TODAY’S HISTORY

1792: Congress passed the Coinage Act, establishing the U.S. Mint.

1865: Confederate President Jefferson Davis fled Richmond, Virginia, as Union forces closed in on the Confederate capital.

1917: President Woodrow Wilson asked Congress for a declaration of war against Germany.

1982: Argentine forces mounted amphibious landings on the British-held Falkland Islands, marking the beginning of the Falklands War.

TODAY’S BIRTHDAYS: Hans Christian Andersen (18051875), writer; Emile Zola (18401902), author/ critic; Walter Chrysler (1875-1940), Chrysler founder; Max Ernst (1891-1976), artist; Buddy Ebsen (1908-2003), actor; Alec Guinness (1914-2000), actor; Jack Webb (19201982), actor; Marvin Gaye (1939-1984), singer-songwriter; Emmylou Harris (1947-), singer-songwriter; Christopher Meloni (1961-), actor; Clark Gregg (1962-), actor; Michael Fassbender (1977-), actor; Jesse Plemons (1988-), actor.

TODAY’S FACT: Writer Emile Zola is entombed at the Pantheon in Paris, where he shares a crypt with fellow authors Alexandre Dumas and Victor Hugo.

TODAY’S SPORTS: In 1931, Jackie Mitchell, a 17-year-old female pitcher, struck out both Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig in an exhibition match between the Class AA minor league Chattanooga Lookouts and the New York Yankees.

TODAY’S QUOTE: “Before he goes into the water, a diver cannot know what he will bring back.” — Max Ernst

TODAY’S NUMBER: 4,700 — area (in square miles) of the Falkland Islands, which is slightly less than the state of Connecticut.

TODAY’S MOON: Between new moon (March 31) and first quarter moon (April 8).