NEA DATEBOOK

TODAY’S HISTORY: In 1901, Britain’s Queen Victoria died at age 81, after a thenrecord 63-year reign.

In 1973, the U.S. Supreme Court issued its landmark ruling in the Roe v. Wade case, legalizing elective abortion nationwide.

In 1997, Madeleine Albright was confirmed by the senate as the first female U.S. secretary of state.

In 1998, “Unabomber” Ted Kaczynski pleaded guilty in Sacramento, California, and was sentenced to life in prison without parole.

TODAY’S BIRTHDAYS: Francis Bacon (1561-1626), philosopher/essayist; Lord Byron (1788-1824), poet; August Strindberg (1849-1912), playwright; D.W. Griffith (1875-1948), film director; Sergei Eisenstein (1898-1948), director; George Balanchine (1904-1983), choreographer; Sam Cooke (1931-1964), singer-songwriter; Piper Laurie (1932-2023), actress; Bill Bixby (1934-1993), actor; John Hurt (1940-2017), actor; Steve Perry (1949- ), singer-songwriter; Linda Blair (1959- ), actress; Diane Lane (1965- ), actress; Guy Fieri (1968- ), TV host; Logic (1990- ), rapper.

The Apple Macintosh computer was unveiled in a Super Bowl ad directed by Ridley Scott on this day in 1984.

TODAY’S SPORTS: In 2006, Kobe Bryant of the Los Angeles Lakers scored 81 points against the Toronto Raptors, the second-most ever scored by a single player in an NBA game.

TODAY’S QUOTE: “Imagination was given to man to compensate him for what he is not; a sense of humor to console him for what he is.” — Francis Bacon

TODAY’S NUMBER: 1,574 — Boeing 747 jets built between when the aircraft went into production in 1967 and when production ceased in December 2022. The 747 entered service for Pan American Airways with its maiden commercial flight on this day in 1970.