Today is the 83rd day of 2014 and the fifth day of spring.

TODAY'S HISTORY: In 1882, Robert Koch announced the discovery of the tuberculosis bacterium.

In 1958, Elvis Presley reported to the Memphis Draft Board and began service in the U.S. Army.

In 1989, the Exxon Valdez ran aground in Prince William Sound, spilling millions of gallons of oil off the coast of Alaska.

In 1999, the NATO alliance began air strikes against Yugoslavia.

TODAY'S BIRTHDAYS: Andrew W. Mellon (1855-1937), financier; Harry Houdini (1874-1926), magician; Roscoe "Fatty" Arbuckle (1887-1933), comedian/director; Thomas Dewey (1902-1971), politician; Joseph Barbera (1911-2006), animator; Steve McQueen (1930-1980), actor; R. Lee Ermey (1944- ), actor; Tommy Hilfiger (1951- ), fashion designer; Star Jones (1962- ), TV personality; Jim Parsons (1973- ), actor; Alyson Hannigan (1974- ), actress; Peyton Manning (1976- ), football player; Jessica Chastain (1977- ), actress.

TODAY'S FACT: In 1944, 76 prisoners at the Stalag Luft III prisoner-of-war camp near Sagan, Germany, began their escape. The event was later dramatized in the film "The Great Escape," starring Steve McQueen, who was born on this day in 1930.

TODAY'S SPORTS: In 1936, the Detroit Red Wings won the longest game in NHL history, scoring in the sixth overtime period of a playoff game to beat the Montreal Maroons 1-0.

TODAY'S QUOTE: "No man should be in public office who can't make more money in private life." -- Thomas Dewey

TODAY'S NUMBER: 18 -- inches of oil floating at the surface of parts of Prince William Sound after the Exxon Valdez spill in 1989.

TODAY'S MOON: Between last quarter moon (March 23) and new moon (March 30).

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).