reminisce Mackie, in 1980 (age 38); model/actor Jennifer Ellison in 1983 (age 35); actor Sean Giambrone in 1999 (age 19); actor Jared S. Gilmore in 2000 (age 18).

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 1971, 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.

In 2017, a car bomb exploded during morning rush hour in Kabul's diplomatic district, killing more than 100 people.

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