Today is Thursday, Oct. 5, the 278th day of 2017 with 87 to follow.
The moon is full. Morning stars are Mars and Venus. Evening stars are Jupiter and Saturn.
Those born on this date are under the sign of Libra. They include French philosopher Denis Diderot in 1713; Chester A. Arthur, 21st president of the United States, in 1829; movie pioneer Louis Lumiere in 1864; restaurant entrepreneur Ray Kroc (McDonald's) in 1902; comic Larry Fine of The Three Stooges in 1902; "Family Circus" cartoonist Bil Keane in 1922; actor Glynis Johns in 1923 (age 94); actor/comedian Bill Dana in 1924; Vaclav Havel, first president of the Czech Republic, in 1936; football Hall of Fame member Barry Switzer in 1937 (age 80); rock singer/songwriter Steve Miller in 1943 (age 74); baseball writer and theorist Bill James in 1949 (age 68); actor Karen Allen in 1951 (age 66); Irish rock musician-political activist Bob Geldof in 1951 (age 66); author/director Clive Barker in 1952 (age 65); comedian Bernie Mac in 1957; astrophysicist Neil DeGrasse Tyson in 1958 (age 59); architect Maya Lin in 1959 (age 58); race car driver Michael Andretti in 1962 (age 55); World Golf Hall of Fame member Laura Davies in 1963 (age 54); hockey Hall of Fame member Mario Lemieux in 1965 (age 52); hockey Hall of Fame member Patrick Roy in 1965 (age 52); actor Guy Pearce in 1967 (age 50); actor Kate Winslet in 1975 (age 42); actor Jesse Eisenberg in 1983 (age 34); heiress Nicky Hilton in 1983 (age 34); singer Betty Who, born Jessica Anne Newham, in 1991 (age 26); actor Jacob Tremblay in 2006 (age 11).
On this date in history:
In 1813, the Shawnee Indian Chief Tecumseh was killed while fighting on the side of the British during the War of 1812.
In 1882, Dr. Robert Goddard, "Father of American Rocketry" and a pioneer in the theoretical exploration of space, was born in Worcester, MA.
In 1918, Germany's Hindenburg Line was broken as World War I neared an end.
In 1921, the World Series is broadcast on the radio for the first time.
In 1935, Ethiopia asks the League of Nations to act against Italy to halt Italy's conquest of the country.
In 1947, President Harry Truman delivers the first televised White House address.
In 1955, the doors to the Disneyland Hotel are thrown open to the public.
In 1970, The Public Broadcasting Service, PBS, is founded.
In 1989, the Dalai Lama, who advocated non-violent struggle against Chinese domination of his homeland, Tibet, was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.
In 1994, authorities said 53 members of a secretive religious cult were found dead -- the victims of murder or suicide -- over a two-day period in Switzerland and Canada.
In 2001, Barry Bonds hit his 71st home run, most by a player in one season, breaking Mark McGwire's 1998 Major League Baseball record. The San Francisco Giants slugger finished the season with 73 homers.
In 2005, scientists announced that a form of bird flu that spread directly to humans was the real cause of a 1918 pandemic that killed an estimated 50 million people worldwide.
In 2010, Faisal Shahzad, who left an explosives-laden vehicle in New York's Times Square, planning to detonate it on a busy night, was sentenced to life in prison.
In 2011, Steve Jobs, co-founder of Apple Inc. and hailed by his colleagues as a "visionary and creative genius," died at age 56, two months after resigning as chief executive officer because he could "no longer meet [his] duties and expectations."
In 2013, Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel said the Pentagon would soon start recalling almost all of the 350,000 employees furloughed because of a partial government shutdown that began five days earlier. The recalls came under a new law exempting Defense Department workers from furloughs if they provide direct support to the military. The shutdown lasted through Oct. 16.
A thought for the day: "Anyone who takes himself too seriously always runs the risk of looking ridiculous; anyone who can consistently laugh at himself does not." -- Vaclav Havel
