FRIDAY,

FEBRUARY 26, 2021 Today is the 57th day of 2021 and the 68th day of winter.

TODAY’S HISTORY: In 1815, Napoleon Bonaparte escaped from exile on the island of Elba and began his return journey to France.

In 1935, Adolf Hitler secretly ordered the Luftwaffe to be re-formed, in violation of the Treaty of Versailles.

In 1987, the Tower Commission released its report on the Iran-Contra affair, rebuking President Ronald Reagan for not controlling his national security staff.

In 1993, a truck bomb exploded in the parking garage of the World Trade Center in New York City, killing six people and injuring more than 1,000.

TODAY’S BIRTHDAYS: Victor Hugo (1802-1885), author; Levi Strauss (1829- 1902), tailor/inventor; William “Buffalo Bill” Cody (1846-1917), frontiersman/ showman; Tex Avery (1908- 1980), animator; Jackie Gleason (1916-1987), actor/ comedian; Tony Randall (1920-2004), actor; Fats Domino (1928-2017), singer-songwriter/pianist; Ariel Sharon (1928-2014), Israeli prime minister; Robert Novak (1931-2009), columnist; Johnny Cash (1932- 2003), singer-songwriter; Michael Bolton (1953- ), singer-songwriter; Erykah Badu (1971- ), singer-songwriter; Corinne Bailey Rae (1979- ), singer-songwriter.

TODAY’S FACT: Levi Strauss, a Bavarian immigrant who went to San Francisco during the Gold Rush, made his first pair of “jeans” out of canvas.

TODAY’S SPORTS: In 1935, an aging Babe Ruth was released by the New York Yankees and signed a contract to become an assistant manager and player with the Boston Braves.

TODAY’S QUOTE: “Being honest is my job. That’s what music is for me.” -- Erykah Badu

TODAY’S NUMBER: 14 -- age at which “Buffalo Bill” Cody began riding for the Pony Express, after answering an advertisement for “skinny, expert riders willing to risk death daily.”

TODAY’S MOON: Between first quarter (Feb. 19) and full moon (Feb. 27).

SATURDAY

FEBRUARY 27, 2021

Today is the 58th day of 2021 and the 69th day of winter.

TODAY’S HISTORY: In 1837, a group of costumed students paraded down the streets of New Orleans in celebration of Mardi Gras, creating the city’s trademark festival.

In 1951, the 22nd Amendment to the Constitution was ratified, limiting presidents to two terms.

In 1973, Native American activists and members of the American Indian Movement occupied the village of Wounded Knee on Pine Ridge Reservation in South Dakota, beginning a standoff with federal marshals that lasted until May 8.

TODAY’S BIRTHDAYS: Henry Wadsworth Longfellow (1807-1882), poet; Hugo Black (1886-1971), U.S. Supreme Court justice; Marian Anderson (1897- 1993), singer; John Steinbeck (1902-1968), author; Joanne Woodward (1930- ), actress; Elizabeth Taylor (1932-2011), actress; Ralph Nader (1934- ), consumer activist; James Worthy (1961- ), basketball player; Donal Logue (1966- ), actor; Tony Gonzalez (1976- ), football player; Chelsea Clinton (1980- ), journalist; Josh Groban (1981- ), singer-songwriter; Kate Mara (1983- ), actress.

TODAY’S FACT: In 1939, first lady Eleanor Roosevelt resigned from the Daughters of the American Revolution when it barred African American singer Marian Anderson from performing at Constitution Hall. Anderson performed at the Lincoln Memorial instead.

TODAY’S SPORTS: In 1992, 16-year-old Tiger Woods competed in the Nissan Los Angeles Open, becoming the youngest participant in a PGA event in more than 30 years.

TODAY’S QUOTE: “Ideas are like rabbits. You get a couple and learn how to handle them, and pretty soon you have a dozen.” -- John Steinbeck

TODAY’S NUMBER: 1,325 -- receptions made by Tony Gonzalez in his 17-year NFL career. His career receptions are first all-time among tight ends and third among all players; only wide receivers Jerry Rice (1,549) and Larry Fitzgerald (1,432) have more.

TODAY’S MOON: Full moon (Feb. 27).