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Almanac - Wednesday 8-17-22

Today is Wednesday, August 17, 2022, the 229th day of the year; 136 days remain until the end of the year.

  • Sunrise: 6:27am
  • Sunset: 7:59pm
    …giving us 13 hours and 35 minutes of daylight.

The moon waning gibbous is 63.8% illuminated.

  • Moonrise: 11:21pm
  • Moonset: 12:36pm

San Francisco Bay Tides

  • High: 4:14am/4:33pm
  • Low: 9:49am/11:10pm
    ...Water Temp in Aquatic Park – around 57 degrees

Today’s special holidays and celebrations:

  • Baby Boomer's Recognition Day
  • Black Cat Appreciation Day
  • Congressional Start-up Day 2022
  • I Love My Feet Day
  • Meaning of "Is" Day
  • National Medical Dosimetrist Day
  • National Nonprofit Day
  • National Vanilla Custard Day

On this day in…

1790 - The capital city of the U.S. moved to Philadelphia from New York City.

1807 - Robert Fulton's "North River Steam Boat" (known as the "Clermont") began heading up New York's Hudson River on its successful round-trip to Albany.

1815 - Napoleon began serving his exile when he arrived at the island of St. Helena.

1859 - A hot air balloon was used to carry mail for the first time. John Wise left Lafayette, IN, for New York City with 100 letters. He had to land after only 27 miles.

1863 - Federal batteries and ships bombarded Fort Sumter in Charleston, SC, harbor during the Civil War.

1896 - The Klondike gold rush was set off by George Carmack discovering gold on Rabbit Creek in Alaska.

1903 - Joseph Pulitzer donated a million dollars to Columbia University. This started the Pulitzer Prizes in his name.

1915 - Charles F. Kettering received a patent for the first electric ignition device.

1939 - The movie "Wizard of Oz" premiered in New York. It had premiered in Hollywood on August 15.

1943 - The Allied conquest of Sicily was completed as U.S. and British forces entered Messina.

1945 - The nationalists of Indonesia declared their independence from the Netherlands.

1961 - The Communist East German government completed the construction of the Berlin Wall.

1978 - Maxie Anderson, Ben Abruzzo and Larry Newman became the first to land after a successful trans-Atlantic balloon flight. The voyage began in Presque Isle, ME and ended in Miserey, France.

1982 - The U.S. Senate approved an immigration bill that granted permanent resident status to illegal aliens who had arrived in the United States before 1977.

1987 - The Dow Jones Industrial Average closed above 2,700 for the first time.

1992 - Woody Allen admitted to being romantically involved with Soon-Yi Previn. The girl was the adopted daughter of Mia Farrow, Allen's longtime companion.

1996 - A military cargo plane crashed in Wyoming killing eight crewmembers and a Secret Service employee. The plane was carrying gear for U.S. President Clinton.

1996 - Ross Perot was announced to be the Reform Party's presidential candidate. It was the party's first-ever candidate.

1998 - U.S. President Clinton admitted to having an improper relationship with Monica Lewinsky, a White House intern.

1998 - NationsBank and BankAmerica merge to create the largest U.S. bank.

1998 - Russia devalued the ruble.

2002 - In Santa Rosa, CA, the Charles M. Schulz Museum opened to the public.

2017 - The first observation of a collision of two neutron stars took place.

In addition to, perhaps…you, today’s birthday celebrants include or included…

  • Davy Crockett 1786 - Frontiersman, soldier and politician
  • Samuel Goldwyn (Samuel Goldfish) 1882 - Film producer
  • Monty Woolley 1888 - Stage, film, radio and television actor
  • Mae West 1893 - Actress, singer, playwright, screenwriter
  • Maureen O'Hara 1920 - Actress, singer
  • Gary Powers (Francis Gary Powers) 1929 - American pilot
  • Duke Pearson 1932 - Pianist, composer
  • Robert De Niro 1943 - Actor
  • Martha Coolidge 1946 - Movie director
  • Robert Joy 1951 - Actor ("CSI: NY")
  • Sean Penn 1960 - Actor, screenwriter, director
  • Gilby Clark 1962 - Guitarist (Guns N' Roses)
  • Donnie Wahlberg 1969 - Singer, actor, member of New Kids on the Block
  • Jim Courier 1970 - Tennis player
  • Bryton McClure 1986 - Actor, singer
David Latulippe is a radio host and announcer for KALW Public Radio. On Thursdays at 1pm, he hosts "On the Arts" - a live interview program focusing on the Bay Area performing arts. He is also a professional voiceover artist and classical flutist, who occasionally channels Sinatra for big band charts.