UPI Almanac for Friday, Sept. 20, 2019

Today is Friday, Sept. 20, the 263rd day of 2019 with 102 to follow.

The moon is waning. 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 novelist Upton Sinclair in 1878; Sister Elizabeth Kenny, Australian nurse who pioneered the care of polio victims, in 1880; NASA mathematician Dorothy Vaughan in 1910; basketball Hall of Fame Coach Arnold Jacob "Red" Auerbach in 1917; actor Sophia Loren in 1934 (age 85); artist Dale Chihuly in 1941 (age 78); writer George R.R. Martin in 1948 (age 71); hockey Hall of Fame member Guy Lafleur in 1951 (age 68); actor Gary Cole in 1956 (age 63); actor Kristen Johnston in 1967 (age 52); musician Gunnar Nelson in 1967 (age 52); musician Matthew Nelson in 1967 (age 52); actor Asia Argento in 1975 (age 44); actor Jon Bernthal in 1976 (age 43); musician Phillip Phillips in 1990 (age 29).

On this date in history:

In 1946, the first Cannes Film Festival opened on the French Riviera. An earlier attempt to begin the international movie showcase in 1939 was halted by the outbreak of World War II.

In 1963, President John F. Kennedy proposed a joint venture between the United States and Russia to reach the moon.

In 1966, Britain's Queen Elizabeth II launched the Cunard liner bearing her name, often shortened to QE-2. It eventually became the only ocean liner on the once thriving trans-Atlantic route.

In 1973, Billie Jean King defeated Bobby Riggs in a "Battle of the Sexes" tennis match.

In 1984, Muslim militants bombed the U.S. Embassy annex in Beirut, Lebanon, killing 23 people. It was the third terrorist attack on U.S. installations in the city in 17 months.

In 2000, the six-year Whitewater investigation of U.S. President Bill Clinton and first lady Hillary Clinton ended without any indictments being issued. Independent counsel Robert Ray said there was insufficient evidence to establish criminal wrongdoing.

In 2011, the "don't ask, don't tell" ban on openly gay U.S. service members was officially repealed at 1 minute past midnight, ending a policy under which about 14,000 men and women were discharged. The controversial 1993 law had allowed gays to serve only if they kept their sexual orientation private.

In 2012, a Cleveland jury found 16 Amish men and women guilty of hate crimes for cutting their Amish rivals' beards and head hair.

In 2017, Hurricane Maria made landfall in Puerto Rico as a Category 4 storm. The storm left the entire island without power and nearly 3,000 people dead over the next several months.

In 2018, a ferry capsized in Tanzania's waters of Lake Victoria, killing at least 228 people.

A thought for the day: "It's better to explore life and make mistakes than to play it safe. Mistakes are part of the dues one pays for a full life." -- Italian actor Sophia Loren