ANDREWS MCMEEL ALMANAC

Today is the 83rd day of 2017 and the fifth day of spring.

TODAY'S HISTORY: In 1882, Robert Koch announced the discovery of the tuberculosis bacterium.

In 1958, Elvis Presley reported to the Memphis Draft Board and began service in the U.S. Army.

In 1989, the Exxon Valdez ran aground in Prince William Sound, spilling millions of gallons of oil off the coast of Alaska.

In 1999, the NATO alliance began air strikes against Yugoslavia.

TODAY'S BIRTHDAYS: Andrew W. Mellon (1855-1937), financier; Harry Houdini (1874-1926), magician; Roscoe "Fatty" Arbuckle (1887-1933), comedian/director; Thomas Dewey (1902-1971), politician; Joseph Barbera (1911-2006), animator; Steve McQueen (1930-1980), actor; R. Lee Ermey (1944- ), actor; Tommy Hilfiger (1951- ), fashion designer; Star Jones (1962- ), TV personality; Jim Parsons (1973- ), actor; Alyson Hannigan (1974- ), actress; Peyton Manning (1976- ), football player; Jessica Chastain (1977- ), actress; Lake Bell (1979- ), actress; Chris Bosh (1984- ), basketball player.

TODAY'S FACT: The Exxon Valdez was repaired and returned to service following its 1989 oil spill. It continued in operation under different names and ownership before being beached for scrap in India in August 2012.

TODAY'S SPORTS: In 1936, the Detroit Red Wings won the longest game in NHL history, scoring in the sixth overtime period of a playoff game to beat the Montreal Maroons 1-0.

TODAY'S QUOTE: "You hear about how many fourth quarter comebacks that a guy has and I think it means a guy screwed up in the first three quarters." -- Peyton Manning

TODAY'S NUMBER: 19 -- minutes of footage broadcast to normal American televisions on this date in 1965 by the Ranger 9 lunar probe before its intentional impact with the moon's surface.

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

ANDREWS MCMEEL ALMANAC

Today is the 82nd day of 2017 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 (1955-2015), basketball player; Catherine Keener (1959- ), actress; 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: The Russian space station Mir was pulled out of orbit on this day in 2001. Although it re-entered the atmosphere over Fiji, most of the debris burned up during the descent.

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: "I suppose all of my films have a common theme. If I think about it, though, the only theme I can think of is really a question: Why can't people be happier together?" – Akira Kurosawa

TODAY'S NUMBER: 12 -- number of interviews by British journalist David Frost with former President Richard Nixon over the Watergate scandal. The first of these was videotaped on this day in 1977.

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

ANDREWS MCMEEL ALMANAC

Today is the 81st day of 2017 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 legalized the sale of alcoholic beverages.

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; Keegan-Michael Key (1971- ), actor/comedian; Kathryn Jean Lopez (1976- ), journalist; Reese Witherspoon (1976- ), actress; J.J. Watt (1989- ), football player.

TODAY'S FACT: The album cover photograph for "Please Please Me" was taken in the stairwell of record label EMI's London headquarters.

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 prefer neurotic people. I like to hear rumblings beneath the surface." -- Stephen Sondheim

TODAY'S NUMBER: $219.5 billion – total alcoholic beverage sales in the United States in 2015.

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