A thought for the day: The worst prison would be a closed heart. -- Pope John Paul II

On this date in history:

In 1848, The Communist Manifesto was published by Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels.

In 1878, the New Haven, Conn., Telephone Co. published the first phone directory. It listed 50 subscribers.

In 1885, the Washington Monument, a 555-foot-high marble obelisk built in honor of America's ...Read more

Those born on this date include:

- Mexican revolutionary/military commander Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna (conqueror of the Alamo) in 1794
- Roman Catholic Cardinal John Henry Newman in 1801
- classical guitarist Andres Segovia in 1893
- writer Anais Nin in 1903
- poet/author W.H. Auden in 1907
- humorist ...Read more

Today is Thursday, Feb. 21, the 52nd day of 2019 with 313 to follow.

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

A thought for the day: Fly-fishing author John Gierach wrote, The solution to any problem -- work, love, money, whatever -- is to go fishing, and the worse the problem the longer the trip should be.

On this date in history:

In 1816, The Barber of Seville by Gioachino Rossini opened in Rome.

In 1872, the Metropolitan Museum of Art opened in New York City.

In 1938, Anthony Eden resigned as Britain's foreign secretary to protest the appeasement policy of Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain toward Nazi Germany.<...Read more

Those born on this date include:

- American Revolutionary War hero William Prescott in 1726
- architect Louis Kahn in 1901
- photographer Ansel Adams in 1902
- actor Gale Gordon in 1906
- fashion designer Gloria Vanderbilt in 1924 (age 95)
- film director Robert Altman in 1925
- author Richard ...Read more

Today is Wednesday, Feb. 20, the 51st day of 2019 with 314 to follow.

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

A thought for the day: "When morality comes up against profit, it is seldom that profit loses. -- Shirley Chisholm

On this date in history:

In 1878, Thomas Edison patented the first gramophone.

In 1922, vaudeville star Ed Wynn became the first big name in show business to sign for a regular radio show.

In 1942, as a security measure during World War II, the U.S. government began relocating Japanese-Americans living in coastal...Read more

Those born on this date include:

- Polish astronomer Nicolaus Copernicus in 1473
- Romanian sculptor Constantin Brancusi in 1876
- actor Merle Oberon in 1911
- novelist Carson McCullers in 1917
- actor Lee Marvin in 1924
- television/movie director John Frankenheimer in 1930
- singer William Smokey ...Read more

Today is Monday, Feb. 19, the 50th day of 2019 with 315 to follow.

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

A thought for the day: A right is not what someone gives you; it's what no one can take from you. -- Ramsey Clark

On this date in history:

In 1841, the first filibuster in the U.S. Senate began. It ended March 11.

In 1865, after a long Civil War siege, Union naval forces captured Charleston, S.C.

In 1930, dwarf planet Pluto was discovered by astronomer Clyde Tombaugh.

In 1954, the Church of Scientology was ...Read more

Those born on this date include:

- Britain's Queen Mary I in 1516
- Austrian physicist Ernst Mach in 1838
- stained glass artist Louis Comfort Tiffany in 1848
- Italian automaker Enzo Ferrari in 1898
- actor Jack Palance in 1919
- actor George Kennedy in 1925
- author/magazine editor Helen Gurley ...Read more

Today is Monday, Feb. 18, the 49th day of 2019 with 316 to follow.

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