Today is the ninth day of 2014 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 1861, Confederates fired upon the steamship Star of the West as it attempted to deliver supplies to the garrison of Fort Sumter, S.C., an incident many historians consider the "first shots of the American Civil War."

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), cartoonist; Simone de Beauvoir (1908-1986), author; Richard Nixon (1913-1994), 37th U.S. president; Judith Krantz (1928- ), author; Bart Starr (1934- ), football player; Bob Denver (1935-2005), actor; Joan Baez (1941- ), singer-songwriter; Jimmy Page (1944- ), musician; J.K. Simmons (1955- ), actor; Mark Martin (1959- ), NASCAR driver; Dave Matthews (1967- ), singer-songwriter; Sergio Garcia (1980- ), golfer; Kate Middleton (1982- ), duchess of Cambridge.

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 spawned 28 film adaptations between 1938 and 1950.

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 QUOTE: "That's what I consider true generosity: You give your all, and yet you always feel as if it costs you nothing." -- Simone de Beauvoir

TODAY'S NUMBER: 1,000,328 -- active applications available for download on Apple devices through the Apple App Store, as of mid-December 2013. Apple receives more than 3,000 application submissions monthly from developers worldwide.

TODAY'S MOON: Between first quarter moon (Jan. 7) and full moon (Jan. 15).

Today is the eighth day of 2014 and the 19th day of winter.

TODAY'S HISTORY: In 1790, President George Washington gave the first State of the Union address.

In 1877, Crazy Horse lost his final battle against the U.S. Cavalry at Wolf Mountain in Montana Territory.

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- ), author; David Bowie (1947- ), singer-songwriter; R. Kelly (1967- ), singer-songwriter; Rachel Nichols (1980- ), actress; Kim Jong Un (1983- ), North Korean leader.

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

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

TODAY'S QUOTE: "Quiet people have the loudest minds." -- Stephen Hawking

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 first quarter moon (Jan. 7) and full moon (Jan. 15).

Today is the seventh day of 2014 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 1927, the first commercial transatlantic telephone call was made from London to New York City.

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), author; Francis Poulenc (1899-1963), composer; Charles Addams (1912-1988), cartoonist; Kenny Loggins (1948- ), singer-songwriter; David Caruso (1956- ), actor; Katie Couric (1957- ), TV news anchor; Rand Paul (1963- ), politician; Nicolas Cage (1964- ), actor; Five for Fighting (1965- ), singer-songwriter; Jeremy Renner (1971- ), actor; John Rich (1974- ), singer-songwriter; Francisco Rodriguez (1982- ), baseball player.

TODAY'S FACT: Millard Fillmore, who assumed the presidency in 1850 upon the death of Zachary Taylor, was the last president from the Whig party. Fillmore sought re-election in 1852, but the Whig party nominated Gen. Winfield Scott instead.

TODAY'S SPORTS: In 1927, the Harlem Globetrotters (who were actually from Chicago) played their first game in Hinckley, Ill. The team didn't play a game in Harlem until 1968.

TODAY'S QUOTE: "Bitterness is the coward's revenge on the world for having been hurt." -- 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: First quarter moon (Jan. 7).