NEA DATEBOOK

Today is the 117th day of 2023 and the 39th day of spring.

TODAY’S HISTORY: In 1521, explorer Ferdinand Magellan was killed in the Philippines.

In 1865, the steamboat Sultana exploded in the Mississippi River near Memphis, Tennessee, killing some 1,700 passengers.

In 2014, John XXIII and John Paul II became the first popes to be canonized as saints since 1954.

In 2018, the leaders of North and South Korea signed the Panmunjom Declaration, officially pledging to work toward ending the Korean conflict.

TODAY’S BIRTHDAYS: Samuel Morse (1791-1872), Morse code co-inventor; Ulysses S. Grant (1822-1885), soldier/18th U.S. president; Rogers Hornsby (1896-1963), baseball player; Enos Slaughter (1916-2002), baseball player; Jack Klugman (1922-2012), actor; Coretta Scott King (1927-2006), activist; Casey Kasem (1932-2014), radio/TV personality;

Sandy Dennis (1937-1992), actress; August Wilson (1945-2005), playwright; Herm Edwards (1954- ), football coach; Ari Graynor (1983- ), actress; Patrick Stump (1984- ), singer-songwriter; Lizzo (1988- ) rapper/singersongwriter.

TODAY’S FACT: In 1667, blind and impoverished poet John Milton sold the copyright to his masterpiece, “Paradise Lost,” for 10 pounds (roughly $2,777.65 in 2023 U.S. currency).

TODAY’S SPORTS: In 1956, 32-year-old boxer Rocky Marciano retired with a perfect 49-0 record, the only heavyweight champion to do so.

TODAY’S QUOTE: “All you need in the world is love and laughter. That’s all anybody needs. To have love in one hand and laughter in the other.” — August Wilson

TODAY’S NUMBER: 1,776 — architectural height (in feet) of One World Trade Center in New York City. Construction on the site began on this day in 2006.