Today is the 144th day of 2015 and the 66th day of spring.
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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, Nevada, 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: "I knew that I shouldn't have, but I did it all the same; and there you have my epitaph, or one of them, because my grave is going to require a monument inscribed on all four sides with rueful mottoes, in small characters, set close together." -- Michael Chabon, "Wonder Boys"
TODAY'S NUMBER: 14,680 -- the total weight, in tons, of the Brooklyn Bridge.
TODAY'S MOON: Between new moon (May 17) and first quarter moon (May 25).