ANDREWS MCMEEL ALMANAC

Today is the 39th day of 2026 and the 50th day of winter.

TODAY'S HISTORY: In 1587, Mary, Queen of Scots, was executed on suspicion of plotting to murder her cousin Queen Elizabeth I.

In 1910, the Boy Scouts of America was incorporated.

In 1971, the NASDAQ stock exchange began trading.

In 1996, President Bill Clinton signed the Telecommunications Act of 1996 into law, leading to a drastic overhaul of U.S. media regulations.

TODAY'S BIRTHDAYS: William Tecumseh Sherman (1820-1891), U.S. general; Jules Verne (1828-1905), author; Lana Turner (1921-1995), actress; Jack Lemmon (1925-2001), actor; James Dean (1931-1955), actor; John Williams (1932- ), composer; Ted Koppel (1940- ), journalist; Nick Nolte (1941- ), actor; Robert Klein (1942- ), comedian/actor; Mary Steenburgen (1953- ), actress; John Grisham (1955- ), author; Gary Coleman (1968-2010), actor; Mary McCormack (1969- ), actress; Seth Green (1974- ), actor/producer; Cecily Strong (1984- ), actress; Julio Jones (1989- ), football player; Klay Thompson (1990- ), basketball player.

TODAY'S FACT: "Saturday Night Live" star Cecily Strong, who joined the NBC sketch-comedy series in 2012 and departed in 2022, is the longest-tenured female cast member in the show's 50-year history.

TODAY'S SPORTS: In 1998, Finland beat Sweden 6-0 in the first women's Olympic ice hockey game.

TODAY'S QUOTE: "I've loved you all my life. Even before we met. Part of it wasn't even you. It was just a promise of you." -- John Grisham, "The Firm"

TODAY'S NUMBER: 1 million -- estimated youth membership of the Boy Scouts of America in 2025.

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

ANDREWS MCMEEL ALMANAC

Today is the 38th day of 2026 and the 49th day of winter.

TODAY'S HISTORY: In 1904, the Great Baltimore Fire began, resulting in the destruction of more than 1,500 buildings in 31 hours.

In 1917, a German U-boat sank the British ocean liner 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; Matthew Stafford (1988- ), football player.

TODAY'S FACT: Baltimore's population was estimated at 568,271 in 2025, 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: "Comedy is the blues for people who can't sing." -- Chris Rock

TODAY'S NUMBER: 183 million -- albums sold by the Beatles in the U.S., as certified by the Recording Industry Association of America.

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

ANDREWS MCMEEL ALMANAC

Today is the 37th day of 2026 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 complications related to lung 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 Washington 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 235,308. The state's population is currently estimated at 7 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: "I no have education. I have inspiration. If I was educated, I would be a fool." -- Bob Marley

TODAY'S NUMBER: 1 -- player in Major League Baseball history to have both pitched a complete game shutout and recorded at least one multiple home run game in the World Series. Babe Ruth pitched a shutout for the Boston Red Sox against the Chicago Cubs in the 1918 World Series and had multiple home run games in the 1923, 1926, 1927, 1928 and 1932 World Series as a member of the New York Yankees.

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