Today is the 29th day of 2014 and the 40th day of winter.

TODAY'S HISTORY: In 1861, Kansas was admitted as the 34th U.S. state.

In 1891, Queen Liliuokalani inherited the throne from her brother, Kalakaua, becoming the last monarch of the Hawaiian Islands.

In 2002, President George W. Bush described Iran, Iraq and North Korea as part of an "axis of evil" in his State of the Union address.

In 2009, former Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich was convicted on charges of corruption.

TODAY'S BIRTHDAYS: Thomas Paine (1737-1809), patriot/philosopher; William McKinley (1843-1901), 25th U.S. president; Anton Chekhov (1860-1904), author; W.C. Fields (1880-1946), actor/comedian; Tom Selleck (1945- ), actor; Oprah Winfrey (1954- ), TV personality; Edward Burns (1968- ), actor/director; Heather Graham (1970- ), actress; Paul Ryan (1970- ), politician; Sara Gilbert (1975- ), actress; Adam Lambert (1982- ), singer.

TODAY'S FACT: Edgar Allan Poe's famous poem "The Raven" was first published in the New York Evening Mirror on this day in 1845. Poe was paid $15.

TODAY'S SPORTS: In 1995, the San Francisco 49ers defeated the San Diego Chargers 49-26 in Super Bowl XXIX, becoming the first NFL team to win five Super Bowls.

TODAY'S QUOTE: "Character is much easier kept than recovered." -- Thomas Paine

TODAY'S NUMBER: 6 -- record number of Super Bowl wins for a franchise, held by the Pittsburgh Steelers.

TODAY'S MOON: Between last quarter moon (Jan. 23) and new moon (Jan. 30).

Today is the 28th day of 2014 and the 39th day of winter.

TODAY'S HISTORY: In 1547, King Henry VIII of England died and was succeeded by his nine-year-old son, Edward IV.

In 1871, France surrendered to Germany, ending the Franco-Prussian War.

In 1915, Congress passed legislation creating the U.S. Coast Guard.

In 1986, the space shuttle Challenger exploded shortly after liftoff, killing six astronauts and Christa McAuliffe, a teacher who was to become the first civilian in space.

TODAY'S BIRTHDAYS: Jose Marti (1853-1895), poet/activist; Colette (1873-1954), author; Jackson Pollock (1912-1956), artist; Alan Alda (1936- ), actor; Carlos Slim Helu (1940- ), business magnate; Gregg Popovich (1949- ), basketball coach; Nicolas Sarkozy (1955- ), French president; Frank Darabont (1959- ), filmmaker; Sarah McLachlan (1968- ), singer-songwriter; Elijah Wood (1981- ), actor.

TODAY'S FACT: The modern Lego brick was patented on this day in 1958. Lego bricks from that year are compatible with bricks produced today.

TODAY'S SPORTS: In 1959, Vince Lombardi was named the Green Bay Packers' head coach and general manager.

TODAY'S QUOTE: "Every human being has within him an ideal man, just as every piece of marble contains in a rough state a statue as beautiful as the one that Praxiteles the Greek made of the god Apollo." -- Jose Marti

TODAY'S NUMBER: 21,000 -- estimated number of genes in the human genome, revised from estimates of as many as 140,000 in 2001.

TODAY'S MOON: Between last quarter moon (Jan. 23) and new moon (Jan. 30).

Today is the 27th day of 2014 and the 38th day of winter.

TODAY'S HISTORY: In 1924, the body of Vladimir Lenin was placed in a tomb in Moscow's Red Square.

In 1944, the German siege of Leningrad ended after 872 days.

In 1967, astronauts Gus Grissom, Edward H. White II and Roger B. Chaffee died in a cabin fire during a launchpad test of the Apollo 1 command module.

In 1973, the Vietnam peace accords were signed in Paris by delegations representing the United States, North Vietnam and South Vietnam.

TODAY'S BIRTHDAYS: Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756-1791), composer; Lewis Carroll (1832-1898), writer; Donna Reed (1921-1986), actress; Mordecai Richler (1931-2001), author; James Cromwell (1940- ), actor; Mikhail Baryshnikov (1948- ), dancer; John G. Roberts Jr. (1955- ), Chief Justice of the United States; Cris Collinsworth (1959- ), football player/sportscaster; Keith Olbermann (1959- ), TV personality; Bridget Fonda (1964- ), actress; Alan Cumming (1965- ), actor; Patton Oswalt (1969- ), actor/comedian.

TODAY'S FACT: The U.S. Supreme Court decided 78 cases during the 2012-2013 term. Twenty-three were 5-4 decisions.

TODAY'S SPORTS: In 1991, the New York Giants won Super Bowl XXV, defeating the Buffalo Bills 20-19 when Bills kicker Scott Norwood's 47-yard field goal attempt in the final seconds sailed wide right. The loss was the first of four consecutive Super Bowl losses for the Bills.

TODAY'S QUOTE: "If the victories we create in our heads were let loose on reality, the world we know would drown in blazing happiness." -- Patton Oswalt

TODAY'S NUMBER: 92.5 million -- estimated population of Vietnam in mid-2013.

TODAY'S MOON: Between last quarter moon (Jan. 23) and new moon (Jan. 30).