The anniversary of the death of President Franklin D. Roosevelt, at Warm Springs, Georgia, in 1945. With the end of World War II just months away, the nation and the world was stunned by the sudden death of the president shortly into his fourth term in office. Roosevelt was the only U.S. president to be elected for a 3d and a 4th term. It was Roosevelt who put together the first modern presidency, by exercising powers that were always inherent in the office, but hardly ever tried when there was no war going on. Roosevelt took power by assembling a greatly expanded White House staff, a group of advisers known as the "brain trust," who helped develop administrative and legislative reforms known collectively as the New Deal. From March to June in 1933, the so-called "Hundred Days," Roosevelt secured passage of legislation establishing the Civilian Conservation Corps, the Agricultural Adjustment Administration, Tennessee Valley Authority, National Recovery Administration, and Public Works Administration. He reformed credit and banking laws, amended the Volstead Act (the prohibition of alcohol), and subsequently established the Securities and Exchange Commission (1934), National Youth Administration (1935), and the Social Security system (1935). He took an active role in that war in Europe (called World War II) by passing a Lend-Lease Act with Great Britain; he met with Winston Churchill in August 1941 to draw up the Atlantic Charter; on Dec. 8, 1941, he called for declaration of war on Japan. Under emergency powers delegated by Congress, he established agencies to supervise military production and regulate civilian economy. He conferred on war strategy and international affairs with heads of state, especially with Churchill and Stalin at Teheran in Dec. 1943 and again at Yalta, in the Crimea in Feb. 1945. He was an early polio victim and spent most of his adult life in a wheel chair. But press photographers cooperated in a benign public deception. They hardly ever took his picture in that wheelchair. They also looked the other way when he went off with his mistress. That was a different, gentler time, when the press drew a discreet line between the public and the private. Modern presidents have no private life at all, much to the discredit of the press, and to the disillusionment of the public.

MODEL: Roosevelt's indomitable spirit. He had handicaps aplenty, not the least of which was his own aristocratic background. But he was a good politician, and he had ample amounts of the virtue that is most important for a politician. He had staying power. The bastards never wore him down.

A sixth sense. If you were born on April 12, you are like a barometer for society. You understand how society works and can sense changes coming. You like to be the center of attention and if you are in public service, this attention can benefit the groups you serve. Ruled by the number 3 and the planet Jupiter, you can be optimistic but also overconfident.

What about you? Since you are always wrapped up in groups, it is difficult for you to get to know yourself. You may get into trouble, not just with other people, but in legal and financial matters as well.

Speaker of the house. You'd make a good spokesperson for your family, coworkers or another group. When you are delivering your group's views to a rapt audience, you feel energized and fulfilled. For this reason you tend to surround yourself with people who are good listeners and share your views. You enjoy being involved in games, auctions, negotiations and group activities of all sorts.

News junky. You have a ravenous appetite for current events and like to discuss the state of affairs in casual or formal circles. You run the risk of becoming very judgmental and having judgment bestowed upon you. It would be healthy for you to occasionally hop off the roller coaster of public opinion and examine your views and motivations.

Stay out of it. When it comes to your family and friends, you need to watch your explosive temper and your meddling. Try to retain your objectivity and a little distance. Don't try "fixing" other people's lives all the time.

Some advice: Get to know yourself and develop personal goals that do not involve others. Learn to build confidence on your own terms, not from the attention or appreciation from others. Live and let live.

Also born on this day: Herbie Hancock (jazz pianist, composer) Henry Clay (US statesman) Dennis Banks (head of American Indian Movement) David Letterman (TV personality) Pete Rose (Cincinnati Reds) Tama Janowitz (novelist) Robert Delauney (French abstract painter) Ann Miller (dancer, actress) Alan Ayckbourn (British satiric playwright) Lili Pons (operatic soprano) Jane Withers (comedienne, actress) David Cassidy (singer, actor) Scott Turow (novelist, lawyer)