ANDREWS MCMEEL ALMANAC
Today is the 116th day of 2024 and the 38th day of spring.
TODAY'S HISTORY: In 1859, British, French and German engineers began construction on the Suez Canal in Egypt.
In 1898, the United States declared war on Spain.
In 1945, U.S. and Soviet troops met at the Elbe River in Germany, signaling the defeat of German defenses.
In 1953, Francis Crick and James D. Watson published an article describing the double helix structure of DNA.
In 2011, a four-day tornado outbreak in the southern United States began, producing 358 confirmed tornadoes and killing more than 300 people.
TODAY'S BIRTHDAYS: Oliver Cromwell (1599-1658), soldier/politician; Edward R. Murrow (1908-1965), journalist; Ella Fitzgerald (1917-1996), singer; Meadowlark Lemon (1932-2015), basketball player; Jerry Leiber (1933-2011), songwriter/producer; Al Pacino (1940- ), actor; Hank Azaria (1964- ), actor; John Henson (1965-2014), puppeteer; Joe Buck (1969- ), sportscaster; Renee Zellweger (1969- ), actress; Jason Lee (1970- ), actor; Tim Duncan (1976- ), basketball player.
TODAY'S FACT: Most of Jim Henson's Muppets are left-handed, due to the fact that their puppeteers use their dominant hand (typically the right) to control the puppets' head and mouth, while the other hand controls the puppets' arms.
TODAY'S SPORTS: In 1950, Chuck Cooper became the first African American drafted into the NBA when he was selected by the Boston Celtics with the first pick of the second round.
TODAY'S QUOTE: "The obscure we see eventually. The completely obvious, it seems, takes longer." -- Edward R. Murrow
TODAY'S NUMBER: 26,723 -- nautical miles traveled by the U.S. Navy's nuclear-powered submarine USS Triton during its 60-day, 21-hour submerged circumnavigation of the world, completed on this day in 1960.
TODAY'S MOON: Between full moon (April 23) and last quarter moon (May 1).