ANDREWS MCMEEL ALMANAC

Today is the 63rd day of 2021 and the 74th day of winter.

TODAY'S HISTORY: In 1789, the first session of the U.S. 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; Catherine O'Hara (1954- ), actress; Mykelti Williamson (1957- ), actor; Patricia Heaton (1958- ), actress; Ray Mancini (1961- ), boxer; Dav Pilkey (1966- ), author/illustrator; Landon Donovan (1982- ), soccer player.

TODAY'S FACT: Between 1945 and 1990, the United States produced more than 70,000 nuclear weapons. About 3,800 nuclear warheads remain in the U.S. stockpile, with another 2,385 retired and awaiting dismantlement.

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: "Do not fall into the error of the artisan who boasts of 20 years' experience in his craft while in fact he has had only one year of experience -- 20 times." -- James Ellroy

TODAY'S NUMBER: 109,000 -- immediately eligible American candidates awaiting organ transplants as of February 2021.

TODAY'S MOON: Between full moon (Feb. 27) and last quarter moon (March 5).

ANDREWS MCMEEL ALMANAC

Today is the 62nd day of 2021 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; Herschel Walker (1962- ), football player; Julie Bowen (1970- ), actress; Jessica Biel (1982- ), actress; Jayson Tatum (1998- ), basketball player.

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: "When I feel good about myself, things start happening for myself. When you look up, you go up." -- Herschel Walker

TODAY'S NUMBER: 2.91 -- gallons of wine per capita Americans consume annually.

TODAY'S MOON: Between full moon (Feb. 27) and last quarter moon (March 5).

ANDREWS MCMEEL ALMANAC

Today is the 61st day of 2021 and the 72nd day of winter.

TODAY'S HISTORY: In 1836, Texas declared its independence from Mexico.

In 1877, the U.S. Congress declared Rutherford B. Hayes the winner of the 1876 presidential election, despite the fact that Samuel J. Tilden had won the popular vote.

In 1917, the Jones-Shafroth Act was enacted, granting U.S. citizenship to the people of Puerto Rico.

In 1969, the Concorde supersonic airliner flew (at subsonic speeds) for the first time.

TODAY'S BIRTHDAYS: Sam Houston (1793-1863), soldier/politician; Dr. Seuss (Theodor Geisel) (1904-1991), author; Mel Ott (1909-1958), baseball player; Desi Arnaz (1917-1986), actor/musician; Tom Wolfe (1930-2018), author/journalist; Mikhail Gorbachev (1931- ), former Soviet leader; John Irving (1942- ), author; Jon Bon Jovi (1962- ), singer-songwriter; Daniel Craig (1968- ), actor; Method Man (1971- ), rapper/actor; Chris Martin (1977- ), singer-songwriter; Rebel Wilson (1980- ), actress; Bryce Dallas Howard (1981- ), actress; Ben Roethlisberger (1982- ), football player.

TODAY'S FACT: "King Kong," which opened at Radio City Music Hall in New York City on this day in 1933, was made for about $13.6 million (in today's dollars). The 2017 reboot "Kong: Skull Island" cost $185 million to produce.

TODAY'S SPORTS: In 1962, Wilt Chamberlain of the Philadelphia Warriors set the NBA single-game scoring record with 100 points in a win over the New York Knicks.

TODAY'S QUOTE: "Kids are perfect people till grown-ups get their hands on them." -- John Irving

TODAY'S NUMBER: 27 -- publishing companies that rejected the manuscript of Dr. Seuss' first book for children, "And to Think That I Saw It on Mulberry Street."

TODAY'S MOON: Between full moon (Feb. 27) and last quarter moon (March 5).