ANDREWS MCMEEL ALMANAC

Today is the 47th day of 2021 and the 58th day of winter.

TODAY'S HISTORY: In 1923, archaeologist Howard Carter unsealed the burial chamber of the recently discovered tomb of the Egyptian pharaoh Tutankhamen.

In 1959, Fidel Castro was sworn in as prime minister of Cuba.

In 1968, the United States' first 911 emergency phone system went into service in Haleyville, Alabama.

In 2005, the Kyoto Protocol for the reduction of greenhouse gases took effect for 141 ratifying nations.

TODAY'S BIRTHDAYS: Henry M. Leland (1843-1932), Cadillac and Lincoln Motor Co. founder; Edgar Bergen (1903-1978), ventriloquist; Vera-Ellen (1921-1981), actress/dancer; Sonny Bono (1935-1998), singer/politician; Richard Ford (1944- ), author; LeVar Burton (1957- ), actor; Ice-T (1958- ), actor/rapper; John McEnroe (1959- ), tennis player; Christopher Eccleston (1964- ), actor; Jerome Bettis (1972- ), football player; Mahershala Ali (1974- ), actor; Elizabeth Olsen (1989- ), actress; The Weeknd (1990- ), singer-songwriter.

TODAY'S FACT: Hundreds of millions of 911 emergency calls are made in the United States each year. The Federal Communications Commission estimates that 80% are wireless calls.

TODAY'S SPORTS: In 2005, the National Hockey League canceled its 2004-2005 regular season and playoffs due to a labor dispute.

TODAY'S QUOTE: "Social media has colonized what was once a sacred space occupied by emptiness, the space reserved for thought and creativity." -- Mahershala Ali

TODAY'S NUMBER: 30 -- broadcast radio stations in the United States in 1922. Today there are more than 15,000.

TODAY'S MOON: Between new moon (Feb. 11) and first quarter (Feb. 19).

ANDREWS MCMEEL ALMANAC

Today is the 46th day of 2021 and the 57th day of winter.

TODAY'S HISTORY: In 1898, the U.S. battleship Maine exploded and sank in Havana Harbor in Cuba, ultimately leading the United States to declare war on Spain.

In 1961, the U.S. figure skating team was killed in a plane crash in Belgium.

In 1972, sound recordings were granted U.S. federal copyright protection.

In 2001, the first draft of the complete human genome was published in the scientific journal Nature.

In 2013, a meteor exploded over Chelyabinsk Oblast in Russia, injuring 1,500 people and damaging 7,200 buildings in six cities.

TODAY'S BIRTHDAYS: Galileo Galilei (1564-1642), scientist; Susan B. Anthony (1820-1906), activist; Ernest Shackleton (1874-1922), explorer; Harold Arlen (1905-1986), composer; Jane Seymour (1951- ), actress; Matt Groening (1954- ), animator/screenwriter; Chris Farley (1964-1997), actor/comedian; Jaromir Jagr (1972- ), hockey player; Gary Clark Jr. (1984- ), singer-songwriter; Amber Riley (1986- ), singer/actress; Zachary Gordon (1998- ), actor.

TODAY'S FACT: "The Simpsons," created by Matt Groening and currently in its 32nd season, is the longest-running American sitcom.

TODAY'S SPORTS: In 1998, after 19 losses, Dale Earnhardt Sr. won his first and only Daytona 500.

TODAY'S QUOTE: "Forget conventionalisms; forget what the world thinks of you stepping out of your place; think your best thoughts, speak your best words, work your best works, looking to your own conscience for approval." -- Susan B. Anthony

TODAY'S NUMBER: 12,750 -- total length, in miles, of sidewalks in New York City.

TODAY'S MOON: Between new moon (Feb. 11) and first quarter (Feb. 19).

ANDREWS MCMEEL ALMANAC

Today is the 45th day of 2021 and the 56th day of winter.

TODAY'S HISTORY: In 1859, Oregon was admitted as the 33rd U.S. state.

In 1912, Arizona was admitted as the 48th U.S. state.

In 1929, seven mob associates were shot and killed in a Chicago garage in the St. Valentine's Day Massacre.

In 2003, Dolly the sheep, the first mammal cloned from an adult cell, was euthanized at the age of 6.

In 2005, the video-sharing website YouTube.com was founded.

In 2018, a gunman opened fire at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, killing 17 people and injuring 17 others.

TODAY'S BIRTHDAYS: Jack Benny (1894-1974), actor/comedian; Mel Allen (1913-1996), sports broadcaster; Herbert Hauptman (1917-2011), mathematician; Florence Henderson (1934-2016), actress; Michael Bloomberg (1942- ), business magnate/politician; Gregory Hines (1946-2003), dancer/actor; Jim Kelly (1960- ), football player; Meg Tilly (1960- ), actress; Simon Pegg (1970- ), actor; Rob Thomas (1972- ), singer-songwriter; Jim Jefferies (1977- ), actor/comedian; Freddie Highmore (1992- ), actor.

TODAY'S FACT: The U.S. Congress approved the use of voting machines in federal elections on this day in 1899.

TODAY'S SPORTS: In 1988, Bobby Allison became the oldest driver (age 50) to win the Daytona 500, while his son Davey finished second. It was the race's first 1-2 father-son finish.

TODAY'S QUOTE: "One of the things about working on stage -- actually, about working in show business, that is -- is that it's such a collaborative effort. I suppose that everything in life is -- every endeavor where people are able to be successful." -- Gregory Hines

TODAY'S NUMBER: $5 -- Hall of Fame baseball broadcaster Mel Allen's per-game salary when he became the New York Yankees' radio announcer in 1935.

TODAY'S MOON: Between new moon (Feb. 11) and first quarter (Feb. 19).