Today is the 24th day of 2023 and the 35th day of winter.

T ODAY’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 (19151991), 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; Kristen Schaal (1978), actress/comedian; Daveed Diggs (1982- ), 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: “Silence may be as variously shaded as speech.” -- Edith Wharton 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 new moon (Jan. 21) and first quarter moon (Jan. 28).