ANDREWS MCMEEL ALMANAC

Today is the 29th day of 2020 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, then-Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich was convicted on charges of corruption and removed from office.

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; Edward Abbey (1927-1989), environmentalist/author; 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: "He who dares not offend cannot be honest." -- Thomas Paine

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

TODAY'S MOON: Between new moon (Jan. 24) and first quarter moon (Feb. 1).

ANDREWS MCMEEL ALMANAC

Today is the 28th day of 2020 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 modern 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; Ariel Winter (1998- ), actress.

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: "Men are products, expressions, reflections; they live to the extent that they coincide with their epoch, or to the extent that they differ markedly from it." -- 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 new moon (Jan. 24) and first quarter moon (Feb. 1).

ANDREWS MCMEEL ALMANAC

Today is the 27th day of 2020 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 German-occupied Poland.

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, South Vietnam and South Vietnamese revolutionaries.

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 73 cases during the 2018-2019 term. Twenty-six 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: "It seems to me that our lives are consumed by countless wasting years, but only a few shining moments. I missed mine. Yes is what I should have said. Of course I should have said yes." -- Mordecai Richler, "Solomon Gursky Was Here"

TODAY'S NUMBER: 97 million -- estimated population of Vietnam in mid-2018.

TODAY'S MOON: Between new moon (Jan. 24) and first quarter moon (Feb. 1).