UPI Almanac for Thursday, Dec. 6, 2018

Today is Thursday, Dec. 6, the 340th day of 2018 with 25 to follow.

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

Those born on this date are under the sign of Sagittarius. They include England's King Henry VI in 1421; lyricist Ira Gershwin in 1896; bank robber Lester "Baby Face" Nelson in 1908; jazz pianist Dave Brubeck in 1920; football Hall of Fame member Otto Graham in 1921; actor James Naughton in 1945 (age 73); actor JoBeth Williams in 1948 (age 70); actor Tom Hulce in 1953 (age 65); comedian Steven Wright in 1955 (age 63); actor Janine Turner in 1962 (age 56); director/screenwriter Judd Apatow in 1967 (age 51); Ryan White, U.S. HIV/AIDS activist, in 1971; Heisman Trophy-winning NFL quarterback Johnny Manziel in 1992 (age 26); actor Stefanie Scott in 1996 (age 22).

On this date in history:

In 1865, the 13th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution was ratified, abolishing slavery in the United States.

In 1877, The Washington Post published its first edition.

In 1907, in West Virginia's Marion County, an explosion in a network of mines owned by the Fairmont Coal Co. in Monongah killed 361 coal miners. It was the worst mining disaster in U.S. history.

In 1917, more than 1,900 people died in an explosion when a Belgian relief ship and a French munitions vessel collided in the harbor at Halifax, Nova Scotia.

In 1922, the Irish Free State, forerunner of the modern Republic of Ireland, was officially proclaimed.

In 1933, following the repeal of Prohibition, Americans crowded into liquor stores, bars and cafes to buy their first legal alcoholic beverages in 13 years.

In 1941, U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt sent a message to Japanese Emperor Hirohito expressing hope that gathering war clouds would be dispelled. Japan attacked Pearl Harbor the next day.

In 1973, Gerald Ford was confirmed as vice president under Richard Nixon, replacing Spiro Agnew, who had resigned in the face of income tax-evasion charges.

In 1975, the U.S. Senate authorized a $2.3 billion emergency loan to save New York City from bankruptcy.

In 1995, Michael Jackson was hospitalized after collapsing on stage while rehearsing for an HBO special. Paramedics said he had low blood pressure.

In 2005, an Iranian military aircraft hit a 10-story residential building in Tehran and exploded shortly after takeoff, killing at least 128 people.

In 2010, Julian Assange, the Australian-born co-founder of WikiLeaks, the whistle-blower website that published thousands of secret U.S. government documents, was arrested in Britain on a Swedish warrant accusing him of sexual assault.

In 2017, President Donald Trump officially recognized Jerusalem as the capital of Israel and announced plans to move the U.S. Embassy there from Tel Aviv. Palestinians and Muslims nations criticized the move because if a Palestinian nation is ever recognized, it would use East Jerusalem as a capital.

A thought for the day: U.S. Supreme Court Justice Robert Houghwout Jackson wrote, "The day that this country ceases to be free for irreligion, it will cease to be free for religion."