NEA DATEBOOK

Today is the 42nd day of 2023 and the 53rd day of winter.

TODAY’S HISTORY: In 1945, U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt, British Prime Minister Winston Churchill and Soviet Premier Joseph Stalin concluded their conference in Yalta, on the Crimean Peninsula.

In 1990, anti-apartheid leader Nelson Mandela was released from prison in South Africa after 27 years.

In 2011, Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak ceded power in response to mass protests in Cairo’s Tahrir Square, bringing nearly 30 years of rule to a close.

In 2013, the Vatican announced Pope Benedict XVI’s intention to step down as leader of the Catholic Church.

TODAY’S BIRTHDAYS: Thomas Edison (1847-1931), inventor; Max Baer (1909-1959), boxer; Eva Gabor (1919-1995), actress; Leslie Nielsen (1926-2010), actor; Mary Quant (1934), fashion designer; Burt Reynolds (1936-2018), actor; Sheryl Crow (1962- ), singer-songwriter; Jennifer Aniston (1969- ), actress; Damian Lewis (1971- ), actor; Kelly Rowland (1981- ), singer; Natalie Dormer (1982- ), actress; Khalid (1998- ), singer-songwriter.

TODAY’S FACT: In 1970, Japan successfully launched its first satellite, becoming the world’s fourth space power after the Soviet Union in 1957, the United States in 1958 and France in 1965.

TODAY’S SPORTS: In 1990, Buster Douglas knocked out undisputed heavyweight champion and 42-1 betting favorite Mike Tyson in the 10th round of their match in Tokyo, completing one of the biggest upsets in boxing history.

TODAY’S QUOTE: “I saw no reason why childhood shouldn’t last forever. So I created clothes that worked and moved and allowed people to run, to jump, to leap, to retain their precious freedom.” — Mary Quant

TODAY’S NUMBER: 21 — age at which Thomas Edison applied for his first patent, for an “Electric Vote Recorder.”

TODAY’S MOON: Between full moon (Feb. 5) and last quarter moon (Feb. 13).