Today is the 144th day of 2014 and the 66th day of spring.

TODAY'S HISTORY: In 1844, Samuel Morse sent the first electrical telegraph message, "What Hath God Wrought," from the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C., to an assistant in Baltimore.

In 1883, the Brooklyn Bridge opened in New York City.

In 1941, the German battleship Bismarck sunk the British battle cruiser HMS Hood, killing 1,500 crewmen.

In 1994, the four men convicted of the 1993 bombing of New York's World Trade Center were each sentenced to 240 years in prison.

TODAY'S BIRTHDAYS: Queen Victoria (1819-1901), British monarch; H.B. Reese (1879-1956), candy maker; Tommy Chong (1938- ), actor/comedian; Bob Dylan (1941- ), singer-songwriter; Patti LaBelle (1944- ), singer-songwriter; Priscilla Presley (1945- ), actress; Kristen Scott Thomas (1960- ), actress; Michael Chabon (1963- ), author; John C. Reilly (1965- ), actor; Mo Willems (1968- ), children's author; Joey Logano (1990- ), race car driver.

TODAY'S FACT: In 1864, a telegram containing the 16,543-word Nevada Constitution was sent from Carson City, Nev., to Washington, D.C. It is thought to be the longest telegram ever sent, at a cost of $4,303.27.

TODAY'S SPORTS: In 1964, a riot erupted at National Stadium in Lima, Peru, after a referee's call during a soccer match between Peru and Argentina. More than 300 fans were killed and more than 500 were injured.

TODAY'S QUOTE: "In the immemorial style of young men under pressure, they decided to lie down for a while and waste time." -- Michael Chabon, "The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay"

TODAY'S NUMBER: 14,680 -- the total weight, in tons, of the Brooklyn Bridge.

TODAY'S MOON: Between last quarter moon (May 21) and new moon (May 28).

Today is the 143rd day of 2014 and the 65th day of spring.

TODAY'S HISTORY: In 1788, South Carolina became the eighth state to ratify the U.S. Constitution.

In 1846, Mexican President Mariano Paredes issued a manifesto unofficially declaring war on the United States.

In 1934, outlaws Bonnie Parker and Clyde Barrow were fatally shot by police officers in Black Lake, Louisiana.

In 1949, the Federal Republic of Germany was established.

In 1960, a tsunami killed 61 people in Hilo, Hawaii.

TODAY'S BIRTHDAYS: Carolus Linnaeus (1707-1778), botanist; Margaret Fuller (1810-1850), writer/feminist; Douglas Fairbanks (1883-1939), actor/filmmaker; Margaret Wise Brown (1910-1952), author; Artie Shaw (1910-2004), bandleader; Rosemary Clooney (1928-2002), singer/actress; Joan Collins (1933- ), actress/author; John Newcombe (1944- ), tennis player; Drew Carey (1958- ), comedian/TV personality; Melissa McBride (1965- ), actress; Jewel (1974- ), singer-songwriter.

TODAY'S FACT: The Hawaiian tsunami on this day in 1960 was triggered by a massive 8.5-magnitude earthquake off the Chilean coast that had killed thousands the day before.

TODAY'S SPORTS: In 1895, the Louisville Colonels forfeited a home game to the Brooklyn Bridegrooms in the third inning because they ran out of baseballs.

TODAY'S QUOTE: "The problem with beauty is that it's like being born rich and getting poorer." -- Joan Collins

TODAY'S NUMBER: 14 million -- copies of Margaret Wise Brown's "Goodnight Moon" sold worldwide since it was first published in 1947.

TODAY'S MOON: Between last quarter moon (May 21) and new moon (May 28).

Today is the 142nd day of 2014 and the 64th day of spring.

TODAY'S HISTORY: In 1807, former vice president Aaron Burr was indicted for treason.

In 1872, President Ulysses S. Grant signed the Amnesty Act into law, restoring full rights to nearly all Confederate sympathizers.

In 1947, President Harry Truman signed the Truman Doctrine, appropriating military and economic aid for Greece and Turkey to combat the spread of communism.

In 2011, a tornado struck Joplin, Missouri, claiming an estimated 161 lives and destroying nearly 7,000 houses.

TODAY'S BIRTHDAYS: William Sturgeon (1783-1850), physicist/inventor; Richard Wagner (1813-1883), composer; Mary Cassatt (1844-1926), artist; Sir Arthur Conan Doyle (1859-1930), physician/author; Herge (1907-1983), cartoonist; Laurence Olivier (1907-1989), actor/director; Charles Aznavour (1924- ), singer-songwriter/actor; Morrissey (1959- ), singer-songwriter; Naomi Campbell (1970- ), model/actress; Ginnifer Goodwin (1978- ), actress; Apolo Ohno (1982- ), speed skater.

TODAY'S FACT: Abraham Lincoln remains the only president to have received a U.S. patent. His invention, a device for lifting boats over obstruction in rivers, was patented on this day in 1849.

TODAY'S SPORTS: In 2003, Annika Sorenstam became the first woman golfer since Babe Didrikson Zaharias in 1945 to officially compete against men at a PGA tour event.

TODAY'S QUOTE: "The world is full of obvious things which nobody by any chance ever observes." -- Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, "The Hound of the Baskervilles"

TODAY'S NUMBER: 4,531 -- episodes of NBC's "The Tonight Show" hosted by Johnny Carson, who began his tenure as host in 1962. Carson hosted his final show on this day in 1992.

TODAY'S MOON: Between last quarter moon (May 21) and new moon (May 28).