Today is the 39th day of 2016 and the 49th day of winter.

TODAY'S HISTORY: In 1587, Mary, Queen of Scots, was executed on suspicion of plotting to murder her cousin Queen Elizabeth I.

In 1910, the Boy Scouts of America was incorporated.

In 1915, D.W. Griffith's "The Birth of a Nation" premiered in Los Angeles with the title "The Clansman."

In 1971, the NASDAQ stock exchange began trading.

In 1996, President Bill Clinton signed the Telecommunications Act of 1996 into law, leading to a drastic overhaul of U.S. media regulations.

TODAY'S BIRTHDAYS: William Tecumseh Sherman (1820-1891), U.S. general; Jules Verne (1828-1905), author; Lana Turner (1921-1995), actress; Jack Lemmon (1925-2001), actor; James Dean (1931-1955), actor; John Williams (1932- ), composer; Ted Koppel (1940- ), journalist; Nick Nolte (1941- ), actor; Robert Klein (1942- ), comedian/actor; Mary Steenburgen (1953- ), actress; John Grisham (1955- ), author; Bruce Timm (1961- ), animator; Gary Coleman (1968-2010), actor; Mary McCormack (1969- ), actress; Seth Green (1974- ), actor/producer.

TODAY'S FACT: The first movie ever to be screened privately at the White House was "The Birth of a Nation," which Woodrow Wilson viewed in 1915.

TODAY'S SPORTS: In 1998, Finland beat Sweden 6-0 in the first women's Olympic ice hockey game.

TODAY'S QUOTE: "While his heart still beats, while his flesh still moves, I cannot accept that a being endowed with willpower can give in to despair." -- Jules Verne, "Journey to the Center of the Earth"

TODAY'S NUMBER: 2.4 million -- youth membership of the Boy Scouts of America in 2014.

TODAY'S MOON: New moon (Feb. 8).

Today is the 38th day of 2016 and the 48th 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, a near-total embargo on all trade between the United States and Cuba took effect at 12:01 a.m. EST.

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 estimated at 622,793 in 2014, making it the 26th-most populous 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: 178 million -- albums sold by the Beatles, as certified by the Recording Industry Association of America.

TODAY'S MOON: Between last quarter moon (Jan. 31) and new moon (Feb. 8).

Today is the 37th day of 2016 and the 47th 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; Natalie Cole (1950-2015), singer-songwriter; Axl Rose (1962- ), singer-songwriter.

TODAY'S FACT: France is the most popular nation in the world among tourists, with 83 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 is like a baby. An alimentary canal with a big appetite at one end and no responsibility at the other." -- Ronald Reagan

TODAY'S NUMBER: 74.9 -- percentage of Israel's population that is Jewish.

TODAY'S MOON: Between last quarter moon (Jan. 31) and new moon (Feb. 8).