ANDREWS MCMEEL ALMANAC

Today is the 64th day of 2017 and the 75th day of winter.

TODAY'S HISTORY: In 1770, British troops fired into a crowd of Americans, killing five, in what became known as the Boston Massacre.

In 1946, Winston Churchill used the phrase "iron curtain" during a speech at Westminster College in Fulton, Missouri, an event often regarded as marking the beginning of the Cold War.

In 1970, the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty went into effect following ratification by 43 nations.

TODAY'S BIRTHDAYS: Howard Pyle (1853-1911), author/illustrator; Rex Harrison (1908-1990), actor; James Tobin (1918-2002), economist; Daniel Kahneman (1934- ), economist; Dean Stockwell (1936- ), actor; Penn Jillette (1955- ), comedian/magician; Andy Gibb (1958-1988), singer; Joel Osteen (1963- ), televangelist; Michael Irvin (1966- ), football player; Lisa Robin Kelly (1970-2013), actress; Kevin Connolly (1974- ), actor; Eva Mendes (1974- ), actress.

TODAY'S FACT: John Adams, who would later be the second U.S. president, served as the attorney for the British soldiers who took part in the Boston Massacre and successfully defended them on murder charges.

TODAY'S SPORTS: In 1993, Canadian Olympic sprinter Ben Johnson received a lifetime ban from competition after testing positive a second time for performance-enhancing drugs.

TODAY'S QUOTE: "Our comforting conviction that the world makes sense rests on a secure foundation: our almost unlimited ability to ignore our ignorance." -- Daniel Kahneman

TODAY'S NUMBER: 189 -- signatories to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty as of February 2017. North Korea withdrew from the treaty in January 2003; among U.N. member states, India, Israel, Pakistan and South Sudan have never signed the treaty.

TODAY'S MOON: First quarter moon (March 5).

ANDREWS MCMEEL ALMANAC

Today is the 63rd day of 2017 and the 74th day of winter.

TODAY'S HISTORY: In 1789, the first session of the United States Congress was held in New York City as the new Constitution took effect.

In 1791, Vermont was admitted as the 14th U.S. state.

In 1913, the U.S. Department of Labor was formed.

In 1933, Franklin D. Roosevelt outlined his "New Deal" during his inauguration as the 32nd U.S. president.

In 1957, the S&P 500 was introduced, replacing the S&P 90.

In 1974, the first issue of People magazine was published, featuring "The Great Gatsby" star Mia Farrow on the cover.

TODAY'S BIRTHDAYS: Antonio Vivaldi (1678-1741), composer; Casimir Pulaski (1745-1779), military leader; Knute Rockne (1888-1931), football coach; John Garfield (1913-1952), actor; James Ellroy (1948- ), author; Rick Perry (1950- ), politician; Catherine O'Hara (1954- ), actress; Patricia Heaton (1958- ), actress; Mykelti Williamson (1960- ), actor; Ray Mancini (1961- ), boxer; Landon Donovan (1982- ), soccer player.

TODAY'S FACT: Between 1945 and 1990, the United States produced more than 70,000 nuclear weapons. About 4,800 nuclear warheads remain in the U.S. stockpile.

TODAY'S SPORTS: In 1995, heavyweight champion George Foreman refused to fight No. 1 contender Tony Tucker and was stripped of his title by the World Boxing Association.

TODAY'S QUOTE: "Anybody who doesn't know that politics is crime has got a few screws loose." – James Ellroy

TODAY'S NUMBER: 76,047 -- immediately eligible American candidates awaiting organ transplants as of February 2017.

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

ANDREWS MCMEEL ALMANAC

Today is the 62nd day of 2017 and the 73rd day of winter.

TODAY'S HISTORY: In 1845, Florida was admitted as the 27th U.S. state.

In 1931, President Herbert Hoover signed a congressional resolution adopting "The Star-Spangled Banner" as the U.S. national anthem.

In 1991, an amateur videographer captured the beating and arrest of construction worker Rodney King by Los Angeles police officers after a high-speed car chase.

In 2005, American millionaire Steve Fossett made the first solo, nonstop, unrefueled flight around the world in a fixed-wing aircraft.

TODAY'S BIRTHDAYS: Alexander Graham Bell (1847-1922), inventor; Jean Harlow (1911-1937), actress; James Doohan (1920-2005), actor; James Merrill (1926-1995), poet; Perry Ellis (1940-1986), fashion designer; George Miller (1945- ), filmmaker; Ira Glass (1959- ), radio personality; Jackie Joyner-Kersee (1962- ), athlete; Julie Bowen (1970- ), actress; Jessica Biel (1982- ), actress.

TODAY'S FACT: "The Star-Spangled Banner" is set to the tune of "To Anacreon in Heaven," a piece originally composed around 1775 as the official song of the Anacreontic Society, an English musicians' club.

TODAY'S SPORTS: In 1920, the Montreal Canadiens set the NHL record for goals in a single game with a 16-3 win over the Quebec Bulldogs.

TODAY'S QUOTE: " You will be fierce. You will be fearless. And you will make work you know in your heart is not as good as you want it to be." -- Ira Glass

TODAY'S NUMBER: 2.83 -- gallons of wine per capita Americans consume annually.

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