ANDREWS MCMEEL ALMANAC
Today is the 117th day of 2021 and the 39th day of spring.
TODAY'S HISTORY: In 1521, explorer Ferdinand Magellan was killed in the Philippines.
In 1865, the steamboat Sultana exploded in the Mississippi River near Memphis, Tennessee, killing some 1,700 passengers.
In 2014, John XXIII and John Paul II became the first popes to be canonized as saints since 1954.
In 2018, the leaders of North and South Korea signed the Panmunjom Declaration, officially declaring the end of the Korean conflict.
TODAY'S BIRTHDAYS: Samuel Morse (1791-1872), Morse code co-inventor; Ulysses S. Grant (1822-1885), soldier/18th U.S. president; Rogers Hornsby (1896-1963), baseball player; Enos Slaughter (1916-2002), baseball player; Jack Klugman (1922-2012), actor; Coretta Scott King (1927-2006), activist; Casey Kasem (1932-2014), radio/TV personality; Sandy Dennis (1937-1992), actress; August Wilson (1945-2005), playwright; Herm Edwards (1954- ), football coach/sportscaster; Ari Graynor (1983- ), actress; Patrick Stump (1984- ), singer-songwriter; Lizzo (1988- ) rapper.
TODAY'S FACT: In 1667, blind and impoverished poet John Milton sold the copyright to his masterpiece, "Paradise Lost," for 10 pounds (roughly $2,438 in 2021 U.S. currency).
TODAY'S SPORTS: In 1956, 31-year-old boxer Rocky Marciano retired with a perfect 49-0 record, the only heavyweight champion to do so.
TODAY'S QUOTE: "Have a belief in yourself that is bigger than anyone's disbelief." -- August Wilson
TODAY'S NUMBER: 1,776 -- architectural height (in feet) of One World Trade Center in New York City. Construction on the site began on this day in 2006.
TODAY'S MOON: Between full moon (April 26) and last quarter moon (May 3).