UNIVERSAL UCLICK ALMANAC

(DEAR SUBSCRIBERS: Effective January 21, 2013, the name of this column has been changed to "Universal Uclick Almanac.")

Today is the 23rd day of 2013 and the 34th day of winter.

TODAY'S HISTORY: In 1845, Congress designated that all national elections would be held on the first Tuesday after the first Monday in November.

In 1922, in Toronto, insulin was first injected into a human patient with diabetes.

In 2005, Viktor Yushchenko was sworn in as president of the Ukraine, only four months after becoming seriously ill as a result of dioxin poisoning.

TODAY'S BIRTHDAYS: Stendhal (1783-1842), novelist; Edouard Manet (1832-1883), artist; Sergei Eisenstein (1898-1948), film director; Ernie Kovacs (1919-1962), comedian; Chita Rivera (1933- ), actress/dancer; Rutger Hauer (1944- ), actor; Princess Caroline of Monaco (1957- ); Mariska Hargitay (1964- ), actress; Tiffani Thiessen (1974- ), actress.

TODAY'S FACT: Chita Rivera was the first Hispanic woman to receive a Kennedy Center Honors Award. She has also received two Tony Awards for her work in musical theater.

TODAY'S SPORTS: In 1944, the Detroit Red Wings set a record for the most one-sided hockey game by beating the New York Rangers 15-0.

TODAY'S QUOTE: "Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter." -- Martin Luther King Jr.

TODAY'S NUMBER: 2.97 million -- highest recorded mileage for a car, a 1966 Volvo P1800-S owned by retired science teacher Irv Gordon of Long Island, N.Y.

TODAY'S MOON: Between first quarter moon (Jan. 18) and full moon (Jan. 26).

UNIVERSAL UCLICK ALMANAC

(DEAR SUBSCRIBERS: Effective January 21, 2013, the name of this column has been changed to "Universal Uclick Almanac.")

Today is the 22nd day of 2013 and the 33rd day of winter.

TODAY'S HISTORY: In 1901, Britain's Queen Victoria died at age 81, after a record 63-year reign.

In 1973, the U.S. Supreme Court issued its landmark ruling on abortion in the Roe v. Wade case.

In 1997, Madeleine Albright was confirmed as the first female U.S. secretary of state.

In 1998, "Unabomber" Ted Kaczynski pleaded guilty in Sacramento, Calif., and was sentenced to life without parole.

TODAY'S BIRTHDAYS: Francis Bacon (1561-1626), philosopher/essayist; Lord Byron (1788-1824), poet; August Strindberg (1849-1912), playwright; D.W. Griffith (1875-1948), film director; George Balanchine (1904-1983), choreographer; Piper Laurie (1932- ), actress; Steve Perry (1949- ), singer; Jim Jarmusch (1953- ), filmmaker; Linda Blair (1959- ), actress; Diane Lane (1965- ), actress; Ubaldo Jimenez (1984- ), baseball player.

TODAY'S FACT: The tradition of performing Tchaikovsky's "The Nutcracker" during the holiday season began with George Balanchine and the New York City Ballet in 1954.

TODAY'S SPORTS: In 2006, Kobe Bryant of the Los Angeles Lakers scored 81 points against the Toronto Raptors, the second-most ever scored by a single player in an NBA game.

TODAY'S QUOTE: " Remember how small the world was before I came along? I brought it all to life: I moved the whole world onto a 20-foot screen." -- D.W. Griffith

TODAY'S NUMBER: 100 -- the most points ever scored by one player in an NBA game, a feat accomplished by Wilt Chamberlain in 1962.

TODAY'S MOON: Between first quarter moon (Jan. 18) and full moon (Jan. 26).

UNIVERSAL UCLICK ALMANAC

(DEAR SUBSCRIBERS: Effective January 21, 2013, the name of this column has been changed to "Universal Uclick Almanac.")

Today is the 21st day of 2013 and the 32nd day of winter.

TODAY'S HISTORY: In 1793, King Louis XVI of France went to the guillotine in Paris.

In 1861, Jefferson Davis resigned from the U.S. Senate to lead the Confederacy during the Civil War.

In 1977, President Jimmy Carter pardoned nearly all Vietnam War draft evaders.

In 2003, the U.S. Census Bureau reported that for the first time, the largest minority group in the United States was Hispanics (who may be of any race).

TODAY'S BIRTHDAYS: Thomas "Stonewall" Jackson (1824-1863), Confederate army general; Christian Dior (1905-1957), fashion designer; Telly Savalas (1924-1994), actor; Jack Nicklaus (1940- ), golfer; Placido Domingo (1941- ), opera singer; Geena Davis (1956- ), actress; Jam Master Jay (1965-2002), musician; Cat Power (1972- ), singer.

TODAY'S FACT: Though it was primarily in use during the French Revolution, the guillotine was used for executions in France as recently as 1977. The death penalty was abolished there in 1981.

TODAY'S SPORTS: In 1979, the Pittsburgh Steelers defeated the Dallas Cowboys 35-31 in Super Bowl XIII to become the first NFL team to win three Super Bowls.

TODAY'S QUOTE: " The patriot volunteer, fighting for country and his rights, makes the most reliable soldier on earth." -- Thomas "Stonewall" Jackson

TODAY'S NUMBER: 37.6 million -- Americans who primarily speak Spanish at home (more than 10 percent of the population).

TODAY'S MOON: Between first quarter moon (Jan. 18) and full moon (Jan. 26).