TODAY'S HISTORY: In 1740, French and Indian attackers destroyed the town of Deerfield, Mass. In 1940, Hattie McDaniel became the first African American to win an Oscar for her performance of "Mammy" in Gone with the Wind. In 1944, U.S. troops under General Douglas MacArthur invaded the Admiralty Islands. In 1960, an earthquake at Agadir, Morocco killed 12,000.
TODAY'S BIRTHDAYS: Ann Lee (1736-1784), brought the Shaker sect to America; Gioachino Rossini (1792-1868), composer; Herman Hollerith (1860-1929), engineer; Balthus (1908-2001), artist; Dinah Shore (1916-1994), singer; Al Rosen (1924- ), baseball player, is 84; Ja Rule (1976- ), rapper, is 32.
TODAY'S SPORTS: In 1972, Hank Aaron became the first MLB player to sign a $200,000 contract.
TODAY'S QUOTE: "Painting is a language which no-one can replace with another language" - Balthus
TODAY'S FACT: In 1911, Hollerith's Tabulating Machine Company merged with 2 other enterprises to form the Computing-Tabulating-Recording Company, renamed in 1924 the International Business Machines (IBM).
TODAY'S NUMBER: 4 - number of shakers in the United States in 2008, all at Sabbathday Lake, Maine.
TODAY'S MOON: Between last quarter (February 28) and new moon (March 7).