DAY IN HISTORY

Wednesday, March 3, 2021

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 Joynerkersee (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).