Today is the 82nd day of 2014 and the fourth day of spring.

TODAY'S HISTORY: In 1806, explorers Meriwether Lewis and William Clark began their return trip east after reaching the Pacific coast.

In 1956, Pakistan became the first Islamic republic.

In 1983, President Ronald Reagan proposed the "Star Wars" plan for the development of missile-intercepting technology.

In 2010, President Barack Obama signed into law the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act.

TODAY'S BIRTHDAYS: Joan Crawford (1904-1977), actress; Roger Bannister (1929- ), athlete/physician; Ric Ocasek (1949- ), singer-songwriter; Ron Jaworski (1951- ), sportscaster; Chaka Khan (1953- ), singer-songwriter; Kenneth Cole (1954- ), fashion designer; Moses Malone (1955- ), basketball player; Jason Kidd (1973- ), basketball player; Michelle Monaghan (1976- ), actress; Keri Russell (1976- ), actress; Perez Hilton (1978- ), blogger/TV personality; Maurice Jones-Drew (1985- ), football player; Kyrie Irving (1992- ), basketball player.

TODAY'S FACT: Just 46 days after Roger Bannister ran the first sub-4-minute mile, John Landy beat his time by more than a second.

TODAY'S SPORTS: In 1994, Wayne Gretzky of the NHL's Los Angeles Kings scored the 802nd goal of his career, breaking the record then held by Gordie Howe.

TODAY'S QUOTE: "Love is a fire. But whether it is going to warm your hearth or burn down your house, you can never tell." -- Joan Crawford

TODAY'S NUMBER: 12,091 -- assists by Jason Kidd during his 19-year NBA career, second only to John Stockton's all-time record of 15,806.

TODAY'S MOON: Last quarter moon (March 23).

Today is the 81st day of 2014 and the third day of spring.

TODAY'S HISTORY: In 1882, the U.S. Congress passed an act that made polygamy a felony.

In 1933, President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed the Beer and Wine Revenue Act, which modified the Volstead Act enforcement of alcohol prohibition and levied a tax on alcohol.

In 1945, the Arab League charter was adopted in Cairo.

In 1963, the Beatles' debut album, "Please Please Me," was released in the United Kingdom.

TODAY'S BIRTHDAYS: Louis L'Amour (1908-1988), author; Karl Malden (1912- ), actor; Marcel Marceau (1923-2007), mime artist; Stephen Sondheim (1930- ), composer; William Shatner (1931- ), actor; James Patterson (1947- ), author; Wolf Blitzer (1948- ), journalist; Andrew Lloyd Webber (1948- ), composer; Bob Costas (1952- ), sportscaster; Matthew Modine (1959- ), actor; Reese Witherspoon (1976- ), actress; J.J. Watt (1989- ), football player.

TODAY'S FACT: Professional mime Marcel Marceau had the only speaking role in Mel Brooks' "Silent Movie."

TODAY'S SPORTS: In 1894, the Montreal AAA beat the Ottawa Generals 3-1 in the first Stanley Cup championship hockey game.

TODAY'S QUOTE: "There will come a time when you believe everything is finished. That will be the beginning." -- Louis L'Amour, "Lonely on the Mountain"

TODAY'S NUMBER: 196 -- average self-reported weight (in pounds) of American men in a 2012 Gallup poll, up from 180 in 1991. The average self-reported weight among women was 156; it was 142 in 1991.

TODAY'S MOON: Between full moon (March 16) and last quarter moon (March 23).

Today is the 80th day of 2014 and the second day of spring.

TODAY'S HISTORY: In 1788, a fire destroyed most of the city of New Orleans.

In 1963, the federal penitentiary on Alcatraz Island in San Francisco Bay was closed.

In 1980, President Jimmy Carter announced that the United States would boycott the Moscow Olympic Games.

TODAY'S BIRTHDAYS: Benito Juarez (1806-1872), Mexican president; Florenz Ziegfeld (1867-1932), theater producer; Phyllis McGinley (1905-1978), author; Gary Oldman (1958- ), actor; Matthew Broderick (1962- ), actor; Rosie O'Donnell (1962- ), actress/talk show host; Ronaldinho (1980- ), soccer player; Adrian Peterson (1985- ), football player.

TODAY'S FACT: The average movie ticket price in 1975 was $2.05. By 2013, the average ticket cost was $7.84.

TODAY'S SPORTS: In 1989, an investigative report by Sports Illustrated revealed evidence that Major League Baseball player-manager Pete Rose had illegally gambled on baseball games.

TODAY'S QUOTE: "A bit of trash now and then is good for the severest reader. It provides the necessary roughage in the literary diet." -- Phyllis McGinley

TODAY'S NUMBER: 14 -- attempted escapes, involving 36 inmates, from Alcatraz Prison over the 29 years that the prison operated. None was believed to have been successful.

TODAY'S MOON: Between full moon (March 16) and last quarter moon (March 23).