TODAY'S HISTORY: In 1920, the League of Nations held its first meeting. In 1964, Hello, Dolly! opened on Broadway. In 1979, the Shah of Iran fled his homeland in the wake of a revolution. In 2006, Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf took power in Liberia as the first woman in Africa to be elected head of state.
TODAY'S BIRTHDAYS: Ethel Merman (1909-1984), Broadway star; Dizzy Dean (1910-1974), baseball player; Susan Sontag (1933-2004), author/critic; Marilyn Horne (1934- ), opera singer, is 74; Ronnie Milsap (1944- ), singer, is 64; Roy Jones Jr. (1969- ), pro boxer, is 39; Kate Moss (1974- ), model, is 34.
TODAY'S SPORTS: In 1961 Mickey Mantle signed a contract for an annual salary of $75,000, making him the highest paid player in the American League.
TODAY'S QUOTE: "Silence remains, inescapably, a form of speech." - Susan Sontag
TODAY'S FACT: Ethel Merman was the 8th performer to play the lead in the Broadway production of Hello, Dolly!, following in the footsteps of the likes of Carol Channing, Pearl Bailey, Phyllis Diller, Betty Grable, and Ginger Rogers.
TODAY'S NUMBER: 28 - number of countries that were members of the League of Nations for its entire duration; 35 other nations were members intermittently.
TODAY'S MOON: Between first quarter (January 15) and full moon (January 22).
