Today is Saturday, Dec. 9, the 343rd day of 2017 with 22 to follow.
The moon is waning. The morning stars are Jupiter, Mars and Venus. The evening stars are Mercury, and Uranus.
Those born on this date are under the sign of Sagittarius. They include English poet John Milton in 1608; actor Margaret Hamilton in 1902; former Speaker of the House Thomas “Tip” O’Neill, D-Mass., in 1912; actor Kirk Douglas in 1916 (age 101); comedian Redd Foxx in 1922; actor Dina Merrill in 1923; actor Dick Van Patten in 1928; actor John Cassavetes in 1929; actor Buck Henry in 1930 (age 87); actor Judi Dench in 1934 (age 83); actor Beau Bridges in 1941 (age 76); football Hall of Fame member Deacon Jones in 1938; football Hall of Fame member Dick Butkus in 1942 (age 75); actor Michael Nouri in 1945 (age 72); actor Michael Dorn in 1952 (age 65); actor John Malkovich in 1953 (age 64); golf Hall of Fame member Tom Kite in 1949 (age 68); singer Joan Armatrading in 1950 (age 67); singer Donny Osmond in 1957 (age 60); actor Joe Lando in 1961 (age 565); actor Felicity Huffman in 1962 (age 55); entrepreneur and TV personality Lori Greiner in 1969 (age 48); drummer Tre Cool (Green Day) in 1972 (age 45); pop singer Imogen Heap in 1977 (age 40); actor Jesse Metcalfe in 1978 (age 39); actor Simon Helberg in 1980 (age 37); U.S. Olympic gold medal gymnast McKayla Maroney in 1995 (age 22).
On this date in history:
In 1907, the first Christmas Seals to raise money to fight tuberculosis went on sale in the post office in Wilmington, Del.
In 1936, Prime Minister Stanley Baldwin, with the country and the world waiting in painful suspense to hear confirmation or repudiation of a belief that King Edward had decided to abdicate, told Commons that he could not make an announcement before tomorrow, Dec. 10.
In 1955, two weeks of bloody student uprisings against President Fulgencio Batista appeared to follow the pattern of the student riots that deposed Cuban Dictator Gerardo Machado 22 years ago. Batista would remain in power four more years before losing power to Fidel Castro.
In 1958, in Indianapolis, retired Boston candy manufacturer Robert H. W. Welch, Jr., established the John Birch Society, a right-wing organization dedicated to fighting what it perceived to be the extensive infiltration of communism into U.S. society.
In 1974, White House aide John Ehrlichman testified at the Watergate trial that U.S. President Richard Nixon was responsible for a coverup.
In 1987, the First Palestinian Intifada against Israeli occupation in Gaza and the West Bank. Palestinians protested and rioted after an Israeli Defense Forces truck struck a civilian vehicle, killing four Palestinians.
In 1990, Lech Walesa won Poland’s first direct presidential vote.
In 1992, British Prime Minister John Major announced the formal separation of Prince Charles and Princess Diana.
In 1992, some 1,700 U.S. Marines landed in Somalia to secure the airfield, port and U.S. Embassy in Mogadishu and restore order to the conflict- and famine-stricken country.
In 2002, United Airlines, which said it was losing $22 million a day, filed for bankruptcy.
In 2008, federal agents arrested Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich on corruption charges in a scheme involving the sale of Illinois’ open Senate seat vacated by President-elect Barack Obama.
In 2009, the U.S. government’s bailout program for ailing major banks “played a critical role in renewing the flow of credit and preventing a more acute crisis,” the independent Congressional Oversight Panel said in a year-end report.
In 2014, a U.S. Senate Intelligence Committee report said the CIA’s interrogation of terror suspects after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks were more brutal than it told the White House or public. The so-called “CIA torture report” called CIA tactics “deeply flawed.”
In 2016, South Korea’s National Assembly voted to impeach President Park Geun-hye because her unofficial aid, Choi Soon-sil, sought donations from businesses and influenced Park politically. Park was permanently removed from power in March 2017.
A thought for the day: “It’s better to be unhappy alone than unhappy with someone.” — Marilyn Monroe
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