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PEANUTS® By Charles Schultz Friday, August 24, 2012 – Daily News 5B Today in History By The Associated Press Today is Friday, Aug. 24, the 237th day of 2012. There are 129 days left in the year. Today's Highlight in History: On Aug. 24, 1992, Hurricane Andrew smashed into Florida, causing $30 billion in damage; 43 U.S. deaths were blamed on the storm. On this date: DILBERT® By Scott Adams In A.D. 79, long-dormant Mount Vesuvius erupted, bury- ing the Roman cities of Pompeii and Herculaneum in vol- canic ash; an estimated 20,000 people died. In 1572, the St. Bartholomew's Day massacre of French Protestants at the hands of Catholics began in Paris. In 1814, during the War of 1812, British forces invaded Washington, D.C., setting fire to the Capitol and the White House, as well as other buildings. In 1821, the Treaty of Cordoba was signed, granting independence to Mexico from Spanish rule. In 1912, Congress passed a measure creating the Alaska GARFIELD® By Jim Davis Territory. Congress approved legislation establishing Parcel Post delivery by the U.S. Post Office Department, slated to begin on Jan. 1, 1913. In 1932, Amelia Earhart embarked on a 19-hour flight from Los Angeles to Newark, N.J., making her the first woman to fly solo, non-stop, from coast to coast. In 1949, the North Atlantic Treaty came into force. In 1954, President Dwight D. Eisenhower signed the Communist Control Act, outlawing the Communist Party in the United States. power as it exploded a hydrogen bomb in the South Pacific. In 1970, an explosives-laden van left by anti-war extrem- In 1968, France became the world's fifth thermonuclear ists blew up outside the University of Wisconsin's Sterling Hall in Madison, killing 33-year-old researcher Robert Fass- nacht. SHOE By Chris Cassatt and Gary Brookins In 2006, the International Astronomical Union declared that Pluto was no longer a planet, demoting it to the status of a ''dwarf planet.'' Ten years ago: The FBI uncovered human remains in an outbuilding behind the Oregon City, Ore., house of Ward Weaver III, a suspect in the case of 2 missing girls who lived across the street. (Authorities recovered the remains of 12- year-old Ashley Pond and 13-year-old Miranda Gaddis; Weaver later pleaded guilty to aggravated murder and was sentenced to 2 consecutive life terms in prison.) Five years ago: A judge in Inverness, Fla., sentenced BLONDIE® By Dean Young and Stan Drake BEETLE BAILEY® By Mort Walker John Evander Couey to death for kidnapping 9-year-old Jes- sica Lunsford, raping her and burying her alive. (Couey died in 2009.) James Ford Seale, a reputed Ku Klux Klansman, was sentenced to three life terms for his role in the 1964 abduction and murder of two black teenagers in southwest- ern Mississippi. (Seale died in 2011.) One year ago: A defiant Moammar Gadhafi vowed in a broadcast to fight on ''until victory or martyrdom'' and called on residents of the Libyan capital and loyal tribesmen across his North African nation to free Tripoli from the ''devils and traitors'' who had overrun it. Steve Jobs resigned as CEO of Apple Inc.; he was succeeded by Tim Cook. Today's Birthdays: Former Education Secretary Shirley Hufstedler is 87. Actor Kenny Baker (''Star Wars'') is 78. Composer-musician Mason Williams is 74. Rhythm-and- blues singer Marshall Thompson (The Chi-Lites) is 70. Rock musician Ken Hensley is 67. Actress Anne Archer is 65. Actor Joe Regalbuto is 63. Actor Kevin Dunn is 57. For- mer Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee is 57. Actor-writer Stephen Fry is 55. Actor Steve Guttenberg is 54. Baseball Hall-of-Famer Cal Ripken Jr. is 52. Actor Jared Harris is 51. Talk show host Craig Kilborn is 50. Rock singer John Bush is 49. Actress Marlee Matlin is 47. Retired NBA All-Star Reggie Miller is 47. Broadcast journalist David Gregory (''Meet the Press'') is 42. Country singer Kristyn Osborn (SheDaisy) is 42. Actor-comedian Dave Chappelle is 39. Actor Rupert Grint (''Harry Potter'' films) is 24. Thought for Today: ''Show me a man who cannot both- er to do little things and I'll show you a man who cannot be trusted to do big things.'' — Lawrence D. Bell, American aircraft manufacturer (1894-1956). HAGAR the Horrible® By Chris Browne RUBES® By Leigh Rubin ZITS BY JERRY SCOTT & JIM BORGMAN FRANK & ERNEST® By Bob Thaves ALLEY OOP