Today is Monday, Aug. 17, the 229th day of 2015 with 136 to follow.
The moon is waxing. Morning stars are Mars, Neptune, Uranus and Venus. Evening stars are Jupiter, Mercury and Saturn.
Those born on this date are under the sign of Leo. They include French mathematician Pierre de Fermat in 1601; frontiersman Davy Crockett in 1786; movie producer Samuel Goldwyn in 1882; Jamaican black nationalist leader Marcus Garvey in 1887; actor Monty Woolley in 1888; actor Mae West in 1893; Watergate figure W. Mark Felt, known as “Deep Throat,” in 1913; actor Maureen O’Hara in 1920 (age 95); U.S. spy plane aviator Francis Gary Powers in 1929; British poet laureate Ted Hughes in 1930; Nobel literature laureate V.S. Naipaul in 1932 (age 83); actor Robert De Niro in 1943 (age 72); pop singer Belinda Carlisle in 1958 (age 57); novelist Jonathan Franzen in 1959 (age 56); investigative journalist Eric Schlosser in 1959 (age 56); actor Sean Penn in 1960 (age 55); television commentator/former football Coach Jon Gruden in 1963 (age 52); tennis Hall of Fame member Jim Courier in 1970 (age 45).
On this date in history:
In 1807, Robert Fulton began the first American steamboat trip between Albany, N.Y., and New York City.
In 1915, a hurricane struck Galveston, Texas, killing 275 people.
In 1978, Ben Abruzzo, Maxie Anderson and Larry Newman completed the first crossing of the Atlantic Ocean by balloon, landing their helium-filled Double Eagle II near Paris.
In 1987, Rudolf Hess, Hitler’s former deputy, was found strangled in Berlin’s Spandau Prison. He was 93.
In 1996, the Reform Party nominated Texas businessman Ross Perot for president.
In 1998, addressing the American people, U.S. President Bill Clinton said he had a relationship with former White House intern Monica Lewinsky that was “not appropriate.”
In 1999, an earthquake in a densely populated region of northwestern Turkey killed at least 17,000 people and injured about 40,000.
In 2001, Ford Motor Co. announced it would dismiss up to 5,000 of its salaried employees — 10 percent of its managers and engineers.
In 2008, Iran reported it had tested a new rocket capable of carrying a satellite into orbit.
In 2014, Jeff Gordon, 43, sped to his 91st NASCAR Sprint Cup race victory, winning the Pure Michigan 400 — 13 years after he had last won at the Michigan International Speedway.
A thought for the day: “I’ve learned that something constructive comes from every defeat.” — Tom Landry
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