Today is the 140th day of 2014 and the 62nd day of spring.

TODAY'S HISTORY: In 1862, President Abraham Lincoln signed the Homestead Act, which provided Western settlers free land for farms.

In 1873, Levi Strauss and Jacob Davies received the U.S. patent for blue jeans.

In 1902, Cuba declared independence from the United States.

In 1961, a mob of 300 white segregationists attacked a busload of "Freedom Riders" in Montgomery, Alabama, requiring federal intervention.

In 2006, Nouri al-Maliki took office as prime minister of Iraq.

TODAY'S BIRTHDAYS: Honore de Balzac (1799-1850), author; John Stuart Mill (1806-1873), philosopher; William Fargo (1818-1881), Wells Fargo co-founder; Jimmy Stewart (1908-1997), actor; Joe Cocker (1944- ), singer-songwriter; Cher (1946- ), singer-songwriter/actress; Ted Allen (1965- ), TV personality; Timothy Olyphant (1968- ), actor; Tony Stewart (1971- ), race car driver; Busta Rhymes (1972- ), rapper; Matt Czuchry (1977- ), actor.

TODAY'S FACT: In 1916, the Saturday Evening Post published its first issue featuring a Norman Rockwell painting ("Boy with Baby Carriage") on the cover.

TODAY'S SPORTS: In 1989, Sunday Silence beat Easy Goer by a nose in the 114th Preakness Stakes, the horse race's closest margin.

TODAY'S QUOTE: "One person with a belief is a social power equal to 99 who have only interests." -- John Stuart Mill

TODAY'S NUMBER: 270 million -- acres of U.S. land given away through the Homestead Act.

TODAY'S MOON: Between full moon (May 14) and last quarter moon (May 21).

Today is the 139th day of 2014 and the 61st day of spring.

TODAY'S HISTORY: In 1536, Anne Boleyn, the second wife of Henry VIII of England, was beheaded for alleged adultery.

In 1921, the United States Congress passed the Emergency Quota Act, setting a national quota system for immigration.

In 1962, Marilyn Monroe performed an infamously seductive rendition of "Happy Birthday" for President John F. Kennedy, a week before his birthday.

In 1963, the New York Post Sunday Magazine published the first excerpts from Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s "Letter from a Birmingham Jail."

TODAY'S BIRTHDAYS: Ho Chi Minh (1890-1969), North Vietnamese leader; Malcolm X (1925-1965), civil rights leader; Nora Ephron (1941-2012), filmmaker/writer; Pete Townshend (1945- ), singer-songwriter/musician; Andre the Giant (1946-1993), actor/wrestler; Grace Jones (1948- ), singer/actress; Archie Manning (1949- ), football player; Joey Ramone (1951-2001), singer-songwriter; Kevin Garnett (1976- ), basketball player; Georges St-Pierre (1981- ), mixed martial artist; Rebecca Hall (1982- ), actress.

TODAY'S FACT: In his late 20s, future Vietnamese leader Ho Chi Minh lived in Paris, where he worked retouching photos.

TODAY'S SPORTS: In 1991, Willy T. Ribbs became the first African-American driver to qualify for the Indianapolis 500.

TODAY'S QUOTE: "Hence I have no mercy or compassion in me for a society that will crush people, and then penalize them for not being able to stand up under the weight." -- Malcolm X

TODAY'S NUMBER: 39 -- months that Anne Boleyn was married to Henry VIII before her execution.

TODAY'S MOON: Between full moon (May 14) and last quarter moon (May 21).

Today is the 138th day of 2014 and the 60th day of spring.

TODAY'S HISTORY: In 1917, the United States passed the Selective Service Act, a conscription law requiring registration of all men aged 21 to 30 who were not already in the military.

In 1974, India successfully tested its first nuclear weapon.

In 1980, Mount St. Helens erupted in Washington state.

In 1998, the U.S. Department of Justice and the attorneys general of 20 states filed an antitrust case against Microsoft.

TODAY'S BIRTHDAYS: Frank Capra (1897-1991), filmmaker; Perry Como (1912-2001), singer; Margo Fonteyn (1919-1991), ballet dancer; Pope John Paul II (1920-2005), Roman Catholic leader; Brooks Robinson (1937- ), baseball player; Reggie Jackson (1946- ), baseball player; George Strait (1952- ), singer/guitarist; Chow Yun-Fat (1955- ), actor; Yannick Noah (1960- ), tennis player; Tina Fey (1970- ), actress/comedian; Jack Johnson (1975- ), singer-songwriter.

TODAY'S FACT: Five countries (the United States, Russia, the United Kingdom, France and China) have officially acknowledged capability to deploy nuclear weapons. At least four others (India, Pakistan, Israel and North Korea) have nuclear capability but are not signatories to nuclear non-proliferation treaties.

TODAY'S SPORTS: In 2004, 40-year-old left-hander Randy Johnson of the Arizona Diamondbacks became the oldest pitcher ever to throw a perfect game.

TODAY'S QUOTE: "The Earth will not continue to offer its harvest, except with faithful stewardship. We cannot say we love the land and then take steps to destroy it for use by future generations." -- Pope John Paul II

TODAY'S NUMBER: $77.3 billion -- value of Microsoft sales in the fiscal year ending June 30, 2013.

TODAY'S MOON: Between full moon (May 14) and last quarter moon (May 21).