UPI Almanac for Thursday, Sept. 12, 2024

Today is Thursday, Sept. 12, the 256th day of 2024 with 110 to follow.

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

Those born on this date are under the sign of Virgo. They include explorer Henry Hudson in 1575; Richard Gatling, inventor of the Gatling gun, in 1818; critic H.L. Mencken in 1880; actor/musician Maurice Chevalier in 1888; publisher Alfred A. Knopf in 1892; Nobel chemistry prize laureate Irene Joliot-Curie in 1897; U.S. Olympic track star Jesse Owens in 1913; actor Ian Holm in 1931; musician George Jones in 1931; circus animal trainer Gunther Gebel-Williams in 1934; actor Linda Gray in 1940 (age 84); musician Maria Muldaur in 1942 (age 82); writer Michael Ondaatje in 1943 (age 81); musician Barry White in 1944; actor Joe Pantoliano in 1951 (age 73); musician Gerry Beckley (America) in 1952 (age 72); actor Peter Scolari in 1955; actor Rachel Ward in 1957 (age 67); musician Hans Zimmer in 1957 (67); actor Amy Yasbeck in 1962 (age 62); actor Darren E. Burrows in 1966 (age 58); musician Ben Folds in 1966 (age 58); comedian/actor Louis C.K. in 1967 (age 57); musician Larry LaLonde (Primus) in 1968 (age 56); actor Will Chase in 1970 (age 54); actor Paul Walker in 1973; musician Jennifer Nettles (Sugarland) in 1974 (age 50); actor Lauren Stamile in 1976 (age 48); musician 2 Chainz, born Tauheed Epps, in 1977 (age 47); musician Ruben Studdard in 1978 (age 46); actor Benjamin McKenzie in 1978 (age 46); Basketball Hall of Fame member Yao Ming in 1980 (age 44); musician/actor/TV personality Jennifer Hudson in 1981 (age 43); musician/actor Emmy Rossum in 1986 (age 38); actor Alfie Allen in 1986 (age 38); musician Kelsea Ballerini in 1993 (age 31); musician RM, born Kim Nam-joon, (BTS) in 1994 (age 30); actor Sydney Sweeney in 1997 (age 27).

On this date in history:

In 1609, Henry Hudson discovered what is now known as the Hudson River.

In 1940, near Montignac, France, the prehistoric Lascaux cave paintings, believed to be 15,000-17,000 years old, were discovered by four teenagers who stumbled upon the ancient artwork after following their dog down a narrow entrance into a cavern.

In 1953, U.S. Sen. John Fitzgerald Kennedy married Jacqueline Lee Bouvier at St. Mary's Church in Newport, R.I.

In 1958, Little Rock High School in Arkansas was ordered by the U.S. Supreme Court to admit Black students.

In 1964, President Lyndon B. Johnson signed legislation establishing Canyonlands National Park in Utah.

In 1974, military officers deposed Emperor Haile Selassie from the Ethiopian throne he had occupied for more than half a century. The government formally abolished the monarchy in March 1975, and military officers killed Selassie in August 1975.

In 1977, Steven Biko, leader of South Africa's Black Consciousness Movement, died of severe head trauma on the stone floor of a prison cell in Pretoria. His death became symbolic of police abuses during apartheid as six days earlier, he suffered a major blow to his skull during a police interrogation.

In 1988, Hurricane Gilbert made landfall in Jamaica before eventually moving over Mexico and Texas, killing more than 300 people.

In 1992, Mae Jemison became the first Black American woman to fly in space, and Jan Davis and Mark Lee became the first married couple to go into space together aboard the Endeavor.

In 1994, a pilot crashed his small plane on the White House lawn, killing himself and creating an alarm about presidential security.

In 2001, after meeting with his national security team, U.S. President George W. Bush said at a news conference: "The deliberate and deadly attacks which were carried out yesterday against our country were more than acts of terror. They were acts of war. .... The American people need to know that we're facing a different enemy than we have ever faced. This enemy hides in shadows. ...This enemy attacked not just our people, but all freedom-loving people everywhere in the world. ... This will be a monumental struggle of good versus evil. But good will prevail."

In 2004, Iran announced it planned to start processing 37 tons of uranium yellowcake, which Western intelligence officials estimated could be used to build five nuclear bombs.

In 2005, the last of Israeli troops left the Gaza Strip, as planned, and the Palestinians immediately reclaimed the area Israel had controlled since the 1967 war.

In 2006, Pope Benedict XVI, in his first papal trip to his native Bavaria, in Germany, angered Muslims in a speech with a 14th century quote criticizing Islam, leading to church bombings and other protests. The pope apologized for any offense caused, saying the words didn't reflect his own views.

In 2013, officials in Britain announced that Prince William, 31, had left the armed forces after more than 7 1/2 years of service -- first in the army, then as a Royal Air Force search-and-rescue helicopter pilot -- "to focus on royal duties and charity work."

In 2018, the European Parliament took unprecedented action against Hungary, voting to censure the country's government for violating European Union values and spurring concerns about the health of its democracy. The vote was in response to Prime Minister Viktor Orban, who disparaged independent media, academics, the courts, minorities and refugees.

In 2023, House Speaker Kevin McCarthy announced plans to order an impeachment inquiry against President Joe Biden related to an investigation of his son, Hunter Biden. In August 2024, the impeachment panel released a report saying it found "impeachable conduct" by the president, but didn't recommend bringing formal articles of impeachment against him.

A thought for the day: "The battles that count aren't the ones for gold medals. The struggles within yourself -- the invisible, inevitable battles inside all of us -- that's where it's at." -- American Olympic sprinter Jesse Owens