Almanac

Today is Monday, Dec. 23, the 358th day of 2024 with eight to follow.

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

Those born on this date are under the sign of Capricorn. They include John Jay, first chief justice of the U.S. Supreme Court, in 1745; Egyptologist Jean Francois Champollion in 1790; Mormon church founder Joseph Smith in 1805; entrepreneur/philanthropist Madam C.J. Walker in 1867; former Japanese Emperor Akihito in 1933 (age 91); Football Hall of Fame member Paul Hornung in 1935; musician Jorma Kaukonen (Jefferson Airplane/Hot Tuna) in 1940 (age 84); actor/comedian Harry Shearer in 1943 (age 81); actor Susan Lucci in 1946 (age 78); marathon runner Bill Rodgers in 1947 (age 77); Football Hall of Fame member Jack Ham in 1948 (age 76); musician Adrian Belew (King Crimson) in 1949 (age 75); political commentator William Kristol in 1952 (age 72); musician Dave Murray (Iron Maiden) in 1956 (age 68); musician Eddie Vedder (Pearl Jam/Temple of the Dog) in 1964 (age 60); TV personality Martin Kratt in 1965 (age 59); musician/model/former French first lady Carla Bruni in 1967 (age 57); actor Corey Haim in 1971; model/TV personality Holly Madison in 1979 (age 45); actor/musician Alison Sudol (A Fine Frenzy) in 1984 (age 40); actor Finn Wolfhard in 2002 (age 22).

On this date in history:

In 1620, construction began on the first permanent European settlement in New England. It was one week after the Mayflower arrived at Plymouth Harbor in present-day Massachusetts.

In 1783, Gen. George Washington resigned his commission with the U.S. Army and retired to Mount Vernon, Va. He became the new nation's first president in 1789.

In 1913, the U.S. Federal Reserve System was established.

In 1947, the transistor was invented, leading to a revolution in communications and electronics.

In 1948, former Prime Minister Hideki Tojo and six other Japanese war leaders were hanged in Tokyo under sentence of the Allied War Crimes Commission.

In 1972, a series of earthquakes killed about 5,000 people and left the Nicaraguan capital of Managua in ruins.

In 1973, the shah of Iran announced that the petroleum-exporting states of the Persian Gulf would double the price of their crude oil.

In 1982, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention told the residents of Times Beach, Mo., to evacuate the town, which was contaminated with the chemical dioxin. The government bought all but one house in the town, which was disincorporated.

In 1987, Dick Rutan and Jeana Yaeger landed the experimental aircraft Voyager at Edwards Air Force Base, Calif., completing a record nine-day, 25,012-mile global flight without refueling.

In 1987, Lynette "Squeaky" Fromme, serving a sentence for attempting to assassinate President Gerald Ford, escapes from a West Virginia prison. She was captured two days later.

In 1995, fire engulfed a tent set up for a school ceremony in Mandi Dabwali, India, killing more than 500 people.

In 2003, the first case of mad cow disease was reported in the United States when a Holstein in Washington state tested positive for the ailment.

In 2008, officials in Guinea's army announced the country's government had been dissolved and the Constitution suspended after the death of President Lansana Conte, who had ruled the African nation for 24 years.

In 2009, Mexico City voters approved a sweeping gay rights measure allowing same-sex couples to marry and adopt children.

In 2013, two members of the Pussy Riot punk band, Maria Alyokhina and Nadezhda Tolokonnikova, were released from prison in Russia in an amnesty program. They had served most of their two-year sentences after being convicted of hooliganism for participating in a performance critical of President Vladimir Putin.

In 2016, the U.N. Security Council passed a resolution condemning ongoing construction of Israeli settlements in disputed territory. The United States abstained from voting.

In 2022, Washington Capitals captain Alex Ovechkin passed Gordie Howe for second all-time in the NHL with 802 goals after scoring twice in a game against the Winnipeg Jets. Wayne Gretzky holds the No. 1 position with 894 lifetime goals.

A thought for the day: "I don't listen to what art critics say. I don't know anybody who needs a critic to find out what art is." -- American artist Jean-Michel Basquiat