Today is the 24th day of 2016 and the 34th day of winter.

TODAY'S HISTORY: In 1848, gold was discovered at Sutter's Mill, setting off the California Gold Rush.

In 1984, the first Apple Macintosh computer went on sale.

In 1995, the O.J. Simpson murder trial began as the prosecution made its opening statement.

In 2003, former Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Ridge was sworn in as the first secretary of the Department of Homeland Security.

TODAY'S BIRTHDAYS: Pierre de Beaumarchais (1732-1799), playwright; Edith Wharton (1862-1937), author; Robert Motherwell (1915-1991), artist; Ernest Borgnine (1917-2012), actor; Oral Roberts (1918-2009), evangelist; Neil Diamond (1941- ), singer-songwriter; Aaron Neville (1941- ), singer; John Belushi (1949-1982), actor; Nastassja Kinski (1961- ), actress; Mary Lou Retton (1968- ), Olympic gymnast; Ed Helms (1974- ), actor; Mischa Barton (1986- ), actress.

TODAY'S FACT: The first Apple Macintosh computer had a 9-inch monitor and 128 kilobytes of RAM. It was priced at $2,495.

TODAY'S SPORTS: In 1980, Fred Wilpon and Nelson Doubleday bought the New York Mets for an estimated $21.1 million, at the time the most ever paid for a baseball franchise.

TODAY'S QUOTE: "No insect hangs its nest on threads as frail as those which will sustain the weight of human vanity." -- Edith Wharton, "The House of Mirth"

TODAY'S NUMBER: $81 million -- estimated value (not adjusted for inflation) of the gold extracted from California in 1852, the peak year of the California Gold Rush.

TODAY'S MOON: Between full moon (Jan. 23) and last quarter moon (Jan. 31).

Today is the 23rd day of 2016 and the 33rd day of winter.

TODAY'S HISTORY: In 1845, Congress passed an act designating that all national elections would be held on the first Tuesday after the first Monday in November.

In 1849, Elizabeth Blackwell graduated from Geneva College in New York, becoming the first woman to earn a medical degree in the United States.

In 1922, insulin was injected into a human patient in Toronto and successfully treated diabetes for the first time.

In 2005, Viktor Yushchenko was sworn in as president of the Ukraine, only four months after becoming seriously ill as a result of dioxin poisoning.

TODAY'S BIRTHDAYS: John Hancock (1737-1793), statesman; Stendhal (1783-1842), author; Edouard Manet (1832-1883), artist; Sergei Eisenstein (1898-1948), director; Ernie Kovacs (1919-1962), comedian; Chita Rivera (1933- ), actress/dancer; Rutger Hauer (1944- ), actor; Princess Caroline of Monaco (1957- ); Mariska Hargitay (1964- ), actress; Tiffani Thiessen (1974- ), actress; Tito Ortiz (1975- ), mixed martial artist.

TODAY'S FACT: Chita Rivera was the first Hispanic woman to receive a Kennedy Center Honors Award. She has also received two Tony Awards for her work in musical theater.

TODAY'S SPORTS: In 1944, the Detroit Red Wings set a record for the most one-sided hockey game by beating the New York Rangers 15-0.

TODAY'S QUOTE: "Politics in a literary work is like a gunshot in the middle of a concert, something vulgar, and however, something which is impossible to ignore." -- Stendahl

TODAY'S NUMBER: 10 -- performing acts making up the charter class of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame on this day in 1986. The inductees were Little Richard, Chuck Berry, James Brown, Ray Charles, Sam Cooke, Fats Domino, the Everly Brothers, Buddy Holly, Jerry Lee Lewis and Elvis Presley.

TODAY'S MOON: Full moon (Jan. 23).

Today is the 22nd day of 2016 and the 32nd 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 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; George Balanchine (1904-1983), choreographer; Sam Cooke (1931-1964), singer-songwriter; Piper Laurie (1932- ), actress; Bill Bixby (1934-1993), actor; John Hurt (1940- ), actor; Steve Perry (1949- ), singer-songwriter; Linda Blair (1959- ), actress; Diane Lane (1965- ), actress; Guy Fieri (1968- ), TV host.

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: "If a man will begin with certainties, he shall end in doubts; but if he will be content to begin with doubts, he shall end in certainties." -- Francis Bacon

TODAY'S NUMBER: 100 -- the most points ever scored by one player in an NBA game, a feat accomplished by Wilt Chamberlain in 1962.

TODAY'S MOON: Between first quarter moon (Jan. 16) and full moon (Jan. 23).