UPI Almanac for Sunday, Dec. 9, 2018

Today is Sunday, Dec. 9, the 343rd day of 2018 with 22 to follow.

The moon is waxing. 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 English poet John Milton in 1608; actor Margaret Hamilton in 1902; former Speaker of the House Thomas "Tip" O'Neill, D-Mass., in 1912; actor Kirk Douglas in 1916 (age 102); comedian Redd Foxx in 1922; actor Dina Merrill in 1923; actor Dick Van Patten in 1928; actor John Cassavetes in 1929; actor Buck Henry in 1930 (age 88); actor Judi Dench in 1934 (age 84); actor Beau Bridges in 1941 (age 77); football Hall of Fame member Deacon Jones in 1938; football Hall of Fame member Dick Butkus in 1942 (age 76); actor Michael Nouri in 1945 (age 73); actor Michael Dorn in 1952 (age 66); actor John Malkovich in 1953 (age 65); golf Hall of Fame member Tom Kite in 1949 (age 69); singer Joan Armatrading in 1950 (age 68); singer Donny Osmond in 1957 (age 61); actor Joe Lando in 1961 (age 57); actor Felicity Huffman in 1962 (age 56); entrepreneur/TV personality Lori Greiner in 1969 (age 49); drummer Tre Cool (Green Day) in 1972 (age 46); pop singer Imogen Heap in 1977 (age 41); actor Jesse Metcalfe in 1978 (age 40); actor Simon Helberg in 1980 (age 38); U.S. Olympic gold medal gymnast McKayla Maroney in 1995 (age 23).

On this date in history:

In 1907, the first Christmas Seals to raise money to fight tuberculosis went on sale in the post office in Wilmington, Del.

In 1955, two weeks of bloody student uprisings against President Fulgencio Batista appeared to follow the pattern of the student riots that deposed Cuban Dictator Gerardo Machado 22 years ago. Batista would remain in power four more years before losing power to Fidel Castro.

In 1974, White House aide John Ehrlichman's Watergate trial began in which he testified that U.S. President Richard Nixon was responsible for a coverup.

In 1987, the First Palestinian Intifada against Israeli occupation in Gaza and the West Bank. Palestinians protested and rioted after an Israeli Defense Forces truck struck a civilian vehicle, killing four Palestinians.

In 1990, Lech Walesa won Poland's first direct presidential vote.

In 1992, British Prime Minister John Major announced the formal separation of Prince Charles and Princess Diana.

In 1992, some 1,700 U.S. Marines landed in Somalia to secure the airfield, port and U.S. Embassy in Mogadishu and restore order to the conflict- and famine-stricken country.

In 2002, United Airlines, which said it was losing $22 million a day, filed for bankruptcy.

In 2008, federal agents arrested Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich on corruption charges in a scheme involving the sale of Illinois' open Senate seat vacated by President-elect Barack Obama.

In 2009, the U.S. government's bailout program for ailing major banks "played a critical role in renewing the flow of credit and preventing a more acute crisis," the independent Congressional Oversight Panel said in a year-end report.

In 2014, a U.S. Senate Intelligence Committee report said the CIA's interrogation of terror suspects after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks were more brutal than it told the White House or public. The so-called "CIA torture report" called CIA tactics "deeply flawed."

In 2016, South Korea's National Assembly voted to impeach President Park Geun-hye because her unofficial aid, Choi Soon-sil, sought donations from businesses and influenced Park politically. Park was permanently removed from power in March 2017.

In 2017, Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi declared that the country's forces completely liberated the nation from the Islamic State militant group.

A thought for the day: "It's better to be unhappy alone than unhappy with someone." -- Marilyn Monroe