Today is the 119th day of 2015 and the 41st day of spring.

TODAY'S HISTORY: In 1429, 17-year-old Joan of Arc led French forces in relieving the besieged city of Orleans, France.

In 1862, Union forces officially took possession of New Orleans.

In 1945, the Dachau concentration camp in Germany was liberated by U.S. troops.

In 1992, riots broke out in Los Angeles after four police officers were acquitted of using excessive force during the arrest of motorist Rodney King.

In 2011, Great Britain's Prince William and Kate Middleton were married in London.

TODAY'S BIRTHDAYS: William Randolph Hearst (1863-1951), publisher/politician; Thomas Beecham (1879-1961), orchestra conductor; Duke Ellington (1899-1974), jazz musician; Dale Earnhardt (1951-2001), race car driver; Jerry Seinfeld (1954- ), comedian; Daniel Day-Lewis (1957- ), actor; Michelle Pfeiffer (1958- ), actress; Andre Agassi (1970- ), tennis player; Uma Thurman (1970- ), actress.

TODAY'S FACT: Besides running his own catering business, Duke Ellington's father worked as a butler at a number of homes in Washington, D.C., including the White House.

TODAY'S SPORTS: In 1986, Roger Clemens of the Boston Red Sox became the first pitcher to strike out 20 batters in a nine-inning game, a feat he repeated in 1996.

TODAY'S QUOTE: "Any man who has the brains to think and the nerve to act for the benefit of the people of the country is considered a radical by those who are content with stagnation and willing to endure disaster." -- William Randolph Hearst

TODAY'S NUMBER: 19 -- age of Joan of Arc at the time of her death.

TODAY'S MOON: Between first quarter moon (April 25) and full moon (May 3).

Today is the 118th day of 2015 and the 40th day of spring.

TODAY'S HISTORY: In 1789, a mutiny broke out on the British trade ship Bounty.

In 1945, Italian partisans executed dictator Benito Mussolini and his mistress by firing squad.

In 1952, the United States ended its occupation of Japan.

In 1965, U.S. troops began an occupation of the Dominican Republic in an effort to thwart the establishment of a communist regime.

In 1994, CIA officer and analyst Aldrich Ames pleaded guilty to spying for the Soviet Union and Russia.

TODAY'S BIRTHDAYS: James Monroe (1758-1831), fifth U.S. president; Lionel Barrymore (1878-1954), actor; Oskar Schindler (1908-1974), businessman; Harper Lee (1926- ), author; Ann-Margret (1941- ), singer/actress; Bruno Kirby (1949-2006), actor; Jay Leno (1950- ), comedian/TV personality; L'Wren Scott (1964-2014), model/fashion designer; John Daly (1966- ), golfer; Bridget Moynahan (1971- ), actress; Jorge Garcia (1973- ), actor; Penelope Cruz (1974- ), actress; Jessica Alba (1981- ), actress.

TODAY'S FACT: Aldrich Ames made $4.6 million selling CIA secrets to the KGB from 1985 to 1993.

TODAY'S SPORTS: In 1967, Muhammad Ali refused to be inducted into the U.S. Army and was stripped of his heavyweight boxing title.

TODAY'S QUOTE: "It was times like these when I thought my father, who hated guns and had never been to any wars, was the bravest man who ever lived." -- Harper Lee, "To Kill a Mockingbird"

TODAY'S NUMBER: 4,610 -- episodes of "The Tonight Show with Jay Leno," which aired for 22 seasons, ending with Leno's final show on February 6, 2014.

TODAY'S MOON: Between first quarter moon (April 25) and full moon (May 3).

Today is the 117th day of 2015 and the 39th day of spring.

TODAY'S HISTORY: In 1521, explorer Ferdinand Magellan was killed in the Philippines.

In 1865, the steamboat Sultana exploded in the Mississippi River near Memphis, Tennessee, killing some 1,700 passengers.

In 2006, construction began on the Freedom Tower (later renamed One World Trade Center) at the World Trade Center site in New York City.

In 2014, John XXIII and John Paul II became the first popes to be canonized as saints since 1954.

TODAY'S BIRTHDAYS: Samuel Morse (1791-1872), Morse code co-inventor; Ulysses S. Grant (1822-1885), soldier/18th U.S. president; Rogers Hornsby (1896-1963), baseball player; Enos Slaughter (1916-2002), baseball player; Jack Klugman (1922-2012), actor; Coretta Scott King (1927-2006), activist; Casey Kasem (1932-2014), radio/TV personality; August Wilson (1945-2005), playwright; Herm Edwards (1954- ), football coach/sportscaster.

TODAY'S FACT: In 1667, blind and impoverished poet John Milton sold the copyright to his masterpiece, "Paradise Lost," for 10 pounds (roughly $2,200 in 2015 U.S. currency).

TODAY'S SPORTS: In 1956, 31-year-old boxer Rocky Marciano retired with a perfect 49-0 record, the only heavyweight champion to do so.

TODAY'S QUOTE: "Though I have been trained as a soldier, and have participated in many battles, there never was a time when, in my opinion, some way could not have been found of preventing the drawing of the sword." -- Ulysses S. Grant

TODAY'S NUMBER: 1,776 -- architectural height (in feet) of One World Trade Center.

TODAY'S MOON: Between first quarter moon (April 25) and full moon (May 3).