Today is the 31st day of 2014 and the 42nd day of winter.

TODAY'S HISTORY: In 1606, Guy Fawkes was executed for his role in the Gunpowder Plot in Britain.

In 1917, Germany announced the renewal of submarine warfare in the Atlantic.

In 1958, Explorer 1 was launched, marking the first successful launch of an American satellite into orbit.

In 1968, the North Vietnamese Tet Offensive began in South Vietnam.

In 2006, Samuel Alito Jr. was sworn in as the 110th U.S. Supreme Court justice.

TODAY'S BIRTHDAYS: Franz Schubert (1797-1828), composer; John O'Hara (1905-1970), author; Jackie Robinson (1919-1972), baseball player; Carol Channing (1921- ), actress; Norman Mailer (1923-2007), author/journalist; Ernie Banks (1931- ), baseball player; Jessica Walter (1941- ), actress; Jonathan Banks (1947- ), actor; Nolan Ryan (1947- ), baseball player; Minnie Driver (1970- ), actress; Portia de Rossi (1973- ), actress; Bobby Moynihan (1977- ), actor/comedian; Justin Timberlake (1981- ), singer-songwriter; Vernon Davis (1984- ), football player.

TODAY'S FACT: The first Social Security check, issued on this day in 1940, was for $22.54 and went to Ida May Fuller, who lived on a Vermont farm. Having worked less than three years under Social Security, she paid only $24.75 into the system, but she had collected $22,888.92 by the time of her death in 1975.

TODAY'S SPORTS: In 1999, Hall of Fame quarterback John Elway won his second consecutive Super Bowl and the final game of his NFL playing career, leading the Denver Broncos to a 34-19 victory over the Atlanta Falcons in Super Bowl XXXIII. Elway was also selected as the game's MVP.

TODAY'S QUOTE: "Every moment of one's existence one is growing into more or retreating into less. One is always living a little more or dying a little bit." -- Norman Mailer, "Advertisements for Myself"

TODAY'S NUMBER: $2 billion -- worldwide gross achieved on this day in 2010 by James Cameron's "Avatar," the first film to reach that mark. "Avatar" remains the highest-grossing film of all time, with $2.8 billion in worldwide gross as of mid-January 2014.

TODAY'S MOON: Between new moon (Jan. 30) and first quarter moon (Feb. 6).

Today is the 30th day of 2014 and the 41st day of winter.

TODAY'S HISTORY: In 1649, England's King Charles I was executed for treason.

In 1835, a gunman attempted to shoot President Andrew Jackson near the U.S. Capitol and was subdued by a crowd, marking the first presidential assassination attempt.

In 1933, Adolf Hitler was sworn in as chancellor of Germany.

In 1948, Indian leader Mahatma Gandhi was assassinated by a Hindu extremist.

In 2005, Iraq held its first free elections in a half-century.

TODAY'S BIRTHDAYS: Franklin D. Roosevelt (1882-1945), 32nd U.S. president; Barbara Tuchman (1912-1989), historian; Dick Martin (1922-2008), actor/comedian; Gene Hackman (1930- ), actor; Vanessa Redgrave (1937- ), actress; Dick Cheney (1941- ), U.S. vice president; Phil Collins (1951- ), singer-songwriter; Charles Dutton (1951- ), actor; Christian Bale (1974- ), actor; Wilmer Valderrama (1980- ), actor; Kid Cudi (1984- ), actor/rapper.

TODAY'S FACT: Charles I was the first king of England to be tried for crimes against his kingdom. He refused to enter a plea, insisting that the court had no authority over a monarch.

TODAY'S SPORTS: In 2002, Karl Malone became the second NBA player (after Kareem Abdul-Jabbar) to score 34,000 career points.

TODAY'S QUOTE: "We know now that government by organized money is just as dangerous as government by organized mob." -- Franklin D. Roosevelt

TODAY'S NUMBER: 62 -- percentage of Iraqis who turned out to vote in parliamentary elections in 2010.

TODAY'S MOON: New moon (Jan. 30).

Today is the 29th day of 2014 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, former Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich was convicted on charges of corruption.

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; 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: "Character is much easier kept than recovered." -- Thomas Paine

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

TODAY'S MOON: Between last quarter moon (Jan. 23) and new moon (Jan. 30).