ANDREWS MCMEEL ALMANAC

Today is the 22nd day of 2026 and the 33rd day of winter.

TODAY'S HISTORY: In 1901, Britain's Queen Victoria died at age 81, after a then-record 63-year reign.

In 1973, the U.S. Supreme Court issued its landmark ruling in the Roe v. Wade case, legalizing elective abortion nationwide.

In 1997, Madeleine Albright was confirmed by the Senate as the first female U.S. secretary of state.

In 1998, "Unabomber" Ted Kaczynski pleaded guilty in Sacramento, California, and was sentenced to life in prison without parole.

TODAY'S BIRTHDAYS: Francis Bacon (1561-1626), philosopher/essayist; Lord Byron (1788-1824), poet; August Strindberg (1849-1912), playwright; D.W. Griffith (1875-1948), film director; Sergei Eisenstein (1898-1948), director; George Balanchine (1904-1983), choreographer; Sam Cooke (1931-1964), singer-songwriter; Piper Laurie (1932-2023), actress; Bill Bixby (1934-1993), actor; John Hurt (1940-2017), actor; Steve Perry (1949- ), singer-songwriter; Linda Blair (1959- ), actress; Diane Lane (1965- ), actress; Guy Fieri (1968- ), TV host; Caitlin Clark (2002- ), basketball player.

TODAY'S FACT: The Apple Macintosh computer was unveiled in a Super Bowl ad directed by Ridley Scott on this day in 1984.

TODAY'S SPORTS: In 2006, Kobe Bryant of the Los Angeles Lakers scored 81 points against the Toronto Raptors, the second-most ever scored by a single player in an NBA game.

TODAY'S QUOTE: "Hope is a good breakfast, but it is a bad supper." -- Francis Bacon

TODAY'S NUMBER: 1,574 -- Boeing 747 jets built between when the aircraft went into production in 1967 and when production ceased in December 2022. The 747 entered service for Pan American Airways with its maiden commercial flight on this day in 1970.

TODAY'S MOON: Between new moon (Jan. 18) and first quarter moon (Jan. 25).

ANDREWS MCMEEL ALMANAC

Today is the 21st day of 2026 and the 32nd day of winter.

TODAY'S HISTORY: In 1793, King Louis XVI of France was executed by guillotine in Paris.

In 1861, Jefferson Davis resigned from the U.S. Senate to lead the Confederacy during the Civil War.

In 1977, President Jimmy Carter pardoned nearly all Vietnam War draft evaders.

In 2003, the U.S. Census Bureau reported that for the first time, the largest minority group in the United States was Hispanics (who may be of any race).

TODAY'S BIRTHDAYS: Ethan Allen (1738-1789), writer/military leader; Christian Dior (1905-1957), fashion designer; Telly Savalas (1922-1994), actor; Wolfman Jack (1938-1995), disc jockey; Jack Nicklaus (1940- ), golfer; Placido Domingo (1941- ), opera singer; Paul Allen (1953-2018), co-founder of Microsoft; Geena Davis (1956- ), actress; Hakeem Olajuwon (1963- ), basketball player; Jam Master Jay (1965-2002), rapper; Ken Leung (1970- ), actor; Cat Power (1972- ), singer-songwriter; Luke Grimes (1984- ), actor.

TODAY'S FACT: The guillotine was used for executions in France as recently as 1977. The death penalty was abolished there in 1981.

TODAY'S SPORTS: In 1979, the Pittsburgh Steelers defeated the Dallas Cowboys 35-31 in Super Bowl XIII to become the first NFL team to win three Super Bowls.

TODAY'S QUOTE: "Concentration is a fine antidote to anxiety." -- Jack Nicklaus

TODAY'S NUMBER: 9 -- price in shillings (approximately $77 in modern American currency) of William Hill Brown's "The Power of Sympathy: or, The Triumph of Nature," published in Boston on this day in 1789. The work is widely considered to be the first American novel.

TODAY'S MOON: Between new moon (Jan. 18) and first quarter moon (Jan. 25).

ANDREWS MCMEEL ALMANAC

Today is the 20th day of 2026 and the 31st day of winter.

TODAY'S HISTORY: In 1841, China ceded the island of Hong Kong to the British.

In 1981, the Iran hostage crisis ended as 52 American captives were released in Tehran, just after President Jimmy Carter left office.

In 2009, Barack Obama was sworn in as the first African American president.

In 2021, Joe Biden, 78, was sworn in as the oldest first-term U.S. president, and Kamala Harris was sworn in as the first female U.S. vice president.

TODAY'S BIRTHDAYS: George Burns (1896-1996), actor/comedian; Federico Fellini (1920-1993), director; DeForest Kelley (1920-1999), actor; Slim Whitman (1923-2013), singer-songwriter; Patricia Neal (1926-2010), actress; Edwin "Buzz" Aldrin (1930- ), astronaut; David Lynch (1946-2025), director; Paul Stanley (1952- ), singer-songwriter; Bill Maher (1956- ), comedian/TV host; R.A. Salvatore (1959- ), author; Rainn Wilson (1966- ), actor; Questlove (1971- ), musician; Evan Peters (1987- ), actor.

TODAY'S FACT: Martin Luther King Jr. Day was celebrated as a federal holiday for the first time on this day in 1986.

TODAY'S SPORTS: In 1892, the first official basketball game was played in Springfield, Massachusetts. The two nine-man teams used a soccer ball and peach baskets.

TODAY'S QUOTE: "The biggest benefit of Apollo was the inspiration it gave to a growing generation to get into science and aerospace." -- Edwin "Buzz" Aldrin

TODAY'S NUMBER: 444 -- days the hostages were held in the U.S. embassy in Iran.

TODAY'S MOON: Between new moon (Jan. 18) and first quarter moon (Jan. 25).