Today is the 63rd day of 2014 and the 74th day of winter.

TODAY'S HISTORY: In 1789, the first session of the United States Congress was held in New York City as the new Constitution took effect.

In 1791, Vermont was admitted as the 14th U.S. state.

In 1933, Franklin D. Roosevelt outlined his "New Deal" during his inauguration as the 32nd U.S. president.

In 1974, the first issue of People magazine was published, featuring "The Great Gatsby" star Mia Farrow on the cover.

TODAY'S BIRTHDAYS: Antonio Vivaldi (1678-1741), composer; Casimir Pulaski (1745-1779), military leader; Knute Rockne (1888-1931), football coach; John Garfield (1913-1952), actor; James Ellroy (1948- ), author; Rick Perry (1950- ), politician; Catherine O'Hara (1954- ), actress; Mykelti Williamson (1957- ), actor; Patricia Heaton (1958- ), actress; Landon Donovan (1982- ), soccer player.

TODAY'S FACT: Between 1945 and 1990, the United States produced more than 70,000 nuclear weapons. About 5,100 nuclear warheads remain in the U.S. stockpile.

TODAY'S SPORTS: In 1995, heavyweight champion George Foreman refused to fight No. 1 contender Tony Tucker and was stripped of his title by the World Boxing Association.

TODAY'S QUOTE: "Courage is not the absence of fear, but rather the assessment that something else is more important than fear." -- Franklin D. Roosevelt

TODAY'S NUMBER: 77,271 -- immediately eligible American candidates awaiting organ transplants as of February 2014.

TODAY'S MOON: Between new moon (March 1) and first quarter moon (March 8).

Today is the 62nd day of 2014 and the 73rd day of winter.

TODAY'S HISTORY: In 1845, Florida was admitted as the 27th U.S. state.

In 1931, President Herbert Hoover signed a congressional resolution adopting "The Star-Spangled Banner" as the U.S. national anthem.

In 1991, an amateur videographer captured the beating and arrest of construction worker Rodney King by Los Angeles police officers after a high-speed car chase.

In 2005, American millionaire Steve Fossett made the first solo, nonstop, unrefueled flight around the world in a fixed-wing aircraft.

TODAY'S BIRTHDAYS: Alexander Graham Bell (1847-1922), inventor; Jean Harlow (1911-1937), actress; James Doohan (1920-2005), actor; James Merrill (1926-1995), poet; Perry Ellis (1940-1986), fashion designer; Ira Glass (1959- ), radio personality; Jackie Joyner-Kersee (1962- ), athlete; Julie Bowen (1970- ), actress; Jessica Biel (1982- ), actress.

TODAY'S FACT: "The Star-Spangled Banner" is set to the tune of "To Anacreon in Heaven," a piece originally composed around 1775 as the official song of the Anacreontic Society, an English musicians' club.

TODAY'S SPORTS: In 1974, heavyweight boxing champion George Foreman successfully defended his title with a second-round knockout of Ken Norton, improving his overall record to 40-0 with 37 knockouts.

TODAY'S QUOTE: "Wherever you may find the inventor, you may give him wealth or you may take from him all that he has; and he will go on inventing. He can no more help inventing than he can help thinking or breathing." -- Alexander Graham Bell

TODAY'S NUMBER: 2.7 -- gallons of wine per capita Americans consume annually.

TODAY'S MOON: Between new moon (March 1) and first quarter moon (March 8).

Today is the 61st day of 2014 and the 72nd day of winter.

TODAY'S HISTORY: In 1836, Texas declared its independence from Mexico.

In 1877, the U.S. Congress declared Rutherford B. Hayes the winner of the 1876 presidential election, despite the fact that Samuel J. Tilden had won the popular vote.

In 1933, the film "King Kong" opened at Radio City Music Hall in New York City.

In 1969, the Concorde supersonic airliner flew (at subsonic speeds) for the first time.

TODAY'S BIRTHDAYS: Sam Houston (1793-1863), soldier/politician; Pope Leo XIII (1810-1903); Pope Pius XII (1876-1958); Dr. Seuss (Theodor Geisel) (1904-1991), author; Mel Ott (1909-1958), baseball player; Desi Arnaz (1917-1986), actor/musician; Mikhail Gorbachev (1931- ), former Soviet leader; Tom Wolfe (1931- ), author/journalist; John Irving (1942- ), author; Jon Bon Jovi (1962- ), singer-songwriter; Daniel Craig (1968- ), actor; Method Man (1971- ), rapper/actor; Chris Martin (1977- ), singer-songwriter; Ben Roethlisberger (1982- ), football player.

TODAY'S FACT: "King Kong" was made in 1933 for about $11.7 million (in today's dollars). The 2005 remake cost $207 million to produce.

TODAY'S SPORTS: In 1962, Wilt Chamberlain of the Philadelphia Warriors set the NBA single-game scoring record with 100 points in a win over the New York Knicks.

TODAY'S QUOTE: "If you care about something you have to protect it -- If you're lucky enough to find a way of life you love, you have to find the courage to live it." -- John Irving

TODAY'S NUMBER: 27 -- publishing companies that rejected the manuscript of Dr. Seuss' first book for children, "And to Think That I Saw It on Mulberry Street."

TODAY'S MOON: Between new moon (March 1) and first quarter moon (March 8).