UPI Almanac for Sunday, Aug. 11, 2024

Today is Sunday, Aug. 11, the 224th day of 2024 with 142 to follow.

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

Those born on this day are under the sign of Leo. They include musician Carrie Jacobs Bond in 1862; musician J. Rosamond Johnson in 1873; art collector Joseph Hirshhorn in 1899; writer Alex Haley in 1921; musician June Hutton in 1920; actor Arlene Dahl in 1925; socialite Claus von Bulow in 1926; evangelist Jerry Falwell in 1933; musician Jim Kale (Guess Who) in 1943 (age 81); writer Marilyn vos Savant in 1946 (age 78); musician Eric Carmen (Raspberries) in 1949; Apple computer co-founder Steve Wozniak in 1950 (age 74); professional wrestler/actor Hulk Hogan, born Terry Gene Bollea, in 1953 (age 71); musician Joe Jackson in 1954 (age 70); writer David Henry Hwang in 1957 (age 67); political commentator David Brooks in 1961 (age 63); actor Embeth Davidtz in 1965 (age 59); actor Viola Davis in 1965 (age 59); TV/radio personality Joe Rogan in 1967 (age 57); actor Anna Gunn in 1968 (age 56); actor Sophie Okonedo in 1968 (age 56); musician Ali Shaheed Muhammad (A Tribe Called Quest/Lucy Pearl) in 1970 (age 54); actor Nigel Harman in 1973 (age 51); Luis Lacalle Pou, president of Uruguay, in 1973 (age 51); actor Will Friedle in 1976 (age 48); musician Ben Gibbard (Death Cab for Cutie/Postal Service) in 1976 (age 48); actor Merritt Wever in 1980 (age 44); actor Chris Hemsworth in 1983 (age 41); political commentator Tomi Lahren in 1992 (age 32); actor/dancer Alyson Stoner in 1993 (age 31).

On this date in history:

In 1877, Thomas Edison described the fundamentals of the phonograph to an assistant and instructed him to build the first one.

In 1934, the first group of federal prisoners classified as "most dangerous" arrived at Alcatraz Island, a 22-acre rocky outcrop 1.5 miles offshore in San Francisco Bay.

In 1943, German military forces started evacuating Sicily, Italy, under threat by the Allies in World War II.

In 1952, Jordan's parliament ousted King Talal for being mentally unfit to rule and named his 17-year-old son King Hussein. The young king would go on to rule 43 years, until his death Feb. 7, 1999.

In 1954, a formal announcement ended the seven-year war in Indochina between France and forces of the communist Viet Minh.

In 1965, riots began in the Watts section of Los Angeles. In six days of violence, 34 people were killed.

In 1984, in an off-air radio voice check picked up by TV cameras, U.S. President Ronald Reagan joked, "My fellow Americans, I'm pleased to tell you today that I've signed legislation that will outlaw Russia forever. We begin bombing in 5 minutes." The Kremlin wasn't amused.

In 1991, a Lebanese militant group, the Revolutionary Justice Organization, released U.S. hostage Edward Tracy, 60, who was a captive for nearly five years.

In 1993, U.S. President Bill Clinton endorsed the "Brady Bill" handgun control measure and signed an executive order banning the import of semiautomatic assault-style handguns.

In 1997, Bill Clinton became the first U.S. president to use the line-item veto, a power granted by Congress the year before.

In 1998, two boys, ages 12 and 14, were found to be "delinquent" (the juvenile court equivalent of a guilty verdict) in the fatal March shootings of four students and a teacher at their middle school in Jonesboro, Ark.

In 1999, the Kansas State Board of Education voted to drop the theory of evolution from the public school curriculum.

In 2007, the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America voted to refrain from disciplining members of the clergy involved in same-sex relationships.

In 2009, Eunice Kennedy Shriver, younger sister of President John Kennedy, mother of former California first lady Maria Shriver and founder of the Special Olympics, died in a Cape Cod, Mass., hospital. She was 88. She devoted much of her life to raising funds for, and awareness of, people with mental disabilities.

In 2014, Oscar-winning actor and comedian Robin Williams died at age 63 in Tiburon, Calif. "This is a sudden and tragic loss," his publicist said. Williams' wife, Susan Schneider, said "the world lost one of its most beloved artists and beautiful human beings." Williams' death was ruled a suicide.

In 2016, Michael Phelps became the first swimmer to win four consecutive Olympic gold medals in a single event.

In 2020, Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden chose Sen. Kamala Harris, D-Calif., to be his running mate. She became the first female vice president when Biden was elected president on Nov. 3, 2020.

In 2021, Sicily set the new record for highest recorded temperature in Europe with 119.84 degrees Fahrenheit.

A thought for the day: "Our disabilities may impose limitations, but physical, economic and political barriers impede us far more." -- American disability rights activist/poet Laura Hershey