Today is Monday, Dec. 9, the 343rd day of 2019 with 22 to follow.
The moon is waxing. Morning stars are Mars, Mercury and Uranus. Evening stars are Jupiter, Mercury, Neptune, Saturn, Uranus and Venus.
Those born on this date are under the sign of Sagittarius. They include English poet John Milton in 1608; actor Margaret Hamilton in 1902; screenwriter Dalton Trumbo in 1905; former Speaker of the House Thomas “Tip” O’Neill, D-Mass., in 1912; actor Kirk Douglas in 1916 (age 103); 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 89); actor Judi Dench in 1934 (age 85); football Hall of Fame member Deacon Jones in 1938; actor Beau Bridges in 1941 (age 78); football Hall of Fame member Dick Butkus in 1942 (age 77); actor Michael Nouri in 1945 (age 74); golf Hall of Fame member Tom Kite in 1949 (age 70); singer Joan Armatrading in 1950 (age 69); actor Michael Dorn in 1952 (age 67); actor John Malkovich in 1953 (age 66); singer Donny Osmond in 1957 (age 62); actor Joe Lando in 1961 (age 58); actor Felicity Huffman in 1962 (age 57); entrepreneur/TV personality Lori Greiner in 1969 (age 50); drummer Tre Cool, born Frank Wright III, in 1972 (age 47); pop singer Imogen Heap in 1977 (age 42); actor Jesse Metcalfe in 1978 (age 41); actor Simon Helberg in 1980 (age 39); U.S. Olympic gold medal gymnast McKayla Maroney in 1995 (age 24).
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 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 1974, White House aide John Ehrlichman’s Watergate trial began in which he testified 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 2014, a U.S. Senate Intelligence Committee report said the CIA’s interrogation of terror suspects after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks was more brutal than it told the White House or public. The so-called “CIA torture report” called CIA tactics “deeply flawed.”
In 2017, Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi declared that the country’s forces completely liberated the nation from the Islamic State militant group.
In 2018, Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers set a record with his 359th consecutive pass without an interception in a 34-20 victory over the Atlanta Falcons. The New England Patriots’ Tom Brady previously held the record.
A thought for the day: “Democracy is the fig leaf of elitism.” — American writer Florence King
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