UPI Almanac for Friday, May 28, 2021

Today is Friday, May 28, the 148th day of 2021 with 217 to follow.

The moon is waning. 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 Gemini. They include British statesman William Pitt (the Younger) in 1759; all-around athlete Jim Thorpe in 1887; British novelist Ian Fleming, creator of James Bond, in 1908; blues musician Aaron Thibeaux "T-Bone" Walker in 1910; biologist/politician Barry Commoner in 1917; musician Papa John Creach in 1917; actor Carroll Baker in 1931 (age 90); basketball Hall of Fame member Jerry West in 1938 (age 83); author Maeve Binchy in 1939; singer Gladys Knight in 1944 (age 77); actor Sondra Locke in 1944; former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani in 1944 (age 77); musician John Fogerty in 1945 (age 76); Egyptian archaeologist Zahi Hawass in 1947 (age 74); singer Kylie Minogue in 1968 (age 53); Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., in 1971 (age 50); TV personality Elisabeth Hasselbeck in 1977 (age 44); actor Jake Johnson in 1978 (age 43); actor Alexa Davalos in 1982 (age 39); singer Colbie Caillat in 1985 (age 36); actor Carey Mulligan in 1985 (age 36); wrestler Seth Rollins, born Colby Lopez, in 1986 (age 35); actor Cameron Boyce in 1999.

On this date in history:

In 1798, the U.S. Congress empowered President John Adams to recruit an American army of 10,000 volunteers.

In 1892, the Sierra Club was founded by naturalist John Muir.

In 1934, the Dionne sisters, Emilie, Yvonne, Cecile, Marie and Annette, first documented set of quintuplets to survive, were born near Callander, Ontario, and soon became world-famous. Emilie died in 1954, Marie in 1970 and Yvonne in 2001.

In 1961, lawyer Peter Berenson published an article in The Observer about political and religious prisoners, forming the basis for what would become Amnesty International two months later in London. The organization won the Nobel Peace Prize for its work supporting people imprisoned because of their race, religion or political views.

In 1977, a flash fire swept through a nightclub in Southgate, Ky., -- called the Beverly Hills Supper Club -- killing 162 people and injuring 30.

In 1987, West German Mathias Rust, 19, flew a single-engine plane from Finland through Soviet radar and landed beside the Kremlin in Moscow. Three days later, the Soviet defense minister and his deputy were fired.

In 1991, Ethiopian rebels seized the presidential palace and tightened their control of the capital of Addis Ababa, effectively wresting power from a crumbling Marxist government that ruled their country with an iron hand for 17 years.

In 1998, actor and comedian Phil Hartman, known for his roles on Saturday Night Live and News Radio, was killed by his wife, Brynn Hartman. The Los Angeles County Coroner's Office determined Brynn Hartman had cocaine, alcohol and an anti-depressant drug in her system at the time of the murder-suicide.

In 2000, Peruvian President Alberto Fujimori easily won a runoff election but nationwide demonstrations against him continued. He resigned in September.

In 2002, NASA said the Mars Odyssey found evidence of ice on Mars. "We were hopeful that we could find evidence of ice, but what we have found is much more ice than we ever expected," a scientist said.

In 2008, Nepal's newly elected Constituent Assembly voted to dissolve the 239-year-old monarchy and form a republic, officially ending the reign of King Gyanendra.

In 2014, author-poet-activist Maya Angelou (I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings) died in Winston-Salem, N.C. U.S. President Barack Obama called Angelou, who was 86, "one of the brightest lights of our time."

In 2020, President Donald Trump signed an executive order seeking to limit the legal protections for social media companies if they censor or edit user posts, accusing them of "unchecked power." President Joe Biden revoked the order a year later.

A thought for the day: "I've learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel." -- American author Maya Angelou