A thought for the day: Right is right, even if everyone is against it, and wrong is wrong, even if everyone is for it. -- founder of Pennsylvania William Penn

On this date in history:

In 1816, Indiana joined the United States as its 19th state.

In 1936, Britain's King Edward VIII abdicated to marry American divorcee Wallis Warfield Simpson. His brother succeeded to the throne as King George VI.

In 1941, four days after Japan attacked Pearl Harbor, Germany and Italy ...Read more

Those born on this date include:

- Pope Leo X in 1475
- U.S. statesman George Mason in 1725
- New York Mayor Fiorello LaGuardia in 1882
- actor Vampira, born Maila Nurmi, in 1922
- football Hall of Fame member Doc Blanchard in 1924
- blues Hall of Fame member Willie Mae Big Mama Thornton, in 1926
- ...Read more

Today is Wednesday, Dec. 11, the 345th day of 2019 with 20 to follow.

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

A thought for the day: If I read a book and it makes my whole body so cold no fire can ever warm me, I know that is poetry. If I feel physically as if the top of my head were taken off, I know that is poetry. These are the only ways I know it. Is there any other way? -- American poet Emily Dickinson

On this date in history:

In 1768, Encyclopedia Britannica was first published.

In 1817, Mississippi joined the United States as the 20th state.

In 1869, the Territory of Wyoming granted women the right to vote.

In 1898, Spain signed a treaty officially ending the Spanish-American War. It gave Guam, ...Read more

Those born on this date include:

- Abolitionist/journalist William Lloyd Garrison in 1805
- mathematician Ada Lovelace in 1815
- poet Emily Dickinson in 1830
- librarian Melvil Dewey, inventor of the Dewey decimal book classification system, in 1851
- poet Nelly Sachs in 1891
- novelist Clarice Lispector ...Read more

Today is Tuesday, Dec. 10, the 344th day of 2019 with 21 to follow.

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

A thought for the day: Democracy is the fig leaf of elitism. -- American writer Florence King

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 ...Read more

Those born on this date 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 ...Read more

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.

A thought for the day: A friend is someone who gives you total freedom to be yourself. -- musician Jim Morrison

On this date in history:

In 1886, delegates from 25 unions founded the American Federation of Labor, forerunner of the modern AFL-CIO, in Columbus, Ohio.

In 1941, President Roosevelt asked Congress to declare that a state of war has existed between the United States and the Japanese Empire as a result of Japan's unprovoked ...Read more

Those born on this date include:

- Mary Queen of Scots in 1542
- Eli Whitney, inventor of the cotton gin, in 1765
- General Motors founder William Durant in 1861
- French movie pioneer Georges Melies in 1861
- Finnish composer Jean Sibelius in 1865
- Mexican muralist Diego Rivera in 1886
- ...Read more

Today is Sunday, Dec. 8, the 342nd day of 2019 with 23 to follow.

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