UPI Almanac for Thursday, Sept. 12, 2019

Today is Thursday, Sept. 12, the 255th day of 2019 with 110 to follow.

The moon is waxing. Morning stars are Neptune, Saturn and Uranus. Evening stars are Jupiter, Neptune, Saturn, Uranus and Venus.

Those born on this date are under the sign of Virgo. They include British explorer Henry Hudson in 1575; Richard Gatling, inventor of the Gatling gun, in 1818; newspaperman Charles Dudley Warner in 1829; critic H.L. Mencken in 1880; French entertainer Maurice Chevalier in 1888; publisher Alfred A. Knopf in 1892; French Nobel chemistry prize laureate Irene Joliot-Curie in 1897; U.S. Olympic track star Jesse Owens in 1913; British actor Ian Holm in 1931 (age 88); American country music singer George Jones in 1931; circus animal trainer Gunther Gebel-Williams in 1934; actor Linda Gray in 1940 (age 79); singer Maria Muldaur in 1943 (age 76); author Michael Ondaatje in 1943 (age 76); singer Barry White in 1944; actor Joe Pantoliano in 1951 (age 68); actor Peter Scolari in 1955 (age 64); actor Rachel Ward in 1957 (age 62); composer Hans Zimmer in 1957 (62); actor Darren E. Burrows in 1966 (age 53); musician Ben Folds in 1966 (age 53); comedian Louis C.K. in 1967 (age 52); actor Paul Walker in 1973; rapper 2 Chainz, born Tauheed Epps, in 1977 (age 42); singer Ruben Studdard in 1978 (age 41); actor Benjamin McKenzie in 1978 (age 41); Baseball Hall of Fame member Yao Ming in 1980 (age 39); singer/actor Jennifer Hudson in 1981 (age 38); singer/actor Emmy Rossum in 1986 (age 33); country singer Kelsea Ballerini in 1993 (age 26); actor Sydney Sweeney in 1997 (age 22).

On this date in history:

In 1609, Henry Hudson discovered what is now known as the Hudson River.

In 1940, near Montignac, France, the prehistoric Lascaux cave paintings, believed to be 15,000-17,000 years old, were discovered by four teenagers who stumbled upon the ancient artwork after following their dog down a narrow entrance into a cavern.

In 1953, U.S. Sen. John Fitzgerald Kennedy married Jacqueline Lee Bouvier at St. Mary's Church in Newport, R.I.

In 1958, Little Rock High School in Arkansas was ordered by the U.S. Supreme Court to admit black students.

In 1974, military officers deposed Emperor Haile Selassie from the Ethiopian throne he had occupied for more than half a century.

In 1977, Steven Biko, leader of South Africa's Black Consciousness Movement, died of severe head trauma on the stone floor of a prison cell in Pretoria. His death became symbolic of police abuses during apartheid as six days earlier, he suffered a major blow to his skull during a police interrogation.

In 1988, Hurricane Gilbert made landfall in Jamaica before eventually moving over Mexico and Texas, killing more than 300 people.

In 1992, Mae Jamison became the first African-American woman to fly in space, and Jan Davis and Mark Lee became the first married couple to go into space together aboard the Endeavor.

In 1994, a pilot crashed his small plane on the White House lawn, killing himself and creating an alarm about presidential security.

In 2001, after meeting with his national security team, U.S. President George W. Bush said at a news conference: "The deliberate and deadly attacks which were carried out yesterday against our country were more than acts of terror. They were acts of war. .... The American people need to know that we're facing a different enemy than we have ever faced. This enemy hides in shadows. ...This enemy attacked not just our people, but all freedom-loving people everywhere in the world. ... This will be a monumental struggle of good versus evil. But good will prevail."

In 2004, Iran announced it planned to start processing 37 tons of uranium yellowcake, which Western intelligence officials estimated could be used to build five nuclear bombs.

In 2005, the last of Israeli troops left the Gaza Strip, as planned, and the Palestinians immediately reclaimed the area Israel had controlled since the 1967 war.

In 2006, Pope Benedict XVI, in his first papal trip to his native Bavaria, in Germany, angered Muslims in a speech with a 14th century quote criticizing Islam, leading to church bombings and other protests. The pope apologized for any offense caused, saying the words didn't reflect his own views.

In 2009, thousands of tax protesters gathered at the U.S. Capitol in the largest anti-government demonstration since U.S. President Barack Obama took office. The rally marked the final stop for the Tea Party Express in a 30-city protest campaign.

In 2013, officials in Britain announced that Prince William, 31, had left the armed forces after more than 7 1/2 years of service -- first in the army, then as a Royal Air Force search-and-rescue helicopter pilot -- "to focus on royal duties and charity work."

In 2018, the European Parliament took unprecedented action against Hungary, voting to censure the country's government for violating European Union values and spurring concerns about the health of its democracy. The vote was in response to Prime Minister Viktor Orban, who has disparaged independent media, academics, the courts, minorities and refugees.

A thought for the day: "Remember that as a teenager you are at the last stage in your life when you will be happy to hear that the phone is for you." -- actor/author Fran Lebowitz