Today is the 59th day of 2015 and the 70th day of winter.

TODAY'S HISTORY: In 1935, DuPont scientist Wallace Carothers invented nylon.

In 1993, federal agents raided the Branch Davidian cult compound in Waco, Texas.

In 1997, two heavily armed and armored bank robbers were killed in a shootout with police on the streets of North Hollywood.

In 2013, Pope Benedict XVI became the first Catholic pope to resign since 1415.

TODAY'S BIRTHDAYS: Vincente Minnelli (1903-1986), film director; Milton Caniff (1907-1988), cartoonist; Frank Gehry (1929- ), architect; Mario Andretti (1940- ), race car driver; Bernadette Peters (1948- ), actress; Paul Krugman (1953- ), columnist/Nobel laureate; John Turturro (1957- ), actor; Robert Sean Leonard (1969- ), actor; Pat Monahan (1969- ), singer-songwriter; Lemony Snicket (1970- ), author; Eric Lindros (1973- ), hockey player; Jason Aldean (1977- ), singer-songwriter.

TODAY'S FACT: The 2 1/2-hour series finale of "M.A.S.H.," which was watched by 60.2 percent of U.S. TV-owning households, remains the highest-rated single TV show in history, with a 77 percent share of the Nielsen ratings during its original airing on this day in 1983.

TODAY'S SPORTS: In 1967, Wilt Chamberlain of the Philadelphia 76ers missed a shot for the first time in four games, ending his NBA-record streak of consecutive field goals at 35.

TODAY'S QUOTE: "Wicked people never have time for reading. It's one of the reasons for their wickedness." -- Lemony Snicket, "The Penultimate Peril"

TODAY'S NUMBER: 51 -- days that the 1993 Branch Davidian standoff in Waco, Texas, lasted.

TODAY'S MOON: Between first quarter moon (Feb. 25) and full moon (March 5).

Today is the 58th day of 2015 and the 69th day of winter.

TODAY'S HISTORY: In 1827, a group of costumed students paraded down the streets of New Orleans in celebration of Mardi Gras, creating the city's trademark festival.

In 1951, the 22nd Amendment to the Constitution was ratified, limiting presidents to two terms.

In 1973, roughly 200 Native-American activists and members of the American Indian Movement occupied the village of Wounded Knee on Pine Ridge Reservation in South Dakota, beginning a standoff with federal marshals that lasted until May 8.

TODAY'S BIRTHDAYS: Henry Wadsworth Longfellow (1807-1882), poet; Hugo Black (1886-1971), U.S. Supreme Court justice; Marian Anderson (1897-1993), singer; John Steinbeck (1902-1968), author; Joanne Woodward (1930- ), actress; Elizabeth Taylor (1932-2011), actress; Ralph Nader (1934- ), consumer activist; James Worthy (1961- ), basketball player; Donal Logue (1966- ), actor; Tony Gonzalez (1976- ), football player; Chelsea Clinton (1980- ), journalist; Josh Groban (1981- ), singer-songwriter.

TODAY'S FACT: In 1939, first lady Eleanor Roosevelt resigned from the Daughters of the American Revolution when it barred African-American singer Marian Anderson from performing at Constitution Hall. Anderson performed at the Lincoln Memorial instead.

TODAY'S SPORTS: In 1992, 16-year-old Tiger Woods competed in the Nissan Los Angeles Open, becoming the youngest participant in a PGA event in more than 30 years.

TODAY'S QUOTE: "And now that you don't have to be perfect, you can be good." -- John Steinbeck, "East of Eden"

TODAY'S NUMBER: 739,034 -- votes received by Ralph Nader in the 2008 presidential election, running as an independent candidate. Nader ran for president in 1996, 2000, 2004 and 2008, finishing no higher than third in each election.

TODAY'S MOON: Between first quarter moon (Feb. 25) and full moon (March 5).

Today is the 57th day of 2015 and the 68th day of winter.

TODAY'S HISTORY: In 1815, Napoleon Bonaparte escaped from exile on the island of Elba and began his return journey to France.

In 1935, Adolf Hitler secretly ordered the Luftwaffe to be reformed, in violation of the Treaty of Versailles.

In 1987, the Tower Commission released its report on the Iran-Contra affair, rebuking President Ronald Reagan for not controlling his national security staff.

In 1993, a truck bomb exploded in the parking garage of the World Trade Center in New York City, killing six people and injuring more than 1,000.

TODAY'S BIRTHDAYS: Victor Hugo (1802-1885), author; Levi Strauss (1829-1902), tailor/inventor; William "Buffalo Bill" Cody (1846-1917), frontiersman/showman; Tex Avery (1908-1980), animator; Jackie Gleason (1916-1987), actor/comedian; Tony Randall (1920-2004), actor; Fats Domino (1928- ), singer-songwriter/pianist; Ariel Sharon (1928-2014), Israeli prime minister; Robert Novak (1931-2009), columnist; Johnny Cash (1932-2003), singer-songwriter; Michael Bolton (1953- ), singer-songwriter; Erykah Badu (1971- ), singer-songwriter.

TODAY'S FACT: Levi Strauss, a Bavarian immigrant who went to San Francisco during the Gold Rush, made his first pair of "jeans" out of canvas.

TODAY'S SPORTS: In 1935, an aging Babe Ruth was released by the New York Yankees and signed a contract to become an assistant manager and player with the Boston Braves.

TODAY'S QUOTE: "Not being heard is no reason for silence." -- Victor Hugo, "Les Miserables"

TODAY'S NUMBER: 14 -- age at which "Buffalo Bill" Cody began riding for the Pony Express, after answering an advertisement for "skinny, expert riders willing to risk death daily."

TODAY'S MOON: Between first quarter moon (Feb. 25) and full moon (March 5).