Today is the 82nd day of 2015 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; Akira Kurosawa (1910-1998), filmmaker; 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; Kyrie Irving (1992- ), basketball player.

TODAY'S FACT: In 1857, the first successful passenger elevator, designed by Elisha Otis, was installed at 488 Broadway in New York City.

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: "There is nothing that says more about its creator than the work itself." -- Akira Kurosawa

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: Between new moon (March 20) and first quarter moon (March 27).

Today is the 81st day of 2015 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.

In 1995, cosmonaut Valeri Polyakov returned to Earth after completing the longest single spaceflight in history, at 437 days 18 hours.

TODAY'S BIRTHDAYS: Louis L'Amour (1908-1988), author; Karl Malden (1912-2009), 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; Kathryn Jean Lopez (1976- ), journalist; 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: "I would not sit waiting for some vague tomorrow, nor for something to happen. One could wait a lifetime, and find nothing at the end of the waiting. I would begin here, I would make something happen." -- Louis L'Amour, "Sackett's Land"

TODAY'S NUMBER: 45 -- percent of Americans who reported worrying about their weight "all" or "some of the time" in a 2014 Gallup poll, up from 34 percent in 1990.

TODAY'S MOON: Between new moon (March 20) and first quarter moon (March 27).

Today is the 80th day of 2015 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.

In 1999, Bertrand Piccard and Brian Jones completed the first nonstop hot air balloon flight around the world.

In 2006, the social media site Twitter was founded.

TODAY'S BIRTHDAYS: Benito Juarez (1806-1872), Mexican president; Florenz Ziegfeld (1867-1932), theater producer; Phyllis McGinley (1905-1978), author; Timothy Dalton (1944- ), actor; Gary Oldman (1958- ), actor; Ayrton Senna (1960-1994), race car driver; 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 2014, the average ticket cost was $8.17.

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: "Gossip isn't scandal and it's not merely malicious. It's chatter about the human race by lovers of the same." -- 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 new moon (March 20) and first quarter moon (March 27).