Today is the 38th day of 2014 and the 49th day of winter.

TODAY'S HISTORY: In 1904, the Great Fire of Baltimore began, resulting in the destruction of more than 1,500 buildings in 30 hours.

In 1917, a German U-boat sank the British ship California off the Irish coast.

In 1962, President John F. Kennedy imposed a near-total embargo on all trade between the United States and Cuba.

In 1964, the "British Invasion" began as the Beatles arrived in New York for their first U.S. tour.

TODAY'S BIRTHDAYS: John Deere (1804-1886), businessman; Charles Dickens (1812-1870), author; Laura Ingalls Wilder (1867-1957), author; Sinclair Lewis (1885-1951), author/playwright; Eubie Blake (1887-1983), composer/pianist; Pete Postlethwaite (1946-2011), actor; James Spader (1960- ), actor; Garth Brooks (1962- ), singer-songwriter; Eddie Izzard (1962- ), actor/comedian; Chris Rock (1965- ), actor/comedian; Steve Nash (1974- ), basketball player; Ashton Kutcher (1978- ), actor.

TODAY'S FACT: Baltimore's population was 620,961 in the 2010 census, making it the 19th-largest city in the United States.

TODAY'S SPORTS: In 1969, Diane Crump became the first female jockey to ride in a thoroughbred race in the United States at the Hialeah Park race track in Florida.

TODAY'S QUOTE: "To conceal anything from those to whom I am attached, is not in my nature. I can never close my lips where I have opened my heart." -- Charles Dickens, "Master Humphrey's Clock"

TODAY'S NUMBER: 177 million -- albums sold by the Beatles, as certified by the Recording Industry Association of America.

TODAY'S MOON: Between first quarter moon (Feb. 6) and full moon (Feb. 14).

Today is the 37th day of 2014 and the 48th day of winter.

TODAY'S HISTORY: In 1778, representatives of the United States and France signed an alliance in Paris.

In 1788, Massachusetts ratified the U.S. Constitution and became the sixth U.S. state.

In 1952, Elizabeth II became queen regnant of the United Kingdom when her father, King George VI, died of cancer.

In 1985, President Ronald Reagan defined the key concepts of his foreign policy, which the media dubbed "The Reagan Doctrine," during his State of the Union Address.

In 1998, President Bill Clinton signed a bill changing the name of Washington National Airport to Ronald Reagan National Airport.

TODAY'S BIRTHDAYS: Aaron Burr (1756-1836), politician/U.S. vice president; Babe Ruth (1895-1948), baseball player; Ronald Reagan (1911-2004), 40th U.S. president; Zsa Zsa Gabor (1917- ), actress; Francois Truffaut (1932-1984), filmmaker/critic; Tom Brokaw (1940- ), journalist/author; Bob Marley (1945-1981), singer-songwriter; Axl Rose (1962- ), singer-songwriter.

TODAY'S FACT: France is the most popular nation in the world among tourists, with 75 million travelers visiting per year.

TODAY'S SPORTS: In 1958, the Boston Red Sox signed Ted Williams for $135,000, which was then the highest salary in baseball.

TODAY'S QUOTE: "Government exists to protect us from each other. Where government has gone beyond its limits is in deciding to protect us from ourselves." -- Ronald Reagan

TODAY'S NUMBER: 75.2 -- percentage of Israel's population that is Jewish.

TODAY'S MOON: First quarter moon (Feb. 6).

Today is the 36th day of 2014 and the 47th day of winter.

TODAY'S HISTORY: In 1917, Congress overrode President Woodrow Wilson's veto in passing the Immigration Act of 1917, banning persons from an "Asiatic Barred Zone" from entering the country.

In 1919, Charlie Chaplin, Mary Pickford, Douglas Fairbanks and D.W. Griffith launched United Artists.

In 1988, Panamanian military leader Manuel Noriega was indicted in Florida on charges of bribery and drug trafficking.

In 1994, white supremacist Byron De La Beckwith was convicted of the murder of civil rights leader Medgar Evers 31 years earlier, in 1963.

TODAY'S BIRTHDAYS: Adlai Stevenson (1900-1965), politician/diplomat; William S. Burroughs (1914-1997), author; Red Buttons (1919-2006), actor/comedian; Hank Aaron (1934- ), baseball player; Michael Mann (1943- ), filmmaker; Christopher Guest (1948- ), actor/filmmaker; Tom Wilkinson (1948- ), actor; Jennifer Jason Leigh (1962- ), actress; Laura Linney (1964- ), actress; Chris Parnell (1967- ), actor; Roberto Alomar (1968- ), baseball player; Sara Evans (1971- ), singer-songwriter; Christiano Ronaldo (1985- ), soccer player.

TODAY'S FACT: United Artists co-founder Charlie Chaplin, who directed, produced, scored and starred in most of his own films, re-shot one scene in "City Lights," featuring his famous "Little Tramp" character, 342 times.

TODAY'S SPORTS: In 1972, Bob Douglas, "the Father of Black Professional Basketball," became the first African-American elected to the Basketball Hall of Fame.

TODAY'S QUOTE: "There is no intensity of love or feeling that does not involve the risk of crippling hurt. It is a duty to take this risk, to love and feel without defense or reserve." -- William S. Burroughs

TODAY'S NUMBER: 1.2 million -- stamps in Franklin D. Roosevelt's personal collection, according to the FDR Presidential Library and Museum.

TODAY'S MOON: Between new moon (Jan. 30) and first quarter moon (Feb. 6).