Today is Wednesday, Sept. 18, the 262nd day of 2024 with 104 to follow.
The moon is waning. Morning stars are Jupiter, Mars, Mercury, Neptune, Saturn and Uranus. Evening stars are Jupiter, Mars, Neptune, Saturn, Uranus and Venus.
Those born on this date are under the sign of Virgo. They include English poet/lexicographer Samuel Johnson, writer of the first English dictionary, in 1709; Pope Gregory XVI in 1765; U.S. Supreme Court Justice Joseph Story in 1779; French physicist Leon Foucault, inventor of the gyroscope, in 1819; actor Greta Garbo in 1905; actor Robert Blake in 1933; film producer Bud Greenspan in 1926; comedian Fred Willard in 1939; singer/actor Frankie Avalon in 1940 (age 84); actor Anna Deavere Smith in 1950 (age 74); musician Dee Dee Ramone in 1951; former U.S. Secretary of Housing and Urban Development Ben Carson in 1951 (age 73); basketball Hall of Fame member Rick Pitino in 1952 (age 72); Philip J. Pierre, prime minister of Saint Lucia, in 1954 (age 70); Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Chris Hedges in 1956 (age 68); baseball Hall of Fame member Ryne Sandberg in 1959 (age 65); actor James Gandolfini in 1961; actor Holly Robinson Peete in 1964 (age 60); actor Aisha Tyler in 1970 (age 54); actor Jada Pinkett Smith in 1971 (age 53); cyclist Lance Armstrong in 1971 (age 53); actor James Marsden in 1973 (age 51); rapper Xzibit, born Alvin Nathaniel Joiner, in 1974 (age 50); actor Jason Sudeikis in 1975 (age 49); actor/comedian Billy Eichner in 1978 (age 46); actor Patrick Schwarzenegger in 1993 (age 31); country singer Taylor "Tae" Dye in 1995 (age 29); actor Aidan Gallagher in 2003 (age 21); actor Jackson Robert Scott in 2008 (age 16).
Historical Events of September 18th
On this date in history:
In 1850, the U.S. Congress passed the Fugitive Slave Act, allowing slave owners to reclaim slaves who escaped into another state.
In 1928, a hurricane that lashed Florida and Caribbean islands for several days left an estimated 4,000 people dead and $30 million in damage.
In 1961, U.N. Secretary-General Dag Hammarskjold died when his plane crashed under mysterious circumstances near Ndola in Northern Rhodesia (now Zambia).
In 1970, rock star Jimi Hendrix died at the age of 27 following a drug overdose in London.
In 1975, FBI agents in San Francisco captured former hostage Patricia Hearst along with two members of a group called the Symbionese Liberation Army. Hearst was convicted in an SLA bank robbery and served 22 months in prison before her sentence was commuted. She later was granted a full pardon by U.S. President Bill Clinton.
In 1976, Chinese leader Mao Zedong's public funeral took place in Tiananmen Square in Beijing. He was permanently interred in a mausoleum.
In 1983, British adventurer George Meegan finished a 19,021-mile, six-year walk from the tip of South America to the Arctic Ocean at Prudhoe Bay, Alaska.
In 1984, Joe Kittinger, 56, crash-landed in Nice, France, days after leaving Caribou, Maine, in a 10-story-tall helium balloon. He became the first person to cross the Atlantic Ocean solo in a balloon.
In 1996, the shuttle Atlantis docked with the Mir space station to pick up U.S. astronaut Shannon Lucid, who had set a U.S. record for time spent in space.
In 2003, Hurricane Isabel slammed into the North Carolina coast, causing nearly 40 deaths and inflicting property damage estimated at $4 billion.
In 2005, Afghanistan had its first free election in 25 years, drawing millions of voters despite Taliban threats.
In 2009, the final episode of The Guiding Light was broadcast. The soap opera had run on radio and television for 72 years.
In 2010, violence and threats of violence during Afghanistan's parliamentary elections kept 60 percent of eligible voters from polls and left at least 14 people dead. A total of 2,514 candidates vied for seats in the 249-member Parliament.
In 2014, Scotland chose to remain in the United Kingdom, rejecting independence in a historic national referendum that had a voter turnout of 84 percent. More than 55 percent of voters were against leaving the U.K.
In 2022, a 6.9-magnitude earthquake struck Taiwan less than one day after a 6.5-magnitude temblor hit the same area. Collectively, the quakes killed one person and injured some 170.
Observances & Celebrations
Today is...
- Chiropractic Founder's Day
- First Love Day
- Hug a Greeting Card Writer Day
- International Equal Pay Day
- International Read an eBook Day
- National Cheeseburger Day
- National HIV/AIDS and Aging Awareness Day
- National Red Velvet Cake Day
- National Respect Day
- National School Backpack Awareness Day
- Rice Krispies Treats Day
- World Bamboo Day
- World Water Monitoring Day
A Thought for the Day
English philosopher Samuel Johnson said, "A man should keep his friendships in constant repair."
A Look at Today's Stars
Today's celestial events include:
- The sun will rise in San Francisco at 6:54:57 am and set at 7:10:52 pm, providing 12 hours and 15 minutes of daylight.
- The solar transit will be at 1:02:54 pm.
- Water temperature in Aquatic Park in San Francisco today will be 63.7°F.
- The Moon is currently 99.8% visible, a waning gibbous moon.
- We'll have a Quarter Moon in 6 days on Tuesday the 24th of September of 2024 at 11:50 am.
