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).

Today is the eighth day of 2013 and the 19th day of winter.

TODAY'S HISTORY: In 1877, Crazy Horse fought -- and lost -- his final battle against the U.S. Cavalry.

In 1918, President Woodrow Wilson outlined his "Fourteen Points" peace plan.

In 1982, AT&T agreed to give up its 22 local "Baby Bells."

In 2011, a gunman opened fire at a public event for Democratic Rep. Gabrielle Giffords of Arizona, killing six people and injuring 13, including Giffords.

TODAY'S BIRTHDAYS: Jose Ferrer (1912-1992), actor; Soupy Sales (1926-2009), TV personality; Elvis Presley (1935-1977), singer/actor; Bob Eubanks (1938- ), TV game show host; Stephen Hawking (1942- ), physicist; Terry Brooks (1944- ), writer; David Bowie (1947- ), musician; R. Kelly (1967- ), singer; Kim Jong Un (1983- ), North Korean leader.

TODAY'S SPORTS: In 1901, the first tournament sanctioned by the American Bowling Congress was held in Chicago.

TODAY'S FACT: About 600,000 people annually visit Elvis Presley's Graceland estate in Memphis, Tenn.

TODAY'S QUOTE: "I have no idea. People who boast about their IQ are losers." -- Stephen Hawking, when asked his IQ by a New York Times reporter

TODAY'S NUMBER: 641 -- projected width (in feet) of the Crazy Horse Memorial in South Dakota, which will be the largest sculpture in the world if it is completed.

TODAY'S MOON: Between last quarter moon (Jan. 4) and new moon (Jan. 11).

Today is the seventh day of 2013 and the 18th day of winter.

TODAY'S HISTORY: In 1785, Jean-Pierre Blanchard and John Jeffries crossed the English Channel in a balloon.

In 1955, Marian Anderson made her debut at New York's Metropolitan Opera House, becoming the first African-American to perform there.

In 1972, the U.S. Supreme Court's 99th and 100th justices, Lewis F. Powell Jr. and William H. Rehnquist, were sworn in.

TODAY'S BIRTHDAYS: Millard Fillmore (1800-1874), 13th U.S. president; Zora Neale Hurston (1891-1960), writer; Francis Poulenc (1899-1963), composer; Charles Addams (1912-1988), cartoonist; David Caruso (1956- ), actor; Katie Couric (1957- ), TV news anchor; Nicolas Cage (1964- ), actor; Jeremy Renner (1971- ), actor; John Rich (1974- ), musician; Francisco Rodriguez (1982- ), baseball player.

TODAY'S SPORTS: In 1927, in Hinckley, Ill., the Harlem Globetrotters played the first game of their long franchise history.

TODAY'S FACT: The original Harlem Globetrotters were actually from Chicago. The team didn't play a game in Harlem until 1968.

TODAY'S QUOTE: "Research is formalized curiosity. It is poking and prying with a purpose." -- Zora Neale Hurston

TODAY'S NUMBER: 2.5 hours -- length of the first balloon trip across the English Channel, which crossed at the channel's narrowest point (21 miles).

TODAY'S MOON: Between last quarter moon (Jan. 4) and new moon (Jan. 11).