UPI Almanac for Sunday, May 16, 2021

Today is Sunday, May 16, the 136th day of 2021 with 229 to follow.

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

Those born on this date are under the sign of Taurus. They include William Seward, U.S. secretary of state whose purchase of Alaska from Russia in 1867 for $7.2 million was called "Seward's Folly," in 1801; banker Levi Morton, U.S. vice president under Benjamin Harrison, in 1824; serial killer H. H. Holmes in 1861; actor Henry Fonda in 1905; author Louis "Studs" Terkel in 1912; entertainer Liberace, born Władziu Valentino Liberace, in 1919; New York Yankees player/Manager Billy Martin in 1928; actor Danny Trejo in 1944 (age 77); actor Pierce Brosnan in 1953 (age 68); Olympic gold medal gymnast Olga Korbut in 1955 (age 66); actor Debra Winger in 1955 (age 66); actor Mare Winningham in 1959 (age 62); singer Janet Jackson in 1966 (age 55); singer Ralph Edward Tresvant Jr. in 1968 (age 53); actor Tracey Gold in 1969 (age 52); political commentator Tucker Carlson in 1969 (age 52); actor David Boreanaz in 1969 (age 52); former tennis player Gabriela Sabatini in 1970 (age 51); actor/stunt performer Jason "Wee Man" Acuna in 1973 (age 48); actor Tori Spelling in 1973 (age 48); actor Joseph Morgan in 1981 (age 40); actor/model Megan Fox in 1986 (age 35); model Behati Prinsloo in 1988 (age 33); actor Thomas Brodie-Sangster in 1990 (age 31); figure skater Ashley Wagner in 1991 (age 30); actor Miles Heizer in 1994 (age 27).

On this date in history:

In 1804, the French Senate declared Napoleon Bonaparte emperor.

In 1871, U.S. Marines landed in Korea in an attempt to open the country to foreign trade.

In 1920, Joan of Arc was canonized as a saint of the Roman Catholic Church.

In 1929, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences had its first Academy Awards ceremony. Wings was named Best Picture in the event at the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel.

In 1932, following the assassination of Premier Tsuyoshi Inukai, fears began to spread that a militarist "super-party" was beginning to take shape in Japan.

In 1969, the unmanned Soviet spacecraft Venera 5 landed on Venus.

In 1985, the NBA named the Chicago Bulls' Michael Jordan rookie of the year after he led all players in points.

In 1988, U.S. Surgeon General C. Everett Koop said nicotine was as addictive as heroin or cocaine and called for the licensing of tobacco product vendors.

In 1991, Queen Elizabeth II became the first British monarch to address a joint session of Congress.

In 1997, Mobutu Sese Seko -- who ruled Zaire for more than 30 years, allegedly looting it of billions of dollars -- fled the capital as rebel forces advanced. He died in exile less than four months later.

In 2006, Italian President Giorgio Napolitano appointed Romano Prodi premier amid charges of election fraud from outgoing Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi.

In 2012, Vermont became the first state to ban hydraulic fracturing (fracking) to extract gas from underground deposits.

In 2013, Britain's David Beckham announced he would retire from soccer.

In 2014, election results in India gave Narenda Modi and his opposition Bharatiya Janata Party a major victory elevating him to prime minister.

In 2019, the final episode of The Big Bang Theory aired after a 12-season run. The comedy series starred Jim Parsons (Sheldon), Johnny Galecki (Leonard), Kaley Cuoco (Penny), Simon Helberg (Howard), Kunal Nayyar (Raj), Melissa Rauch (Bernadette) and Mayim Bialik (Amy).

A thought for the day: "We must learn to live together as brothers or perish together as fools." -- American civil rights activist the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.