Today is the 18th day of 2013 and the 29th day of winter.

TODAY'S HISTORY: In 1788, English settlers landed in Australia to establish a penal colony.

In 1964, planners unveiled the designs for New York's World Trade Center.

In 1993, Martin Luther King Jr. Day was officially observed in all 50 states for the first time.

TODAY'S BIRTHDAYS: Baron de Montesquieu (1689-1755), political philosopher; Daniel Webster (1782-1852), statesman/orator; A.A. Milne (1882-1956), children's author; Cary Grant (1904-1986), actor; Danny Kaye (1913-1987), entertainer; Kevin Costner (1955- ), actor; Mark Messier (1961- ), hockey player; Jason Segel (1980- ), actor.

TODAY'S SPORTS: In 1976, wide receiver Lynn Swann gained 161 yards on four receptions and was named MVP as Pittsburgh defeated Dallas 21-17 in Super Bowl X.

TODAY'S FACT: The United Nations designated 11 convict sites in Australia -- used as prisons by the British empire in the 18th and 19th centuries -- as World Heritage Sites in 2010.

TODAY'S QUOTE: "One of the advantages of being disorderly is that one is constantly making exciting discoveries." -- A.A. Milne

TODAY'S NUMBER: 139,797 -- square miles of Pacific Ocean encompassed by the Papahanaumokuakea Marine National Monument, designated by President Bush in June 2006.

TODAY'S MOON: First quarter moon (Jan. 18).

Today is the 17th day of 2013 and the 28th day of winter.

TODAY'S HISTORY: In 1773, Captain James Cook, along with his shipmates, became the first to sail south of the Antarctic Circle.

In 1819, Simon Bolivar proclaimed Colombia a republic.

In 1991, a United States-led coalition's planes struck targets in Kuwait and Iraq, launching the Persian Gulf War.

TODAY'S BIRTHDAYS: Benjamin Franklin (1706-1790), statesman/inventor/author; Al Capone (1899-1947), organized crime boss; Betty White (1922- ), actress; James Earl Jones (1931- ), actor; Muhammad Ali (1942- ), boxer; Jim Carrey (1962- ), actor; Michelle Obama (1964- ), U.S. first lady; Zooey Deschanel (1980- ), actress; Dwyane Wade (1982- ), basketball player.

TODAY'S SPORTS: In 1971, the Baltimore Colts defeated the Dallas Cowboys 16-13 in Super Bowl V, a game so filled with errors it was nicknamed the "Blunder Bowl."

TODAY'S FACT: Though Benjamin Franklin's accomplishments as an inventor, publisher and statesman are well known, his musicianship is not. He was a composer and viol player, and created a briefly popular new instrument known as the armonica (or glass armonica).

TODAY'S QUOTE: "A man who views the world at 50 the same way as he did at 20 has wasted 30 years of his life." -- Muhammad Ali

TODAY'S NUMBER: 26 -- age at which gangster Al Capone became boss of the "Chicago Outfit."

TODAY'S MOON: Between new moon (Jan. 11) and first quarter moon (Jan. 18).

Today is the 16th day of 2013 and the 27th day of winter.

TODAY'S HISTORY: In 1920, the League of Nations held its first meeting.

In 1979, the Shah of Iran fled his homeland in the wake of a revolution.

In 2006, Ellen Johnson Sirleaf became the first female elected head of state of an African nation when she was sworn in as president of Liberia.

TODAY'S BIRTHDAYS: Ethel Merman (1909-1984), actress/singer; Dizzy Dean (1910-1974), baseball player; Susan Sontag (1933-2004), author/critic; Ronnie Milsap (1943- ), singer; Ruth Reichl (1948- ), food writer/editor; Kate Moss (1974- ), model; Albert Pujols (1980- ), baseball player.

TODAY'S SPORTS: In 1961, Mickey Mantle signed a contract for an annual salary of $75,000, making him the highest-paid player in the American League.

TODAY'S FACT: The busiest U.S. airport is Hartsfield-Jackson in Atlanta, which 92.5 million passengers traveled through in 2011.

TODAY'S QUOTE: "Interpretation is the revenge of the intellect upon art." -- Susan Sontag

TODAY'S NUMBER: 23 -- countries that were members of the League of Nations for its entire duration. Forty other nations were members intermittently.

TODAY'S MOON: Between new moon (Jan. 11) and first quarter moon (Jan. 18).