SUNDAY, JANUARY 3, 2021

Today is the third day of 2021 and the 14th day of winter.

TODAY’S HISTORY: In 1777, Revolutionary forces under the command of George Washington defeated the British at Princeton, New Jersey.

In 1947, a session of Congress was televised for the first time to viewers in three East Coast cities.

In 1959, Alaska was admitted as the 49th state.

In 1993, President George H.W. Bush and Russian President Boris Yeltsin signed the second Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (START).

TODAY’S BIRTHDAYS: Lucretia Mott (1793-1880), women’s rights pioneer; J.R.R. Tolkien (1892-1973), author; Victor Borge (1909-2000), comedian/pianist; Hank Stram (1923-2005), football coach; Sergio Leone (1929-1989), director; Robert Loggia (1930-2015), actor; Glen A. Larson (1937-2014), TV producer/writer; Victoria Principal (1950- ), actress; Cheryl Miller (1964-), basketball player/coach; Michael Schumacher (1969-), race car driver; Danica McKellar (1975- ), actress; Eli Manning (1981- ), football player; Greta Thunberg (2003- ), activist.

TODAY’S FACT: C-SPAN was launched in 1979 to “provide live, gavel-to-gavel coverage of the U.S. House of Representatives.” C-SPAN2, covering the Senate, was launched in 1986.

TODAY’S SPORTS: In 1983, Dallas Cowboys running back Tony Dorsett set an NFL record that still stands by running 99 yards from scrimmage for a touchdown.

TODAY’S QUOTE: “Faithless is he that says farewell when the road darkens.” -- J.R.R. Tolkien

TODAY’S NUMBER: 731,007 -- estimated population of the state of Alaska in 2019 -- more than triple the population of the state at the time it attained statehood.

TODAY’S MOON: Between full moon (Dec. 29) and last quarter moon (Jan. 6).

MONDAY, JANUARY 4, 2021

Today is the fourth day of 2021 and the 15th day of winter.

TODAY’S HISTORY: In 1896, Utah was admitted as the 45th U.S. state.

In 1965, President Lyndon Johnson presented the “Great Society” plan in his State of the Union address.

In 1995, the 104th U.S. Congress convened with Republican majorities in both the House and Senate for the first time since the Eisenhower presidency.

In 2004, NASA’s Spirit rover landed on the surface of Mars.

In 2010, the 2,717-foot Burj Khalifa opened in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, as the world’s tallest building.

TODAY’S BIRTHDAYS: Louis Braille (1809-1852), Braille alphabet inventor; Don Shula (1930-2020), football coach; Floyd Patterson (1935-2006), boxer; Dyan Cannon (1937- ), actress; Doris Kearns Goodwin (1943- ), historian; Patty Loveless (1957- ), singer-songwriter; Michael Stipe (1960- ), singer-songwriter; Dave Foley (1963-), actor/comedian; Julia Ormond (1965- ), actress; Kris Bryant (1992- ), baseball player; Derrick Henry (1994- ), football player.

TODAY’S FACT: Medicare, one of the largest reforms passed as part of President Lyndon Johnson’s Great Society initiatives, insured 61 million Americans in 2019.

TODAY’S SPORTS: In 2003, the Atlanta Falcons upset the Green Bay Packers, 27-7, in the wild-card round of the playoffs. It was the first playoff loss at Lambeau Field in Packers history.

TODAY’S QUOTE: “Journalism still, in a democracy, is the essential force to get the public educated and mobilized to take action on behalf of our ancient ideals.” -- Doris Kearns Goodwin

TODAY’S NUMBER: $1.5 billion -- estimated total cost (in U.S. dollars) of the Burj Khalifa project.

TODAY’S MOON: Between full moon (Dec. 29) and last quarter moon (Jan. 6).