Today is the 149th day of 2014 and the 71st day of spring.

TODAY'S HISTORY: In 1453, Ottoman armies captured Constantinople after a 53-day siege, effectively crushing the Byzantine Empire.

In 1790, Rhode Island became the final state (of the original colonies) to ratify the U.S. Constitution.

In 1848, Wisconsin was admitted as the 30th U.S. state.

In 1953, Sir Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay became the first climbers known to have reached the summit of Mount Everest.

TODAY'S BIRTHDAYS: Bob Hope (1903-2003), comedian/actor; John F. Kennedy (1917-1963), 35th U.S. president; Danny Elfman (1953- ), composer; Annette Bening (1958- ), actress; Rupert Everett (1959- ), actor; Melissa Etheridge (1961- ), singer-songwriter; Daniel Tosh (1975- ), comedian/TV personality; Carmelo Anthony (1984- ), basketball player.

TODAY'S FACT: Rhode Island's constitution identifies the state's official name as the "State of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations."

TODAY'S SPORTS: In 1990, Rickey Henderson stole his 893rd base, breaking Ty Cobb's American League career stolen base record.

TODAY'S QUOTE: "If more politicians knew poetry, and more poets knew politics, I am convinced the world would be a little better place in which to live." -- John F. Kennedy

TODAY'S NUMBER: 18 -- Academy Awards ceremonies for which legendary entertainer Bob Hope served as host or co-host.

TODAY'S MOON: Between new moon (May 28) and first quarter moon (June 5).

Today is the 148th day of 2014 and the 70th day of spring.

TODAY'S HISTORY: In 1588, the first of 130 ships in the Spanish Armada set sail from Lisbon, Portugal, bound for the English Channel.

In 1830, President Andrew Jackson signed the Indian Removal Act into law.

In 1937, the government of Germany formed the automobile company that would later be known as Volkswagen.

In 1961, English lawyer Peter Benenson's article "The Forgotten Prisoners" was published in London, forming the basis for the human rights organization Amnesty International.

TODAY'S BIRTHDAYS: Thomas Moore (1779-1852), poet; Jim Thorpe (1888-1953), multisport athlete; Ian Fleming (1908-1964), author; Jerry West (1938- ), basketball player/executive; Rudy Giuliani (1944- ), politician; Gladys Knight (1944- ), singer-songwriter; John Fogerty (1945- ), singer-songwriter; Kylie Minogue (1968- ), singer-songwriter; Elisabeth Hasselbeck (1977- ), TV personality; Carey Mulligan (1985- ), actress; NaVorro Bowman (1988- ), football player.

TODAY'S FACT: Between 1939 and 2003, Volkswagen produced more than 21 million Beetles, which made the car the most-produced vehicle model of all time.

TODAY'S SPORTS: In 1957, Major League Baseball's National League owners unanimously approved the moves of the Brooklyn Dodgers and New York Giants to Los Angeles and San Francisco, respectively.

TODAY'S QUOTE: "The key to seeing the world's soul, and in the process wakening our own, is to get over the confusion by which we think that fact is real and imagination is illusion." -- Thomas Moore

TODAY'S NUMBER: 3 million -- members and supporters of Amnesty International in more than 150 nations.

TODAY'S MOON: New moon (May 28).

Today is the 147th day of 2014 and the 69th day of spring.

TODAY'S HISTORY: In 1937, San Francisco's Golden Gate Bridge opened to pedestrian traffic.

In 1941, recent German victories in World War II prompted President Franklin D. Roosevelt to proclaim an "unlimited national emergency."

In 1999, a United Nations tribunal indicted Yugoslav President Slobodan Milosevic for crimes against humanity.

In 2006, a 6.3-magnitude earthquake on the island of Java, Indonesia, killed nearly 6,000 people and injured more than 38,000.

TODAY'S BIRTHDAYS: "Wild Bill" Hickok (1837-1876), lawman/gambler; Dashiell Hammett (1894-1961), author; Rachel Carson (1907-1964), biologist/environmentalist; Hubert Humphrey (1911-1978), politician; Vincent Price (1911-1993), actor; Sam Snead (1912-2002), golfer; Henry Kissinger (1923- ), politician; Adam Carolla (1964- ), TV personality/radio host; Paul Bettany (1971- ), actor; Jack McBrayer (1973- ), actor; Andre 3000 (1975- ), rapper/actor; Jamie Oliver (1975- ), chef/activist; Chris Colfer (1990- ), actor.

TODAY'S FACT: President Franklin D. Roosevelt and British Prime Minister Winston Churchill were not only Allied leaders in World War II; they were seventh cousins once removed, through Roosevelt's mother.

TODAY'S SPORTS: In 1968, Major League Baseball awarded Montreal, Canada, the first MLB franchise outside the United States (Montreal Expos).

TODAY'S QUOTE: "Corrupt politicians make the other 10 percent look bad." -- Henry Kissinger

TODAY'S NUMBER: 2 billion -- vehicles that have crossed the Golden Gate Bridge since it opened in 1937.

TODAY'S MOON: Between last quarter moon (May 21) and new moon (May 28).