Today is the 89th day of 2014 and the 11th day of spring.

TODAY'S HISTORY: In 1867, U.S. Secretary of State William H. Seward completed the purchase of Alaska for $7.2 million.

In 1870, the U.S. Congress readmitted Texas to the Union.

In 1964, the TV quiz show "Jeopardy!" premiered on NBC with host Art Fleming.

In 1981, President Reagan was shot in the chest in an assassination attempt by John Hinckley Jr.

TODAY'S BIRTHDAYS: Francisco Goya (1746-1828), painter; Vincent van Gogh (1853-1890), painter; John Astin (1930- ), actor; Warren Beatty (1937- ), actor/director; Eric Clapton (1945- ), singer-songwriter/musician; Paul Reiser (1957- ), actor/comedian; Piers Morgan (1965- ), TV personality; Celine Dion (1968- ), singer-songwriter; Secretariat (1970-1989), racehorse; Norah Jones (1979- ), singer-songwriter/musician.

TODAY'S FACT: The purchase of Alaska, initially ridiculed by some in Congress and in the press as "Seward's Folly" and "Seward's Icebox," added 663,267 square miles to the United States for less than $11 per square mile.

TODAY'S SPORTS: In 1990, Jack Nicklaus made his debut in the Senior PGA Tour (since renamed the Champions Tour).

TODAY'S QUOTE: "If you hear a voice within you say you cannot paint, then by all means paint and that voice will be silenced." -- Vincent van Gogh

TODAY'S NUMBER: 192 million -- barrels of crude oil produced by Alaska in 2012.

TODAY'S MOON: New moon (March 30).

Today is the 88th day of 2014 and the 10th day of spring.

TODAY'S HISTORY: In 1867, the Dominion of Canada was established.

In 1951, Ethel and Julius Rosenberg were convicted of conspiracy to commit espionage.

In 1973, the last U.S. troops left South Vietnam, bringing an end to direct U.S. military involvement in the Vietnam War.

In 1999, the Dow Jones Industrial Average closed above 10,000 (10,006.78) for the first time.

TODAY'S BIRTHDAYS: Denton True "Cy" Young (1867-1955), baseball player; Man o' War (1917-1947), racehorse; Sam Walton (1918-1992), Wal-Mart founder; Eric Idle (1943- ), actor/comedian; Walt Frazier (1945- ), basketball player; Earl Campbell (1955- ), football player; Brendan Gleeson (1955- ), actor; Amy Sedaris (1961- ), author/actress; Elle Macpherson (1964- ), supermodel/actress; John Popper (1967- ), singer-songwriter/musician; Lucy Lawless (1968- ), actress; Robert Gibbs (1971- ), political adviser; Lara Logan (1971- ), journalist.

TODAY'S SPORTS: In 1999, Wayne Gretzky (then of the New York Rangers) scored his last professional goal, bringing his career total to an NHL-record 894.

TODAY'S FACT: Wal-Mart is the world's largest private employer, with more than 2 million employees.

TODAY'S QUOTE: "I think it's good for a person to spend time alone. It gives them an opportunity to discover who they are and to figure out why they are always alone." -- Amy Sedaris, "I Like You: Hospitality Under the Influence"

TODAY'S NUMBER: 27 -- amendments to the U.S. Constitution.

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

Today is the 87th day of 2014 and the ninth day of spring.

TODAY'S HISTORY: In 1898, the Supreme Court ruled that a child born in the United States is a U.S. citizen.

In 1939, the Spanish Civil War ended with the surrender of Republican defenders of Madrid to Francisco Franco's rebel forces.

In 1979, a pressure valve in a reactor at the Three Mile Island nuclear plant failed to close, causing a near-critical meltdown.

TODAY'S BIRTHDAYS: Maxim Gorky (1868-1936), author; Freddie Bartholomew (1924-1992), actor; Mario Vargas Llosa (1936- ), author; Rick Barry (1944- ), basketball player; Dianne Wiest (1948- ), actress; Reba McEntire (1955- ), singer-songwriter/actress; Vince Vaughn (1970- ), actor; Nick Frost (1972- ), actor/screenwriter; Julia Stiles (1981- ), actress; Lady Gaga (1986- ), singer-songwriter.

TODAY'S FACT: Approximately 34.1 million Americans (more than 11 percent of the population) had at least one foreign-born parent in 2010.

TODAY'S SPORTS: In 1984, movers hired by Baltimore Colts owner Bob Irsay arrived at the team's offices in the middle of the night and moved the NFL franchise to Indianapolis, a move Irsay had not announced publicly.

TODAY'S QUOTE: "Happiness always looks small while you hold it in your hands, but let it go, and you learn at once how big and precious it is." -- Maxim Gorky, "The Lower Depths and Other Plays"

TODAY'S NUMBER: 47.4 million -- estimated population of Spain in July 2013.

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