ANDREWS MCMEEL ALMANAC

Today is the 60th day of 2017 and the 71st day of winter.

TODAY'S HISTORY: In 1781, the Continental Congress officially adopted the Articles of Confederation.

In 1803, Ohio was admitted as the 17th U.S. state.

In 1867, Nebraska was admitted as the 37th U.S. state.

In 1961, President John F. Kennedy issued an executive order establishing the Peace Corps.

In 2003, Pakistani counterterrorism forces captured al-Qaida operative Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, a principal planner of the 9/11 terror attacks.

In 2005, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that capital punishment for crimes committed before the age of 18 was unconstitutional.

TODAY'S BIRTHDAYS: Frederic Chopin (1810-1849), composer; Glenn Miller (1904-1944), bandleader; David Niven (1910-1983), actor; Harry Caray (1914-1998), sportscaster; Ralph Ellison (1914-1994), author; Yitzhak Rabin (1922-1995), Israeli prime minister; Harry Belafonte (1927- ), singer-songwriter/actor; Roger Daltrey (1944- ), singer-songwriter; Ron Howard (1954- ), actor/director; Zack Snyder (1966- ), filmmaker; Javier Bardem (1969- ), actor; Jensen Ackles (1978- ), actor; Kesha (1987- ), singer; Justin Bieber (1994- ), singer.

TODAY'S FACT: The International Criminal Court held its inaugural session in The Hague on this day in 2003.

TODAY'S SPORTS: In 1969, New York Yankees slugger Mickey Mantle announced his retirement.

TODAY'S QUOTE: "I was looking for myself and asking everyone except myself questions which I, and only I, could answer." -- Ralph Ellison, "Invisible Man"

TODAY'S NUMBER: 5,335,247 -- English-language pages on Wikipedia.org, as of mid-February 2017. Wikipedia estimates that without images, its pages would fill 2,421 volumes of the "Encyclopaedia Britannica."

TODAY'S MOON: Between new moon (Feb. 26) and first quarter moon (March 5).

ANDREWS MCMEEL ALMANAC

Today is the 59th day of 2017 and the 70th day of winter.

TODAY'S HISTORY: In 1935, DuPont scientist Wallace Carothers invented nylon.

In 1993, federal agents raided the Branch Davidian cult compound in Waco, Texas.

In 1997, two heavily armed and armored bank robbers were killed in a shootout with police on the streets of North Hollywood.

In 2013, Pope Benedict XVI became the first Catholic pope to resign since 1415.

TODAY'S BIRTHDAYS: Vincente Minnelli (1903-1986), film director; Milton Caniff (1907-1988), cartoonist; Frank Gehry (1929- ), architect; Mario Andretti (1940- ), race car driver; Bernadette Peters (1948- ), actress; Paul Krugman (1953- ), columnist/Nobel laureate; John Turturro (1957- ), actor; Pat Monahan (1969- ), singer-songwriter; Lemony Snicket (1970- ), author; Eric Lindros (1973- ), hockey player; Jason Aldean (1977- ), singer-songwriter; Aroldis Chapman (1988- ), baseball player.

TODAY'S FACT: The 2 1/2-hour series finale of "M.A.S.H.," which was watched by 60.2 percent of U.S. TV-owning households, remains the highest-rated single TV show in history, with a 77 percent share of the Nielsen ratings during its original airing on this day in 1983.

TODAY'S SPORTS: In 1967, Wilt Chamberlain of the Philadelphia 76ers missed a shot for the first time in four games, ending his NBA-record streak of consecutive field goals at 35.

TODAY'S QUOTE: "Everyone should be able to do one card trick, tell two jokes and recite three poems, in case they are ever trapped in an elevator." -- Lemony Snicket, "Horseradish: Bitter Truths You Can’t Avoid"

TODAY'S NUMBER: 51 -- days that the 1993 Branch Davidian standoff in Waco, Texas, lasted.

TODAY'S MOON: Between new moon (Feb. 26) and first quarter moon (March 5).

ANDREWS MCMEEL ALMANAC

Today is the 58th day of 2017 and the 69th day of winter.

TODAY'S HISTORY: In 1827, a group of costumed students paraded down the streets of New Orleans in celebration of Mardi Gras, creating the city's trademark festival.

In 1951, the 22nd Amendment to the Constitution was ratified, limiting presidents to two terms.

In 1973, Native American activists and members of the American Indian Movement occupied the village of Wounded Knee on Pine Ridge Reservation in South Dakota, beginning a standoff with federal marshals that lasted until May 8.

TODAY'S BIRTHDAYS: Henry Wadsworth Longfellow (1807-1882), poet; Hugo Black (1886-1971), U.S. Supreme Court justice; Marian Anderson (1897-1993), singer; John Steinbeck (1902-1968), author; Joanne Woodward (1930- ), actress; Elizabeth Taylor (1932-2011), actress; Ralph Nader (1934- ), consumer activist; James Worthy (1961- ), basketball player; Donal Logue (1966- ), actor; Tony Gonzalez (1976- ), football player; Chelsea Clinton (1980- ), journalist; Josh Groban (1981- ), singer-songwriter; Kate Mara (1983- ), actress.

TODAY'S FACT: In 1939, first lady Eleanor Roosevelt resigned from the Daughters of the American Revolution when it barred African-American singer Marian Anderson from performing at Constitution Hall. Anderson performed at the Lincoln Memorial instead.

TODAY'S SPORTS: In 1992, 16-year-old Tiger Woods competed in the Nissan Los Angeles Open, becoming the youngest participant in a PGA event in more than 30 years.

TODAY'S QUOTE: "In every bit of honest writing in the world ... there is a base theme. Try to understand men, if you understand each other you will be kind to each other. Knowing a man well never leads to hate and nearly always leads to love." -- John Steinbeck

TODAY'S NUMBER: 1,325 -- receptions made by tight end Tony Gonzalez in his 17-year NFL career, second only to Hall of Fame wide receiver Jerry Rice’s all-time record of 1,549.

TODAY'S MOON: Between new moon (Feb. 26) and first quarter moon (March 5).