ANDREWS MCMEEL ALMANAC

TODAY'S HISTORY: In 1836, the Alamo mission and fortress compound in Texas fell to Mexican forces after a 13-day siege.

Today is the 65th day of 2017 and the 76th day of winter.

In 1857, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that slaves were property in Dred Scott v. Sandford.

In 1951, the espionage trial of Ethel and Julius Rosenberg began in New York Southern District federal court.

In 1981, Walter Cronkite signed off for the last time as "CBS Evening News" anchor, a post he had held for 19 years.

TODAY'S BIRTHDAYS: Michelangelo (1475-1564), painter/sculptor/architect; Cyrano de Bergerac (1619-1655), soldier/writer; Lou Costello (1906-1959), actor/comedian; Will Eisner (1917-2005), cartoonist; Ed McMahon (1923-2009), TV personality; Alan Greenspan (1926- ), economist; Gabriel Garcia Marquez (1927-2014), author; Rob Reiner (1947- ), actor/director; D.L. Hughley (1963- ), actor/comedian; Connie Britton (1967- ), actress; Shaquille O'Neal (1972- ), basketball player.

TODAY'S FACT: The U.S. Census Bureau reported that the median age for an American man in 2014 getting married for the first time was 29.3 years old. The median age for women was 27.

TODAY'S SPORTS: In 1964, world heavyweight boxing champion Cassius Clay announced that his spiritual mentor, Elijah Muhammad, had given him the new name Muhammad Ali.

TODAY'S QUOTE: "But I believe without any doubt at all that our greatest good fortune was that even in the most extreme difficulties we might lose our patience but never our sense of humor." -- Gabriel Garcia Marquez, "Living to Tell the Tale"

TODAY'S NUMBER: $0.30 -- price for 1 pound of Oreo cookies in a novelty can when the cookie was introduced by the National Biscuit Co. (today known as Nabisco) on this day in 1912.

TODAY'S MOON: Between first quarter moon (March 5) and full moon (March 12).

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).