Today is the 17th day of 2017 and the 28th day of winter.

TODAY'S HISTORY: In 1773, Captain James Cook and his crew became the first to sail south of the Antarctic Circle.

In 1819, Simon Bolivar proclaimed Colombia a republic.

In 1917, the United States purchased the Virgin Islands from Denmark for $25 million.

In 1946, the United Nations Security Council held its first session.

In 1991, a United States-led coalition's planes struck targets in Kuwait and Iraq, launching the Persian Gulf War.

TODAY'S BIRTHDAYS: Benjamin Franklin (1706-1790), statesman/inventor/author; Al Capone (1899-1947), organized crime boss; Betty White (1922- ), actress; Eartha Kitt (1927-2008), actress/singer; James Earl Jones (1931- ), actor; Muhammad Ali (1942-2016), boxer; Andy Kaufman (1949-1984), actor/comedian; Steve Harvey (1957- ), comedian/actor; Jim Carrey (1962- ), actor; Michelle Obama (1964- ), U.S. first lady; Kid Rock (1971- ), singer-songwriter; Zooey Deschanel (1980- ), actress; Dwyane Wade (1982- ), basketball player.

TODAY'S FACT: The term "military-industrial complex" was first used by President Dwight Eisenhower during his farewell address to the nation on this day in 1961.

TODAY'S SPORTS: In 1971, the Baltimore Colts defeated the Dallas Cowboys 16-13 in Super Bowl V, a game so filled with errors it was nicknamed the "Blunder Bowl."

TODAY'S QUOTE: "I hated every minute of it. But I said to myself, 'Suffer now, and live the rest of your life as a champion.'" -- Muhammad Ali, on training

TODAY'S NUMBER: 26 -- age at which gangster Al Capone became boss of the "Chicago Outfit."

TODAY'S MOON: Between full moon (Jan. 12) and last quarter moon (Jan 19).

Today is the 16th day of 2017 and the 27th day of winter.

TODAY'S HISTORY: In 1920, the first meeting of the League of Nations was held in Paris.

In 1945, Adolf Hitler moved into his underground bunker in Berlin.

In 1969, the Soviet spacecraft Soyuz 4 and Soyuz 5 completed the first docking of manned spacecraft.

In 1979, the Shah of Iran fled his homeland in the wake of a revolution.

In 2006, Ellen Johnson Sirleaf became the first female elected head of state of an African nation when she was sworn in as president of Liberia.

TODAY'S BIRTHDAYS: Ethel Merman (1908-1984), actress/singer; Dizzy Dean (1910-1974), baseball player; Dian Fossey (1932-1985), zoologist; Susan Sontag (1933-2004), author/critic; Ronnie Milsap (1943- ), singer-songwriter; Laura Schlessinger (1947- ), radio host/author; John Carpenter (1948- ), director; Ruth Reichl (1948- ), food writer/editor; Roy Jones Jr. (1969- ), boxer; Kate Moss (1974- ), model; Albert Pujols (1980- ), baseball player; Joe Flacco (1985- ), football player.

TODAY'S FACT: The world's busiest airport is Hartsfield-Jackson in Atlanta, which 101.5 million passengers traveled through in 2015.

TODAY'S SPORTS: In 1961, Mickey Mantle signed a contract for an annual salary of $75,000, making him the highest-paid player in the American League.

TODAY'S QUOTE: "The man who insists on high and serious pleasures is depriving himself of pleasure; he continually restricts what he can enjoy; in the constant exercise of his good taste he will eventually price himself out of the market, so to speak." -- Susan Sontag

TODAY'S NUMBER: 23 -- countries that were members of the League of Nations for its entire duration. Forty other nations were members intermittently.

TODAY'S MOON: Between full moon (Jan. 12) and last quarter moon (Jan 19).

Today is the 15th day of 2017 and the 26th day of winter.

TODAY'S HISTORY: In 1759, the British Museum opened to the public.

In 1844, the University of Notre Dame received its official charter from the state of Indiana.

In 1892, Dr. James Naismith published his original 13 rules of "basket ball" in the Springfield College school newspaper.

In 1943, the Pentagon was dedicated in Arlington, Virginia.

In 2009, a US Airways flight made an emergency landing in the Hudson River shortly after takeoff from LaGuardia Airport in New York.

TODAY'S BIRTHDAYS: Edward Teller (1908-2003), physicist; Gene Krupa (1909-1973), jazz drummer; Lloyd Bridges (1913-1998), actor; Gamal Abdel Nasser (1918-1970), Egyptian president; Martin Luther King Jr. (1929-1968), civil rights leader; Ronnie Van Zant (1948-1977), singer-songwriter; Mario Van Peebles (1957- ), actor/director; Bernard Hopkins (1965- ), boxer; Drew Brees (1979- ), football player; Matt Holliday (1980- ), baseball player; Pitbull (1981- ), rapper; Skrillex (1988- ), musician.

TODAY'S FACT: The Pentagon is the world's largest office building by floor area, with 3.7 million square feet of dedicated office space.

TODAY'S SPORTS: In 1967, the Green Bay Packers defeated the Kansas City Chiefs 35-10 in the first Super Bowl.

TODAY'S QUOTE: "There's another reason why you should love your enemies, and that is because hate distorts the personality of the hater." -- Martin Luther King Jr.

TODAY'S NUMBER: 5.3 million -- articles on the English Wikipedia.org, launched on this day in 2001. The site currently averages 800 new articles per day.

TODAY'S MOON: Between full moon (Jan. 12) and last quarter moon (Jan 19).