The Almanac
Today is Wednesday, Sept. 21, the 265th day of 2016 with 101 to follow.
The moon is waxing. Morning stars are Jupiter, Mars, Uranus and Venus.
Evening stars are Mercury, Neptune and Saturn. Those born on this date
are under the sign of Virgo. They include Louis Joliet, French-Canadian
explorer of the Mississippi River, in 1645; British author/historian
H.G. Wells in 1866; British composer Gustav Holst in 1874; British
publisher Allen Lane, who introduced the low-priced paperback book, in
1902; animator Chuck Jones (Bugs Bunny, Porky Pig, Wile E. Coyote) in
1912; actor Larry Hagman in 1931; actor Henry Gibson in 1935;
singer/songwriter Leonard Cohen in 1934 (age 82); radio talk show host
Diane Rehm in 1936 (age 80); journalist Bill Kurtis in 1940 (age 76);
comedian Fannie Flagg in 1944 (age 72); television producer Jerry
Bruckheimer in 1945 (age 71); author Stephen King in 1947 (age 69);
guitarist Don Felder (Eagles) in 1947 (age 69); comedian Bill Murray in
1950 (age 66); champion race car driver Arie Luyendyk in 1953 (age 63);
Ethan Coen, one of the filmmaking Coen brothers, in 1957 (age 59);
actor Nancy Travis in 1961 (age 55); actor Rob Morrow in 1962 (age 54);
singer Faith Hill in 1967 (age 49); actor Ricki Lake in 1968 (age 48);
actor Luke Wilson in 1971 (age 45); television personality Nicole
Richie in 1981 (age 35). On this date in history: In 1780, American
Gen. Benedict Arnold gave plans to the British for the surrender of
West Point, New York. Arnold's name was forever after associated with
the word traitor. In 1792, the Legislative Assembly of revolutionary
France voted to abolish the monarchy and establish the First Republic,
stripping King Louis XVI of most of his power. In 1893, the first
successful American-made, gasoline-operated motorcar appeared on the
streets of Springfield, Mass. It was designed and built by Charles and
Frank Duryea. In 1921, following a sex scandal caused by the arrest of
comedian Fatty Arbuckle, Universal announced it would require its
actors to sign a morality clause in their contracts. In 1937, J.R.R.
Tolkien published The Hobbit. In 1938, an estimated 600 people were
killed by a hurricane that battered the coast of New England. In 1981,
Sandra Day O'Connor received a unanimous vote in the Senate to become
the first female member of the U.S. Supreme Court. In 1991, Armenia
became the 12th Soviet republic to declare independence. In 1998,
Hurricane Georges began a deadly rampage through the Caribbean, killing
more than 600 people. In 1999, a 7.6-magnitude earthquake struck
Taiwan, killing at least 2,300 people, injuring thousands and leaving
tens of thousands homeless. In 2001, a telecast by top movie stars and
musicians raised more than $500 million for survivors of the victims of
the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks on the United States. In 2003, the
spacecraft Galileo approached the fringes of Jupiter's atmosphere and
then was directed to destroy itself in a high-speed plunge. In 2008,
Thabo Mbecki, South Africa's president since 1999, stepped down after
losing a power struggle with rival Jacob Zuma. In 2009, the United
States and NATO commander in Afghanistan, Army Gen. Stanley McCrystal,
said in a confidential report he needed more troops within a year or
the conflict likely would end in failure. In 2011, American hikers
Shane Bauer and Joshua Fattal, imprisoned on espionage charges in Iran
for more than two years after wandering across the border, were
released. In 2012, officials in Washington said the last of so-called
surge forces had been withdrawn from Afghanistan, leaving 68,000 U.S.
troops in the country. In 2013, Islamic terrorists ambushed a crowded,
upscale shopping mall in Nairobi, Kenya, took hostages and clashed with
police. The death toll in the four-day siege was at least 67, with more
than 170 people wounded. The al-Qaida-linked group al-Shabab claimed
responsibility. In 2014, an estimated 300,000 people participated in a
People's Climate Change march in New York City. Organizers said it was
the largest climate-change march in history. Tens of thousands marched
in other cities. A thought for the day: A nation of sheep will beget a
government of wolves. -- Edward R. Murrow .
