UPI Almanac for Saturday, May 30, 2020

Today is Saturday, May 30, the 151st day of 2020 with 215 to follow.

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

Those born on this date are under the sign of Gemini. They include Russian jeweler Peter Carl Fabergé in 1846; film director Howard Hawks in 1896; voice actor Mel Blanc in 1908; bandleader/clarinet virtuoso Benny Goodman in 1909; restaurant executive Bob Evans in 1918; Christine Jorgensen, author/first person to undergo successful sex-change operation, in 1926; actor Clint Walker in 1927; actor Keir Dullea in 1936 (age 84); actor Michael J. Pollard in 1939; NFL Hall of Fame running back Gale Sayers in 1943 (age 77); actor Colm Meaney in 1953 (age 67); actor Ted McGinley in 1958 (age 62); publisher Kevin Eastman, one of the creators of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, in 1962 (age 58); first British astronaut Helen Sharman in 1963 (age 57); country singer Wynonna Judd in 1964 (age 56); musician Tom Morello in 1964 (age 56); actor Mark Sheppard in 1964 (age 56); actor/singer Idina Menzel in 1971 (age 49); director Duncan Jones in 1971 (age 49); musician Cee-Lo Green, born Thomas DeCarlo Callaway, in 1974 (age 46); businesswoman Marissa Mayer in 1975 (age 45); soccer player Steven Gerrard in 1980 (age 40); rapper Remy Ma, born Reminisce Mackie, in 1980 (age 40); model/actor Jennifer Ellison in 1983 (age 37); actor Sean Giambrone in 1999 (age 21); actor Jared S. Gilmore in 2000 (age 20).

On this date in history:

In 1431, Joan of Arc was burned at the stake in Rouen, France, at age 19. She had been convicted of wearing men's clothing.

In 1783, the Pennsylvania Evening Post became the first daily newspaper published in the United States.

In 1806, future U.S. President Andrew Jackson took part in a duel, killing Charles Dickinson, a Kentucky lawyer who had called Jackson's wife a bigamist.

In 1868, the first major Memorial Day observance was held to honor those killed during the Civil War. It was originally known to some as Decoration Day.

In 1911, Ray Harroun won the first Indianapolis 500 with an average speed of 74.6 mph.

In 1922, the Lincoln Memorial was dedicated in Washington.

In 1943, the Aleutian Islands of Kiska and Attu off the Alaskan coast were retaken by U.S. forces after being occupied by Japanese troops.

In 1971, the unmanned U.S. space probe Mariner 9 was launched on a mission to gather scientific data on Mars. It was the first spacecraft to orbit a planet other than Earth.

In 1972, three Japanese terrorists used automatic weapons to kill 24 people at the airport in Tel Aviv, Israel.

In 1998, Pakistan conducted an underground nuclear test despite condemnation from many countries and the imposition of U.S. economic sanctions.

In 2002, U.S. Attorney General John Ashcroft announced the FBI would have expanded powers to monitor religious, political and other organizations as well as the Internet as a guard against terrorist attacks.

In 2012, former Liberian President Charles Taylor, convicted of aiding war crimes, was sentenced to 50 years in prison.

In 2019, prosecutors in Cook County, Ill., filed 11 new charges related to sexual assault against singer R. Kelly.

A thought for the day: "Perfection is attained by slow degrees; it requires the hand of time." -- French writer Voltaire