Today in History 10/13 (ABA Basketball)

Founded: 1967
Founders: Dennis Murphy · Richard Tinkham · Joe Newman
Teams: Springfield Sting

This is a logo for American Basketball Association.
wiki/American_Basketball_Association
(1967) New league takes a shot at competing with the NBA.
Also on this day,
1773 | Messier spots another otherworldly ‘object’ and Whirlpool Galaxy is found
Also on this day,
1773 | Messier spots another otherworldly ‘object’ and Whirlpool Galaxy is found
While searching the skies for celestial objects that might mislead comet seekers, French astronomer Charles Messier finds a cluster of stars that will later be named the Whirlpool Galaxy. It will eventually be found to have a spiral structure, the first spiral galaxy discovered, and will be plotted at over 23 million light-years away.1958 | Paddington Bear’s debut as deepest, darkest Peru sends a small bear to London
A small stowaway bear with a distinct fondness for marmalade has turned up at London’s bustling Paddington Railway Station, where Mr. and Mrs. Brown decide to take him home. Author Michael Bond’s book for children, ‘A Bear Called Paddington,’ will launch this upstanding ursine into enduring fame.1962 | George and Martha invite their new friends over for drinks as ‘Virginia Woolf’ opens
Edward Albee’s new play, ‘Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?’ opens on Broadway, featuring four characters, a three-hour performance, and dialogue so barbed it could be weaponized. The chronicle of social niceties shredded by drink and neurosis will be adapted into an equally famous film.
Today in History 10/13/17

Apparent magnitude: 8.40
Absolute magnitude: 8.40
Apparent mass: 160 billion solar-mass
Distance to Earth: 23,157,103 light-year (7,100,000 parsec)
Constellation: Canes Venatici
Galactic group: M51 Group
The Whirlpool Galaxy (Spiral Galaxy M51, NGC 5194), a classic spiral galaxy located in the Canes Venatici constellation, and its companion NGC 5195.
wiki/Whirlpool_Galaxy