ON THIS DAY

On this date in 1663, an earthquake rocked Canada.

In 1783, Sweden recognized the United States as a country.

On this date in 1887, almost four inches of snow fell on the city of San Francisco.

In 1917, Mexico's constitution was adopted.

On this date in 1921, The New York Yankees bought 20 acres in the Bronx so they could build a stadium.

In 1937, President Roosevelt proposed adding 6 more judges to the U.S. Supreme Court, but congress said no.

On this date in 1979, President Carter asked Americans to voluntarily conserve energy. We all know how that worked out.

Bobby Brown turns 41, Director Michael Mann turns 68 today. He gave us "The last of the Mohicans".

Corey Wells turns 68. Baseball's non-drug assisted home run king, Hank Aaron, turns 76 today.

THINGS YOU NEED TO KNOW

• Brittany Murphy died from pneumonia, with contributing factors of iron deficiency anemia and "multiple drug intoxication," according to the Los Angeles County coroner's office.
• ABC isn't announcing the cast of the next "Dancing with the Stars" until March 1, but the rumor mill is saying that Pamela Anderson will be among them.
• "The Blind Side" will come out on video March 23.
• Whitney Houston kicks off her world tour this weekend in South Korea.
• Former teen idol Leif Garrett was arrested Monday morning in Los Angeles for possession of a controlled substance.
• David Letterman has the honor of unveiling this year's Sports Illustrated Swimsuit edition Monday night, then talks with the cover model on Tuesday.
• Wayne Newton owes a Detroit-area airport more than $60,000 in storage fees after abandoning his $2 million plane more than three years ago. The plane was flown into the airport about 25 miles northwest of Detroit to have interior work done that took about a year to complete.
• While Quincy Jones rounded up the stars to sing another version of "We Are the World" over here for Haiti relief, Simon Cowell went the route of having British stars since the old REM song, "Everybody Hurts," including Susan Boyle, Rod Stewart, Leona Lewis, Kylie Minogue and Robbie Williams, among others.
• When the Olympic make their big entrance at the opening ceremonies in Vancouver, the American team will be wearing athletic wear by Ralph Lauren.
• A Las Vegas couple got quite a jolt when a 40-pound chunk of ice apparently fell off a jet passing over and crashed into their home. No one was hurt.
• Brothers & Sisters star Sarah Jane Morris and her husband Ned Brower welcomed a baby boy into the world January 24.
• An 8-year-old cat in Britain just became the world's first cat to have an artificial knee replacement.

Mike Jakaitis, a reporter for WTOP News in Washington, DC, has what every man needs, his very own man cave since last summer. If you want to construct a man cave, he says there are five essential items:

1. A really big TV. It must be at least 40 inches.
2. A really loud sound system. Here's the test to determine if it's loud enough: Your wife must yell at you at least 10 times during the weekend to turn it down.
3. A really comfortable sofa designed so you can fall asleep on it within 10 minutes with a remote in one hand.
4. A bar. No space or money to build a bar? Get a mini-fridge.
5. Accessories that show off your manhood, such as sports, music or movie paraphernalia.

In addition, Jakaitis has created 10 rules for his man cave. Women are welcome to join him in his cave, but they must follow his rules -- even if they think they're a bit narrow-minded.

1. This is the most important rule: Under no circumstances do you give up your remote. You can let others try it out, but when the action is on the tube, that thing stays with you.
2. No flowers, potpourri or any kind of sweet smelling scent is allowed.
3. The following channels are banned: Lifetime, WE TV, LMN or anything involving Oprah or Martha Stewart.
4. No Snuggies.
5. Magazines such as Cosmopolitan and US Weekly are not allowed.
6. Coasters are optional.
7. All language is tolerated.
8. Anything entering the cave with a Dallas Cowboys reference can and will be destroyed. (This is Jakaitis' rule. You can substitute the sports team you most dislike in place of the Cowboys.)
9. No talking about what he or she is wearing while singing the National Anthem.
10. No crying is allowed. (A tough rule to follow. See Rule 7.)

The lust of romantic love lasts a little more than a year. After that, all those fun chemicals that bathe the brain and give us the lust rush dissipate. That's the word from researchers at the University of Pavia in Italy, who found the brain chemical that is likely responsible for the first flush of love. Study co-author Piergluigi Politi was quick to point out that this does not mean the couples are no longer in love. Instead, it's not an "acute love. The love became more stable. Romantic love seemed to have ended. Our current knowledge of the neurobiology of romantic love remains scanty. But it seems from this study biochemical mechanisms could be involved in the mood changes that occur from the early stage of love to when the relationship becomes more established."

The stress of secretive love may harm your health, reveals a Colorado State University study. Men who keep their status on the down low, as with an affair, an office romance, or a relationship that meets family or social disapproval, tend to report more health problems than men who are open about it. Some symptoms: headaches, nausea, low energy, and poor appetite. (Men's Health )

An airline is asking passengers to cut weight before they board the plane by relieving themselves in the airport restrooms. Japan's All Nippon Airways stationed special agents at the company's terminal gates in October to ask passengers to hit the john before boarding their flights, says a source. The airline believes the bizarre measure will result in a 5 ton reduction of carbon emissions on their 42 flights over the course of a month. All Nippon Airways based their calculations on the average bladder capacity of a human, which at 15 ounces is nearly a pound per person. If 150 passengers on a plane relieve themselves before boarding, they will have dropped more than 140 pounds. And that's nearly 140 pounds less for each plane to carry. (National Examiner)