UPI Almanac for Wednesday, Feb. 13, 2019

Today is Wednesday, Feb. 13, the 44th day of 2019 with 321 to follow.

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

Those born on this date are under the sign of Aquarius. They include Italian artist Benvenuto Cellini in 1500; Bess Truman, wife of former U.S. President Harry Truman, in 1885; artist Grant Wood in 1891; golf Hall of Fame member Patty Berg in 1918; singer "Tennessee" Ernie Ford in 1919; pilot Chuck Yeager, the first man to fly faster than the speed of sound, in 1923 (age 96); actor Kim Novak in 1933 (age 86); actor George Segal in 1934 (age 85); musician Peter Tork of the Monkees in 1942 (age 77); actor Carol Lynley in 1942 (age 77); talk show host Jerry Springer in 1944 (age 75); actor Stockard Channing in 1944 (age 75): Hall of Fame basketball Coach Mike Krzyzewski in 1947 (age 72); singer Peter Gabriel (Genesis) in 1950 (age 69); actor David Naughton in 1951 (age 68); fitness activist Denise Austin in 1957 (age 62); rock musician Henry Rollins in 1961 (age 58); actor Neal McDonough in 1966 (age 53); pop singer Robbie Williams in 1974 (age 45); actor Mena Suvari in 1979 (age 40); actor Sophia Lillis in 2002 (age 17).

On this date in history:

In 1668, Portugal was recognized as an independent nation by Spain.

In 1861, the first Medal of Honor was awarded. It went to Col. Bernard Irwin, an assistant surgeon serving in the first major U.S. Army-Apache conflict.

In 1935, Bruno Richard Hauptmann was convicted of America's most colossal crime, and a jury determined that he would forfeit his life in the electric chair for the murder of baby Charles A. Lindbergh, Jr.

In 1945, thousands of Allied planes started bombing the German city of Dresden in World War II. The attack caused a firestorm that destroyed the city over a three-day period. Reports of the death toll varied widely over the years, with many researchers eventually estimating it was in the 25,000 range.

In 1960, France tested its first atomic weapon, making it the fourth nuclear power.

In 1974, the Soviet Union expelled dissident writer Alexander Solzhenitsyn.

In 1983, a blaze engulfed a crowded movie theater in Turin, Italy, killing 74 people, many of them teenagers trampled to death in a panic-stricken race to the exits.

In 1984, Konstantin Chernenko succeeded the late Yuri Andropov as Soviet leader.

In 2001, more than 400 people were killed in an earthquake in El Salvador.

In 2006, a U.N. report accused the United States of violating prisoners' rights at its military base in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.

In 2014, the Afghan government, despite protests from the U.S. military, released 65 suspected members of the Taliban from prison.

In 2017, national security adviser Michael Flynn resigned for misleading Vice President Mike Pence about discussions he had with Russia's ambassador. The retired general held the position for 24 days.

In 2018, Israeli police recommended that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu should be indicted in two corruption cases on accusations he accepted bribes and illicit gifts.

A thought for the day: Alexander Solzhenitsyn said, "Woe to that nation whose literature is cut short by the intrusion of force. This is not merely interference with freedom of the press but the sealing up of a nation's heart, the excision of its memory."