A thought for the day: To acquire the habit of reading is to construct for yourself a refuge from almost all the miseries of life. -- W. Somerset Maugham

On this date in history:

In 1764, the city of St. Louis was founded along the Mississippi River.

In 1898, the U.S. battleship Maine exploded in Havana harbor, killing 260 crewmen and leading to a U.S. declaration of war against Spain.

In 1933, U.S. President-elect Franklin Roosevelt narrowly escaped assassination...Read more

Those born on this date include:

- : Italian astronomer/physicist Galileo Galilei in 1564
- jeweler Charles Tiffany in 1812
- feminist pioneer Susan B. Anthony in 1820
- British philosopher/mathematician Alfred North Whitehead in 1861
- illustrator Lillian Disney in 1899
- songwriter Harold Arlen in 1905<...Read more

Today is Friday, Feb. 15, the 46th day of 2019 with 319 to follow.

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

A thought for the day: People will pay more to be entertained than educated. -- Johnny Carson

On this date in history:

In 1779, British navigator and explorer James Cook, first known European to reach the Hawaiian Islands, was stabbed to death by island natives while investigating the theft of a boat.

In 1849, James Polk became the first U.S. president to be photographed while in office. The photographer was Mathew ...Read more

Those born on this date include:

- Statesman/abolitionist Frederick Douglass in 1818
- suffrage leader Anna Howard Shaw in 1847
- comedy legend Jack Benny in 1894
- actor Thelma Ritter in 1902
- football Coach Woody Hayes in 1913
- labor leader Jimmy Hoffa 1913
- broadcaster Hugh Downs in 1921 (age ...Read more

This is Thursday, Feb. 14, the 45th day of 2019 with 320 to follow.

This is Valentine's Day.

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

A thought for the day: Alexander Solzhenitsyn said, Woe to that nation whose literature is cut short by the intrusion of force. This is not merely interference with freedom of the press but the sealing up of a nation's heart, the excision of its memory.

On this date in history:

In 1668, Portugal was recognized as an independent nation by Spain.

In 1861, the first Medal of Honor was awarded. It went to Col. Bernard Irwin, an assistant surgeon serving in the first major U.S. Army-Apache conflict.

In 1935, Bruno Richard Hauptmann was convicted of America's most ...Read more

Those born on this date include:

- Italian artist Benvenuto Cellini in 1500
- Bess Truman, wife of former U.S. President Harry Truman, in 1885
- artist Grant Wood in 1891
- golf Hall of Fame member Patty Berg in 1918
- singer Tennessee Ernie Ford in 1919
- pilot Chuck Yeager, the first man to fly faster ...Read more

Today is Wednesday, Feb. 13, the 44th day of 2019 with 321 to follow.

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

A thought for the day: The trouble with telling a good story is that it invariably reminds the other fellow of a dull one. -- Sid Caesar

On this date in history:

In 1541, Santiago, Chile, was founded.

In 1733, the American colony of Georgia was founded by James Oglethorpe.

In 1909, the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People was founded by Moorfield Storey, Mary White Ovington and W.E.B. Du Bois.

In 1914, a dedication...Read more

Those born on this date include:

- French architect Etienne-Louis Boullee in 1728
- former first lady Louisa Adams in 1775
- Abraham Lincoln, 16th president of the United States, in 1809
- biologist Charles Darwin in 1809
- labor leader John L. Lewis in 1880
- Russian ballerina Anna Pavlova in 1881
-...Read more

Today is Tuesday, Feb. 12, the 43rd day of 2019 with 322 to follow.

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