NEA DATEBOOK

Today is the 70th day of 2023 and the 81st day of winter.

TODAY’S HISTORY: In 1861, delegates from seven states adopted the Constitution of the Confederate States of America.

In 1888, the “Great Blizzard of ‘88” struck the Northeastern United States, killing more than 400 people.

In 2004, 191 people were killed when terrorist bombs exploded on rush-hour commuter trains in Madrid.

In 2011, a magnitude 9.03 undersea earthquake triggered a tsunami that struck Japan, killing nearly 16,000 people and causing meltdowns at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant.

In 2020, the World Health Organization officially announced the COVID-19 outbreak as a pandemic.

TODAY’S BIRTHDAYS: Lawrence Welk (1903-1992), bandleader; Ralph Abernathy (1926-1990), civil rights leader; Rupert Murdoch (1931- ), business leader; Sam Donaldson (1934- ), TV journalist; Antonin Scalia (1936-2016), U.S. Supreme Court justice; Douglas Adams (1952-2001), author; Peter Berg (1964- ), actor/filmmaker; Terrence Howard (1969- ), actor; Johnny Knoxville (1971- ), actor; Thora Birch (1982- ), actress; Anton Yelchin (1989-2016), actor; Anthony Davis (1993- ), basketball player.

TODAY’S FACT: According to Forbes, News Corp. CEO Rupert Murdoch’s net worth was $18 billion as of late February 2023.

TODAY’S SPORTS: In 1979, Randy Holt of the NHL’s Los Angeles Kings was penalized nine times for a record total of 67 minutes.

TODAY’S QUOTE: “A common mistake that people make when trying to design something completely foolproof is to underestimate the ingenuity of complete fools.” — Douglas Adams, “Mostly Harmless”

TODAY’S NUMBER: 44 — countries that received the $50 billion in funds and military goods made available under the Lend-Lease Act, signed into law by President Franklin D. Roosevelt on this day in 1941.

TODAY’S MOON: Between full moon (March 7) and last quarter moon (March 14).