TODAY’S HISTORY

1904: Britain and France signed the Entente Cordiale, a series of agreements that formalized peace between the two countries.

1935: Congress approved the Emergency Relief Appropriation Act, establishing the Works Progress Administration (WPA). 2005: More than 4 million mourners gathered in Rome for the funeral of Pope John Paul II.

2010: President Barack Obama and Russian President Dmitry Medvedev signed the New START nuclear arms control treaty.

TODAY’S BIRTHDAYS: Harvey Cushing (18691939), surgeon; Mary Pickford (1892-1979), actress; Sonja Henie (1912-1969), ice skater; Betty Ford (1918-2011), first lady; Shecky Greene (1926-), comedian; Kofi Annan (1938-2018), diplomat; Gary Carter (1954-2012), baseball player/sportscaster; Robin Wright (1966-), actress; Patricia Arquette (1968-), actress; Katee Sackhoff (1980-), actress; Felix Hernandez (1986-), baseball player.

TODAY’S FACT: Dutch physicist Heike Kamerlingh Onnes discovered superconductivity during experiments with mercury wire immersed in liquid helium on this day in 1911.

TODAY’S SPORTS: In 1975, Frank Robinson of the Cleveland Indians made his debut as Major League Baseball’s first African American manager. Robinson also continued to play for the team, hitting a home run in his first at-bat of the day.

TODAY’S QUOTE: “Education is, quite simply, peacebuilding by another name. It is the most effective form of defense spending there is.” — Kofi Annan

TODAY’S NUMBER: 755 — career home runs for Hank Aaron, second only to Barry Bonds’ all-time record of 762. Aaron hit his 715th career home run on this day in 1974, breaking the record previously held by Babe Ruth.