UNIVERSAL UCLICK ALMANAC

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

Today is the 24th day of 2013 and the 35th day of winter.

TODAY'S HISTORY: In 1848, gold was discovered at Sutter's Mill, setting off the California Gold Rush.

In 1995, the O.J. Simpson murder trial began as the prosecution made its opening statement.

In 2003, former Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Ridge was sworn in as the first secretary of the Department of Homeland Security.

In 2011, Jared Loughner pleaded not guilty to federal charges related to the attempted assassination of Democratic Rep. Gabrielle Giffords of Arizona and the killing of six bystanders.

TODAY'S BIRTHDAYS: Pierre de Beaumarchais (1732-1799), playwright; Edith Wharton (1862-1937), novelist; Robert Motherwell (1915-1991), artist; Ernest Borgnine (1917-2012), actor; Oral Roberts (1918-2009), evangelist; Neil Diamond (1941- ), singer/songwriter; John Belushi (1949-1982), actor; Nastassja Kinski (1961- ), actress; Mary Lou Retton (1968- ), Olympic gymnast; Ed Helms (1974- ), actor; Mischa Barton (1986- ), actress.

TODAY'S FACT: Since 2007, China has produced more gold than any other country.

TODAY'S SPORTS: In 1980, Fred Wilpon and Nelson Doubleday bought the New York Mets for an estimated $21.1 million, at the time the most ever paid for a baseball franchise.

TODAY'S QUOTE: " Life is always a tightrope or a feather bed. Give me the tightrope." -- Edith Wharton

TODAY'S NUMBER: 2,558 -- Barry Bonds' record number of career walks, more than Hank Aaron (1,402) or Babe Ruth (2,062).

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 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).