Today is the 123rd day of 2014 and the 45th day of spring.

TODAY'S HISTORY: In 1802, Washington, D.C., was incorporated as a city.

In 1921, West Virginia approved the first state sales tax.

In 1973, construction was completed on Chicago's Sears Tower (later renamed the Willis Tower), the tallest building in the world at the time.

In 2006, Zacarias Moussaoui, convicted of conspiracy in the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, was sentenced to life in prison.

TODAY'S BIRTHDAYS: Niccolo Machiavelli (1469-1527), statesman/philosopher; Golda Meir (1898-1978), Israeli prime minister; Bing Crosby (1903-1977), singer/actor; Pete Seeger (1919-2014), singer-songwriter; Sugar Ray Robinson (1921-1989), boxer; James Brown (1933-2006), singer-songwriter; Frankie Valli (1934- ), singer; Greg Gumbel (1946- ), sportscaster; Christina Hendricks (1975- ), actress; Dule Hill (1975- ), actor; Cheryl Burke (1984- ), dancer.

TODAY'S FACT: Residents of Washington, D.C., did not receive the right to vote in presidential elections until the 23rd Amendment was passed in 1961.

TODAY'S SPORTS: in 1987, Julius Erving of the Philadelphia 76ers played his final game, finishing with 30,026 points, 10,525 rebounds and 5,176 assists in his professional basketball (ABA and NBA) career.

TODAY'S QUOTE: "I'd really rather put songs on people's lips than in their ears." -- Pete Seeger

TODAY'S NUMBER: 23 -- hours of solitary confinement each day for prisoners at the Supermax prison in Florence, Colo., where Zacarias Moussaoui is imprisoned.

TODAY'S MOON: Between new moon (April 28) and first quarter moon (May 6).

Today is the 122nd day of 2014 and the 44th day of spring.

TODAY'S HISTORY: In 1611, the King James Bible was first published in London.

In 1918, General Motors Corp. purchased Chevrolet Motor Co.

In 1945, tens of thousands of German troops in Berlin surrendered to the Soviet Union's Red Army.

In 2007, the International Criminal Court issued the first two arrest warrants for individuals accused of war crimes in Darfur, Sudan.

TODAY'S BIRTHDAYS: Benjamin Spock (1903-1998), author/physician; Engelbert Humperdinck (1936- ), singer; Larry Gatlin (1948- ), singer-songwriter; Christine Baranski (1952- ), actress; Donatella Versace (1955- ), fashion designer; Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson (1972- ), wrestler/actor; David Beckham (1975- ), soccer player; Lily Allen (1985- ), singer-songwriter; Kyle Busch (1985- ), race car driver.

TODAY'S FACT: There are 66 books in the King James Bible, 39 of which are in the Old Testament.

TODAY'S SPORTS: In 1920, the Indianapolis ABCs defeated the Chicago American Giants, 4-2, in the first baseball game of the Negro National League.

TODAY'S QUOTE: "Don't take too seriously all that the neighbors say. Don't be overawed by what the experts say. Don't be afraid to trust your own common sense." -- Benjamin Spock

TODAY'S NUMBER: 2,130 -- record-setting consecutive games streak by Lou Gehrig, "The Iron Horse" of the New York Yankees, broken when he benched himself for poor play on this day in 1939. Cal Ripken Jr. surpassed Gehrig's consecutive games record in 1995.

TODAY'S MOON: Between new moon (April 28) and first quarter moon (May 6).

Today is the 121st day of 2014 and the 43rd day of spring.

TODAY'S HISTORY: In 1840, the Penny Black, the world's first adhesive postage stamp, was issued in Great Britain.

In 1898, the U.S. Navy, led by Commodore George Dewey, defeated the Spanish Pacific fleet in the first battle of the Spanish-American War.

In 1948, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (North Korea) was established.

In 2011, President Barack Obama announced that U.S. forces had killed Osama bin Laden, mastermind of the 9/11 terrorist attacks, in a nighttime raid in Pakistan.

TODAY'S BIRTHDAYS: Martha "Calamity Jane" Burke (1852-1903), frontierswoman; Jack Paar (1918-2004), comedian/TV host; Joseph Heller (1923-1999), author/playwright; Scott Carpenter (1925-2013), astronaut; John Woo (1946- ), filmmaker; Tim McGraw (1967- ), singer-songwriter; Wes Anderson (1969- ), filmmaker; Wes Welker (1981- ), football player; Emilia Clarke (1987- ), actress.

TODAY'S FACT: Japan formally annexed Korea in 1910 and held possession of the former "Hermit Kingdom" until after World War II.

TODAY'S SPORTS: In 1991, Rickey Henderson of the Oakland Athletics stole his 939th base, setting a new major-league record. Later that evening, Texas Rangers pitcher Nolan Ryan threw his seventh career no-hitter, breaking his own record.

TODAY'S QUOTE: "He was going to live forever, or die in the attempt." -- Joseph Heller, "Catch-22"

TODAY'S NUMBER: 1,454 -- height (in feet) of the Empire State Building in New York City, dedicated on this day in 1931.

TODAY'S MOON: Between new moon (April 28) and first quarter moon (May 6).