Today is Friday, Feb. 17, the 48th day of 2023 with 317 to follow.

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

Those born on this date are under the sign of Aquarius. They include: mail-order retailer Aaron Montgomery Ward in 1844; Texas oil millionaire H.L. Hunt in 1889; author Margaret Truman Daniel, daughter of U.S. President Harry S. Truman, in 1924; actor Hal Holbrook in 1925; actor/football Hall of Fame member Jim Brown in 1936 (age 87); singer Gene Pitney in 1940; political activist Huey P. Newton in 1942; actor Brenda Fricker in 1945 (age 78); actor Rene Russo in 1954 (age 69); actor Richard Karn in 1956 (age 67); actor Lou Diamond Phillips in 1962 (age 61); comedian Larry the Cable Guy, born Daniel Whitney, in 1963 (age 60); basketball superstar Michael Jordan in 1963 (age 60); film director Michael Bay in 1965 (age 58); actor Dominic Purcell in 1970 (age 53); actor Denise Richards in 1971 (age 52); musician Billie Joe Armstrong in 1972 (age 51); rocker Taylor Hawkins in 1972; actor Jerry O'Connell in 1974 (age 49); actor Jason Ritter in 1980 (age 43); heiress Paris Hilton 1981 (age 42); actor Joseph Gordon-Levitt in 1981 (age 42); actor/singer Chord Overstreet in 1989 (age 34); actor Bonnie Wright in 1991 (age 32); singer Ed Sheeran in 1991 (age 32); actor Jeremy Allen White in 1991 (age 32); actor Sasha Pieterse in 1996 (age 27).On this date in history:

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In 1801, the U.S. House of Representatives chose Thomas Jefferson as the third president of the United States after he and Aaron Burr tied in the Electoral College. It took 35 House ballots before Jefferson won and Burr became vice president.

In 1904, Giacomo Puccini's Madama Butterfly premiered in Milan, Italy.

In 1909, Apache leader Geronimo died while under military confinement at Fort Sill, Okla. His grave remains there despite later efforts to move his remains to his native Arizona.

In 1933, Newsweek magazine published its first issue.

In 1968, the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame opened in Springfield, Mass.

In 1993, a ferry capsized during stormy weather off the western coast of Haiti, killing more than 500 people.

In 2005, U.S. President George W. Bush nominated John Negroponte to be the first director of national intelligence. Negroponte assumed office the following month.

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In 2006, a landslide that covered a village in Leyte in the central Philippines killed more than 1,100 people, including scores of children in an elementary school that was buried by mud and boulders.

In 2008, the province of Kosovo declared independence from Serbia. Thousands of ethnic Albanians celebrated in the streets but others resorted to violent protest. The United States and several other countries, including Britain, Germany and France, recognized Kosovo as a sovereign and independent state.

In 2009, General Motors and Chrysler asked for an additional $14 billion from the government to keep from going bankrupt. That upped their total requests to $39 billion.

In 2011, the British government advised same-sex couples they could form civil partnerships in church if they wished.

In 2014, The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon made its debut on NBC.

In 2021, Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, flew to Cancun, Mexico, prompting backlash from his constituents, millions of whom were without power and water during a historic winter storm. He returned the next day, saying he was only accompanying his wife and daughters to the vacation spot and always intended to return immediately.

A thought for the day: "Patience is more worthy than miracle-working." -- Christian mystic Margery Kempe