UPI Almanac for Thursday, Nov. 21, 2019

Today is Thursday, Nov. 21, the 325th day of 2019 with 40 to follow.

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

Those born on this date are under the sign of Scorpio. They include French author Francois-Marie Arouet, known as Voltaire, in 1694; Pope Benedict XV in 1854; Belgian painter Rene Magritte in 1898; baseball Hall of Fame member Stan Musial in 1920; actor Joseph Campanella in 1924; actor Laurence Luckinbill in 1934 (age 85); actor Marlo Thomas in 1937 (age 82); actor Juliet Mills in 1941 (age 78); TV producer Marcy Carsey in 1944, (age 75); filmmaker/actor Harold Ramis, also in 1944; actor Goldie Hawn in 1945 (age 74); actor Lorna Luft in 1952 (age 67); actor Cherry Jones in 1956 (age 64); actor Nicollette Sheridan in 1963 (age 56); musician Björk Guðmundsdóttir in 1965 (age 54); football Hall of Fame member Troy Aikman in 1966 (age 53); baseball Hall of Fame member Ken Griffey Jr. in 1969 (age 50); television personality/former NFL player Michael Strahan in 1971 (age 48); actor Rain Phoenix in 1972 (age 47); wrestler Brie Bella in 1983 (age 36); wrestler Nikki Bella in 1983 (age 36); actor Jena Malone in 1984 (age 35); singer Carly Rae Jepsen in 1985 (age 34).

On this date in history:

In 1783, in Paris, Jean de Rozier and the Marquis d'Arlandes made the first free-flight ascent in a balloon.

In 1877, Thomas Edison announced his invention of the phonograph.

In 1916, the HMHS Britannic, originally built as a passenger liner and later pressed into service as a hospital ship during World War I, was sunk by a naval mine. Thirty people died and 1,035 survived.

In 1922, Rebecca Latimer Felton of Georgia takes the oath of office, becoming the first female U.S. senator. Her appointment was of a temporary nature, as she served just 24 hours.

In 1938, Nazi forces occupied western Czechoslovakia and declared its people German citizens.

In 1974, the U.S. Congress passed the Freedom of Information Act over President Gerald Ford's veto.

In 1985, Jonathan Jay Pollard, a civilian U.S. Navy intelligence analyst and Jewish American, was arrested on charges of illegally passing classified U.S. security information about Arab nations to Israel. Pollard, sentenced to life in prison, was released on November 20, 2016.

In 1991, U.S. President George H.W. Bush signed the Civil Rights Act of 1991, making it easier for workers to sue in job discrimination cases.

In 2003, U.S. House of Representatives and Senate conferees finished the final version of an approximately $400 billion, 1,000-page bill that would create prescription drug coverage for 42 million Americans on Medicare.

In 2005, General Motors Corp., the world's biggest carmaker, announced it was cutting its payroll by 30,000 employees and would be shutting down all or parts of a dozen plants.

In 2006, Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki announced a restoration of diplomatic ties with Syria after 24 years of strained relations.

In 2012, a cease-fire was announced after eight days of fighting that officials said killed about 130 Palestinians and six Israelis. Hundreds of people were injured. Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak said he held Hamas responsible to keep the truce.

In 2013, the U.S. Senate made a historic rules change that weakened the power of the filibuster, which opposition parties have used to slow or derail presidential nominations. The change cut the number of votes needed for approval of executive and most judicial nominees from 60 votes to 51. Senate Democratic leader Harry Reid of Nevada said the action was taken because Americans "believe the Senate is broken -- and I believe they are right."

In 2017, after days of political suspense, Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe resigned shortly after lawmakers began impeachment proceedings against him.

A thought for the day: "I suppose one has a greater sense of intellectual degradation after an interview with a doctor than from any human experience." -- American diarist Alice James