ANDREWS MCMEEL ALMANAC

Today is the 38th day of 2020 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, 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.

In 1995, the mastermind of the 1993 bombing of the World Trade Center was arrested in Pakistan.

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 602,495 in 2018, making it the 30th-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: "Suffering has been stronger than all other teaching, and has taught me to understand what your heart used to be. I have been bent and broken, but -- I hope -- into a better shape." -- Charles Dickens, "Great Expectations"

TODAY'S NUMBER: 178 million -- albums sold by the Beatles in the U.S., as certified by the Recording Industry Association of America.

TODAY'S MOON: Between first quarter moon (Feb. 1) and full moon (Feb. 9).

ANDREWS MCMEEL ALMANAC

Today is the 37th day of 2020 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 (1917-2016), 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: Massachusetts had the third-largest population of the 13 colonies in 1770, at 235,808. The state's population is currently estimated at 6.9 million.

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: "Above all, we must realize that no arsenal or no weapon in the arsenals of the world is so formidable as the will and moral courage of free men and women." -- Ronald Reagan

TODAY'S NUMBER: 75 -- percentage of Israel's population that is Jewish.

TODAY'S MOON: Between first quarter moon (Feb. 1) and full moon (Feb. 9).

ANDREWS MCMEEL ALMANAC

Today is the 36th day of 2020 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; Laura Linney (1964- ), actress; Roberto Alomar (1968- ), baseball player; Sara Evans (1971- ), singer-songwriter; Cristiano 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: "Love? What is it? Most natural painkiller what there is. LOVE." – William S. Burroughs

TODAY'S NUMBER: 25 -- largest point deficit ever overcome in a Super Bowl game, achieved on this day in 2017 by the New England Patriots, who went on to defeat the Atlanta Falcons 34-28 in the first overtime game in Super Bowl history.

TODAY'S MOON: Between first quarter moon (Feb. 1) and full moon (Feb. 9).