Today is the 119th day of 2014 and the 41st day of spring.

TODAY'S HISTORY: In 1429, 17-year-old Joan of Arc led French forces in relieving the besieged city of Orleans, France.

In 1862, Union forces officially took possession of New Orleans.

In 1945, the Dachau concentration camp in Germany was liberated by U.S. troops.

In 1992, riots broke out in Los Angeles after four police officers were acquitted of using excessive force during the arrest of motorist Rodney King.

In 2011, Great Britain's Prince William and Kate Middleton were married in London.

TODAY'S BIRTHDAYS: William Randolph Hearst (1863-1951), publisher/politician; Thomas Beecham (1879-1961), orchestra conductor; Duke Ellington (1899-1974), jazz musician; Dale Earnhardt (1951-2001), race car driver; Jerry Seinfeld (1954- ), comedian; Daniel Day-Lewis (1957- ), actor; Michelle Pfeiffer (1958- ), actress; Andre Agassi (1970- ), tennis player; Uma Thurman (1970- ), actress.

TODAY'S FACT: Besides running his own catering business, Duke Ellington's father worked as a butler at a number of homes in Washington, D.C., including the White House.

TODAY'S SPORTS: In 1986, Roger Clemens of the Boston Red Sox became the first pitcher to strike out 20 batters in a nine-inning game, a feat he repeated in 1996.

TODAY'S QUOTE: "You must keep your mind on the objective, not on the obstacle." -- William Randolph Hearst

TODAY'S NUMBER: 19 -- age of Joan of Arc at the time of her death.

TODAY'S MOON: Between new moon (April 28) and first quarter moon (May 6).

Today is the 118th day of 2014 and the 40th day of spring.

TODAY'S HISTORY: In 1789, a mutiny broke out on the British trade ship Bounty.

In 1945, Italian partisans executed dictator Benito Mussolini and his mistress by firing squad.

In 1952, the United States ended its occupation of Japan.

In 1965, U.S. troops began an occupation of the Dominican Republic in an effort to thwart the establishment of a communist regime.

In 1994, CIA officer and analyst Aldrich Ames pleaded guilty to spying for the Soviet Union and Russia.

TODAY'S BIRTHDAYS: James Monroe (1758-1831), fifth U.S. president; Lionel Barrymore (1878-1954), actor; Oskar Schindler (1908-1974), businessman; Harper Lee (1926- ), author; Ann-Margret (1941- ), singer/actress; Bruno Kirby (1949-2006), actor; Jay Leno (1950- ), comedian/TV personality; L'Wren Scott (1964-2014), model/fashion designer; John Daly (1966- ), golfer; Bridget Moynahan (1971- ), actress; Jorge Garcia (1973- ), actor; Penelope Cruz (1974- ), actress; Jessica Alba (1981- ), actress.

TODAY'S FACT: Aldrich Ames made $4.6 million selling CIA secrets to the KGB from 1985 to 1993.

TODAY'S SPORTS: In 1967, Muhammad Ali refused to be inducted into the U.S. Army and was stripped of his heavyweight boxing title.

TODAY'S QUOTE: "Mockingbirds don't do one thing but make music for us to enjoy. They don't eat up people's gardens, don't nest in corncribs, they don't do one thing but sing their hearts out for us. That's why it's a sin to kill a mockingbird." -- Harper Lee, "To Kill a Mockingbird"

TODAY'S NUMBER: 4,610 -- episodes of "The Tonight Show with Jay Leno," which aired for 22 seasons, ending with Leno's final show on February 6, 2014.

TODAY'S MOON: New moon (April 28).

Today is the 117th day of 2014 and the 39th day of spring.

TODAY'S HISTORY: In 1521, explorer Ferdinand Magellan was killed in the Philippines.

In 1805, U.S. Marines captured Derna, a city on "the shores of Tripoli."

In 1865, the steamboat Sultana exploded in the Mississippi River near Memphis, Tenn., killing some 1,700 passengers.

In 2006, construction began on the Freedom Tower (later renamed One World Trade Center) at the World Trade Center site in New York City.

TODAY'S BIRTHDAYS: 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- ), radio/TV personality; August Wilson (1945-2005), playwright.

TODAY'S FACT: In 1667, blind and impoverished poet John Milton sold the copyright to his masterpiece, "Paradise Lost," for 10 pounds.

TODAY'S SPORTS: In 1956, 31-year-old boxer Rocky Marciano retired with a perfect record, the only heavyweight champion to do so.

TODAY'S QUOTE: "The friend in my adversity I shall always cherish most. I can better trust those who have helped to relieve the gloom of my dark hours than those who are so ready to enjoy with me the sunshine of my prosperity." -- Ulysses S. Grant

TODAY'S NUMBER: 1,776 -- planned height (in feet) of One World Trade Center when the skyscraper is completed.

TODAY'S MOON: Between last quarter moon (April 22) and new moon (April 28).