On This Day: Tuesday September 27, 2005 This is the 270th day of the year, with 95 days remaining in 2005. Fact of the Day: Neptune Neptune is the eighth planet from the Sun and one of the four giant planets -- but orbiting far beyond the other three. Neptune cannot be seen from Earth without a telescope and was the last to be discovered (1845-46). It takes Neptune 165 days to circle the Sun and it is very cold, averaging 400 degrees below zero (F). Scientists think Neptune's atmosphere is mainly gas -- hydrogen and helium -- like Jupiter. It has six moons including one, Triton, that is as big as Mercury. Neptune is only 2.7 billion miles from Earth. Voyager 2 ventured out there in the late 1980's and located a total of eight moons but the moons and the presence of rings around Neptune are still a subject of debate. Holidays St. Vincent de Paul feast day. California: Cabrillo Day. Events 1514 - The Spanish crown granted explorer Juan Ponce de Leon the title Military Governor of Bimini (an island in the Bahamas) and Florida and gave him permission to colonize those regions. 1540 - The Society of Jesus, a Roman Catholic missionary organization, received its charter from Pope Paul III. It was founded by Ignatius de Loyola, a Spanish soldier turned priest, in 1534. 1669 - The island of Crete fell to the Ottoman Turks after a 21-year siege. 1791 - Jews in France were granted French citizenship. 1916 - Constance of Greece declared war on Bulgaria. 1920 - Eight Chicago White Sox players were charged with fixing the 1919 World Series. 1928 - U.S. recognized the Nationalist Chinese government. 1938 - Cunard introduced its largest passenger liner, the Queen Mary, at Clydebank. Queen Elizabeth, consort of George VI, launched it. 1939 - Warsaw, Poland, surrendered to invading forces from Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union during World War II. 1940 - The Tripartite Pact, a ten-year military and economic alliance strengthening the Axis alliance, was signed by Germany, Italy, and Japan. 1954 - "The Tonight Show" premiered on television. 1959 - A typhoon devastated the island of Honshu, Japan, killing nearly 5000 people. 1964 - The Warren Commission issued a report concluding that Lee Harvey Oswald acted alone in assassinating President John F. Kennedy. 1979 - Congress approved the establishment of the Department of Education, the 13th US cabinet agency. 1996 - Taliban, a group of Islamic fundamentalists, seized control of Kabul, the capital of Afghanistan, and hanged Mohammad Najibullah, the former Afghan president. Births 1601 - Louis XIII, king of France (1610-43), 1722 - Samuel Adams, American revolutionary patriot and statesman. 1840 - Thomas Nast, American political cartoonist and creator of the Democratic donkey and the Republican elephant. 1862 - Louis Botha, first president of South Africa. 1917 - Louis Auchincloss, American novelist. 1926 - Jayne Meadows, American actress, wife of Steve Allen, sister of Audrey Meadows. 1934 - Greg Morris, American actor. 1939 - Kathy Whitworth, American women's golf champion. 1947 - Meat Loaf (Marvin Aday), American musician, singer. Deaths 1960 - Sylvia Pankhurst, American feminist and suffragette. 1993 - James Doolittle, American aviator and army officer who led the first air raid on Japan during World War II.