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Almanac ~ Thursday, 4/6/17

It's California Poppies Day!

Celebrate California Poppies Day today, Thursday, April 6, 2017 - the 96th day of the year with 269 days remaining.

  • Sunrise: 6:47am  
  • Sunset: 7:38pm

...giving us 12 hours and 50 minutes of daylight.  71% of the moon will be visible, rising at 3:26pm.
Tides at the Golden Gate

  • High:  8:41am/10:12pm
  • Low:  2:44am/3:10pm

Special celebrations today…

  • Chakri Day - Thailand
  • Drop of Water is a Grain of Gold Day - Turkmenistan
  • Uprising Day - Sudan
  • American Immigration Lawyers Association Day of Action
  • Childhelp National Day of Hope
  • National Walking Day
  • Army Day
  • Drowsy Driver Awareness Day
  • International Day of Sport for Development and Peace
  • National Alcohol Screening Day
  • National Student Athlete Day
  • New Beers Eve
  • Tartan Day
  • Teflon Day
  • California Poppy Day
  • National Caramel Popcorn Day

On this day in…

1199 - English King Richard I was killed by an arrow at the siege of the castle of Chaluz in France.

1607 - An expedition led by Captain Christopher Newport arrived at the Spanish colony of Puerto Rico for supplies before continuing on their journey. On May 14, they went ashore and founded Jamestown, Virginia, as the first permanent English colony in America.

1652 - Jan van Riebeeck established a settlement at Cape Town, South Africa.

1789 - The first U.S. Congress began regular sessions at the Federal Hall in New York City.

1814 - Granted sovereignty in the island of Elba and a pension from the French government, Napoleon Bonaparte abdicates at Fountainebleau. He was allowed to keep the title of emperor.

1830 - Joseph Smith and five others organized the Mormon Church in westernNew York.

1830 - Relations between the Texans and Mexico reached a new low when Mexico would not allow further emigration into Texas by settlers from theU.S.

1862 - The American Civil War Battle of Shiloh began inTennessee.

1865 - At the Battle of Sayler's Creek, a third of Lee's army was cut off by Union troops pursuing him to Appomattox.

1875 - Alexander Graham Bell was granted a patent for the multiple telegraph, which sent two signals at the same time.

1896 - The first modern Olympic Games began in Athens, Greece.

1903 - French Army Nationalists were revealed for forging documents to guarantee a conviction for Alfred Dryfus.

1909 - Americans Robert Peary and Matthew Henson claimed to be the first men to reach the North Pole.

1916 - Charlie Chaplin became the highest-paid film star in the world when he signed a contract with Mutual Film Corporation for $675,000 a year. He was 26 years old.

1917 - The U.S. Congress approved a declaration of war on Germany and entered World War I on the Allied side.

1924 - Four planes left Seattle on the first successful flight around the world.

1927 - William P. MacCracken, Jr. earned license number ‘1’ when the Department of Commerce issued the first aviator’s license.

1938 - The United States recognized the German conquest of Austria.

1941 - German forces invaded Greece and Yugoslavia.

953 - Iranian Premier Mossadegh demanded that the shah's power be reduced.

1957 - Trolley cars in New York City completed their final runs.

1965 -U.S. President Lyndon B. Johnson authorized the use of ground troops in combat operations in Vietnam.

1967 - In South Vietnam, 1,500 Viet Cong attacked Quangtri and freed 200 prisoners.

1981 - A Yugoslav Communist Party official confirmed reports of intense ethnic riots in Kosovo.

1983 - The U.S. Veteran's Administration announced it would give free medical care for conditions traceable to radiation exposure to more than 220,000 veterans who participated in nuclear tests from 1945 to 1962.

1985 - William J. Schroeder became the first artificial heart recipient to be discharged from the hospital.

1987 - The Dow Jones industrial average closed above 2,400 for the first time.

1988 - Mathew Henson was awarded honors in Arlington National Cemetery. Henson had discovered the North Pole with Robert Peary.

1998 - Citicorp and Travelers Group announced that they would be merging. The new creation was the largest financial-services conglomerate in the world. The name would become Citigroup.

1998 - The Dow Jones industrial average closed above 9,000 points for the first time.

1998 - Federal researchers in theU.S. announced that daily tamoxifen pills could cut breast cancer risk among high-risk women.

1998 - Pakistan successfully tested medium-range missiles capable of attacking neighboring India.

Today’s birthday celebrants include (or included)...

  • Raphael Santi 1483 - Artist
  • Rose Schneiderman 1882 - U.S. women’s rights activist
  • Walter Huston (Houghston) 1884 - Actor (Treasure of the Sierra Madre [1948])
  • Lowell Thomas 1892 - Broadcaster, journalist
  • "Pappy" Wade Ray 1913 - Country musician, entertainer ("Grand Ol' Opry")
  • Herb Thomas 1923 - NASCAR auto racer
  • Mimi Benzell 1924 - Opera singer
  • Dorothy Donegan 1924 - Jazz pianist
  • Gerry Mulligan 1927 - Jazz musician, composer
  • Joi Lansing (Joyce Wassmansdoff) 1928 - Actress ("Easter Parade", "Singin’ in the Rain")
  • André (Ludwig) Previn 1929 - Pianist, composer of film scores ("Gigi", "Porgy and Bess"), conductor
  • Ivan Dixon 1931 - Actor ("Hogan's Heroes"), director, producer
  • Merle Haggard 1937 - Country musician, songwriter
  • Billy Dee (December) Williams 1937 - Actor ("Brian's Song", "The Return of the Jedi", "Batman")
  • Roy Thinnes 1938 - Actor ("The Invaders", "Outer Limits")
  • Philip Austin 1941 - Comedian and writer
  • Barry Levinson 1942 - Director, producer
  • Marty (Martin William) Pattin 1943 - Baseball pitcher
  • John Stax 1944 - Musician (The Pretty Things)
  • John Huarte 1944 - Football player
  • John Ratzenberger 1947 - Actor ("Cheers")
  • Bert (Rik Aalbert) Blyleven 1951 - Baseball pitcher
  • Marilu Henner 1952 - Actress ("Taxi", "Evening Shade", "Cannonball Run 2")
  • Janet Lynn (Nowicki) 1953 - Figure skater, Olympic bronze medalist
  • Michael Rooker 1955 - Actor (TV: "The Walking Dead")
  • Warren Haynes 1960 - Musician (Gov't Mule, The Allman Brothers)
  • Frank Black 1965 - Singer, musician (The Pixies)
  • Vince Flynn 1966 - Author
  • Paul Rudd (Paul Stephen Rudd) 1969 - Actor ("Friends")
  • Ari Meyers 1970 - Actress ("Author! Author!", "Kate & Allie")
  • Jason Hervey 1972 - Actor ("The Wonder Years", "Back to the Future")
  • Markku Lappalainen 1973 - Musician (Hoobastank)
  • Zach Braff 1975 - Actor ("Scrubs")
  • Candace Cameron Bure 1976 - Actress ("Full House")
  • Bret Harrison 1982 - Actor ("Grounded for Life")
  • Rick Cosnett 1983 - Actor (TV: "The Flash") 
David Latulippe is host of On the Arts, KALW's weekly radio magazine of the performing arts, as well as for Explorations in Music, and the Berkeley Symphony broadcasts. He has also hosted and produced the radio series From the Conservatory, Music from Mills, and Music at Menlo, and is principal guest host for Revolutions Per Minute.