Today is the ninth day of 2013 and the 20th day of winter.
TODAY'S HISTORY: In 1788, Connecticut ratified the U.S. Constitution and became the fifth U.S. state.
In 1945, Gen. Douglas MacArthur and the American Sixth Army invaded the island of Luzon in the Philippines.
In 2007, Apple introduced the iPhone.
TODAY'S BIRTHDAYS: Chic Young (1901-1973), creator of "Blondie"; Simone de Beauvoir (1908-1986), writer; Richard Nixon (1913-1994), 37th U.S. president; Judith Krantz (1928- ), writer; Bob Denver (1935-2005), actor; Joan Baez (1941- ), singer; J.K. Simmons (1955- ), actor; Mark Martin (1959- ), NASCAR driver; Dave Matthews (1967- ), musician; Kate Middleton (1982- ), duchess of Cambridge.
TODAY'S SPORTS: In 1972, the Milwaukee Bucks ended the Los Angeles Lakers' record 33-game winning streak with a 120-104 win.
TODAY'S FACT: The comic strip "Blondie," launched by Chic Young in 1930, eventually appeared in more than 2,000 newspapers around the world and was the subject of a 1995 stamp commemorating the centennial of the American newspaper comic strip.
TODAY'S QUOTE: "Don't get the impression that you arouse my anger. You see, one can only be angry with those he respects." -- Richard Nixon
TODAY'S NUMBER: 757,854 -- active applications available for download on Apple devices through the Apple App Store, as of mid-December 2012. Apple receives more than 1,100 application submissions daily from developers worldwide.
TODAY'S MOON: Between last quarter moon (Jan. 4) and new moon (Jan. 11).