ANDREWS MCMEEL ALMANAC

Today is the 28th day of 2017 and the 39th day of winter.

TODAY'S HISTORY: In 1547, King Henry VIII of England died and was succeeded by his 9-year-old son, Edward VI.

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; Charles Williams Nash (1864-1948), entrepreneur; Colette (1873-1954), author; Jackson Pollock (1912-1956), artist; Alan Alda (1936- ), actor; Carlos Slim Helu (1940- ), business magnate; Gregg Popovich (1949- ), basketball coach; Frank Darabont (1959- ), filmmaker; Sarah McLachlan (1968- ), singer-songwriter; Rick Ross (1976- ), rapper; Nick Carter (1980- ), singer-songwriter; Elijah Wood (1981- ), actor; J. Cole (1985- ), rapper; Will Poulter (1993), 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: "Man needs to suffer. When he does not have real griefs he creates them. Griefs purify and prepare him." -- Jose Marti, "Adulterous Thoughts"

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 new moon (Jan. 27) and first quarter moon (Feb. 3).

ANDREWS MCMEEL ALMANAC

Today is the 27th day of 2017 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 1945, Soviet forces liberated the Auschwitz concentration camp in Germany.

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 149 cases during the 2015-2016 term. Fifty-seven were unanimous 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: "All writing is about the same thing -- it's about dying, about the brief flicker of time we have here, and the frustration it creates." -- Mordecai Richler

TODAY'S NUMBER: 95.3 million -- estimated population of Vietnam in mid-2016.

TODAY'S MOON: New moon (Jan. 27).

ANDREWS MCMEEL ALMANAC

Today is the 26th day of 2017 and the 37th day of winter.

TODAY'S HISTORY: In 1802, Congress passed a bill that established the position of Librarian of Congress.

In 1837, Michigan was admitted as the 26th U.S. state.

In 1950, the Indian Constitution went into effect, marking the birth of the Republic of India.

In 1998, President Bill Clinton denied allegations of an extramarital affair during a televised speech.

In 2015, Libby Lane became the first woman to be appointed as a bishop by the Church of England.

TODAY'S BIRTHDAYS: Douglas MacArthur (1880-1964), military leader; Maria von Trapp (1905-1987), matriarch of singing family/memoirist; Paul Newman (1925-2008), actor; Jules Feiffer (1929- ), cartoonist/writer; Scott Glenn (1941- ), actor; Gene Siskel (1946-1999), journalist/critic; David Strathairn (1949- ), actor; Eddie Van Halen (1955- ), guitarist/songwriter; Ellen DeGeneres (1958- ), comedian/talk show host; Wayne Gretzky (1961- ), hockey player; Vince Carter (1977- ), basketball player.

TODAY'S FACT: The first Library of Congress was burned (along with the rest of the Capitol building) by British soldiers in 1814, and its 3,000 books were destroyed. The library was rebuilt in part through the purchase of President Thomas Jefferson's personal library of 6,487 books in 1815.

TODAY'S SPORTS: In 1986, Chicago crushed New England 46-10 in Super Bowl XX, as the Bears' renowned defense held the Patriots to seven yards rushing.

TODAY'S QUOTE: "We have known the bitterness of defeat and the exultation of triumph, and from both we have learned there can be no turning back. We must go forward to preserve in peace what we won in war." -- Douglas MacArthur

TODAY'S NUMBER: 1.37 -- weight (in pounds) of the Cullinan Diamond, the largest gem-quality diamond ever found. The 3,106.75-carat gem was discovered in the Premier Mine near Pretoria, South Africa, on this day in 1905.

TODAY'S MOON: Between last quarter moon (Jan 19) and new moon (Jan. 27).