SUNDAY, MAY 23, 2021

Today is the 143rd day of 2021 and the 65th day of spring.

TODAY’S HISTORY: In 1788, South Carolina became the eighth state to ratify the U.S. Constitution.

In 1846, Mexican President Mariano Paredes issued a manifesto unofficially declaring war on the United States.

In 1934, outlaws Bonnie Parker and Clyde Barrow were fatally shot by police officers in Gibsland, Louisiana.

In 1949, the Federal Republic of Germany (West Germany) was established.

In 1960, a tsunami killed 61 people in Hilo, Hawaii.

TODAY’S BIRTHDAYS: Carolus Linnaeus (1707-1778), botanist; Margaret Fuller (1810-1850), writer/feminist; Douglas Fairbanks (1883-1939), actor/filmmaker; Margaret Wise Brown (1910-1952), author; Artie Shaw (1910-2004), bandleader; Rosemary Clooney (1928-2002), singer/actress; Joan Collins (1933- ), actress/author; John Newcombe (1944- ), tennis player; Marvin Hagler (1954-2021), boxer; Mitch Albom (1958- ), journalist/author; Drew Carey (1958- ), comedian/TV personality; Melissa McBride (1965- ), actress; Jewel (1974- ), singer-songwriter; Ryan Coogler (1986- ), filmmaker; Aaron Donald (1991- ), football player.

TODAY’S FACT: The Hawaiian tsunami on this day in 1960 was triggered by a massive 9.5-magnitude earthquake off the Chilean coast that had killed thousands the day before.

TODAY’S SPORTS: In 1895, the Louisville Colonels forfeited a home game to the Brooklyn Bridegrooms in the third inning because they ran out of baseballs.

TODAY’S QUOTE: “What concerns me now is that my life be a beautiful, powerful, in a word, a complete life of its kind.” -- Margaret Fuller

TODAY’S NUMBER: 50 million -- estimated worldwide sales of Margaret Wise Brown’s “Goodnight Moon” in various formats since it was first published in 1947.

TODAY’S MOON: Between first quarter moon (May 19) and full moon (May 26).

MONDAY, MAY 24, 2021

Today is the 144th day of 2021 and the 66th day of spring.

TODAY’S HISTORY: In 1844, Samuel Morse sent the first electrical telegraph message, “What hath God wrought,” from the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C., to an assistant in Baltimore.

In 1883, the Brooklyn Bridge opened in New York City.

In 1941, the German battleship Bismarck sank the British battle cruiser HMS Hood, killing 1,415 crewmen and leaving just three survivors.

In 1994, the four men convicted of the 1993 bombing of New York’s World Trade Center were each sentenced to 240 years in prison.

TODAY’S BIRTHDAYS: Queen Victoria (1819- 1901), British monarch; H.B. Reese (1879-1956), candy maker; Bob Dylan (1941- ), singer-songwriter; Patti LaBelle (1944- ), singer-songwriter; Priscilla Presley (1945- ), actress; Jim Broadbent (1949- ), actor; Kristen Scott Thomas (1960- ), actress; Michael Chabon (1963- ), author; John C. Reilly (1965- ), actor; Tracy McGrady (1979- ), basketball player; Joey Logano (1990- ), race car driver.

TODAY’S FACT: In 1864, a telegram containing the 16,543-word Nevada Constitution arrived in Washington, D.C. after being sent two days earlier from Carson City, Nevada. It is thought to be the longest telegram ever sent, at a cost of $4,303.27.

TODAY’S SPORTS: In 1964, a riot erupted at National Stadium in Lima, Peru, after a referee’s call during a soccer match between Peru and Argentina. More than 300 fans were killed, and more than 500 were injured.

TODAY’S QUOTE: “Forget about what you are escaping from. Reserve your anxiety for what you are escaping to.” -- Michael Chabon, “The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay”

TODAY’S NUMBER: 14,680 -- the total weight, in tons, of the Brooklyn Bridge.

TODAY’S MOON: Between first quarter moon (May 19) and full moon (May 26).