ON THIS DAY

On this date in 1791, congress authorized an official U.S. Mint.

On this day in 1845, Florida became our 27th state.

Alexander Graham Bell was born back in 1847.

In 1851, Congress authorized the smallest U.S. silver coin, the 3 cent piece.

On this date in 1875, congress authorized a 20-cent coin. Three years later, the idea was abandoned.

President Hoover signs the bill that made the "Star Spangled Banner" our official national anthem in 1931.

• It was shortly afterwards that the phrase, "Play ball," was coined.
• Makes you wonder what we yelled "Play ball!" after, before that?
• You know, I once wrote a new national anthem, but no one would stand for it.
• Hey, I'm here all day. Don't forget to tip your traffic reporters.

The group "Buffalo Springfield" was formed in 1966 during a traffic jam on an L.A. freeway. With cars stopped, people got out and started stretching their legs. That's when Stephen Stills & Richie Furay saw an old acquaintance Neil Young... they started talking, and the rest was history!

Super sexy Jessica Biel is 28, David Faustino turns 36. He was Bud Bundy on "Married with Children." and Tone-Loc turns 44 today. His big hit was "Wild Thing." 

THINGS YOU NEED TO KNOW

• CBS is said to be talking to Anderson Cooper about taking over the evening news desk when Katie Couric's contract is up in a year.
• A Washington state man was killed after he was in a car crash and then, while waiting for people to show up, urinated on a downed power line.
• Blake Shelton is trying something new -- releasing a CD that only contains 6 tracks, which of course, can be sold for less.
• TV Land is going for it, big time, with their own sitcom called "Hot in Cleveland." It'll hit the ground running this summer with Valerie Bertinelli, Jane Leeves and Wendie Malick in the starring roles.
• Jessica Simpson told Oprah she was disappointed John Mayer bragged about their sex life in magazine interviews.
• Carly Simon is giving a hint to who was the subject of her 1972 megahit "You're So Vain." The answer is on her new record, "Never Been Gone," She says. Apparently, if you play it backwards, you can hear the word "David." Spinner.com has speculated "David" is David Geffen,
• TLC has dumped the Miss America pageant. Now where will it go?
• T-Bone Wolk, long-time bass player for Hall & Oates, has died at age 58.
• Lindsay Lohan, who was twice arrested in 2007 for driving under the influence and did three stints in rehab that same year, says those weeks spent in addiction treatment were like a "vacation."
• The clothing color black can make your face look years older, according to color expert Jules Standish.
• The very first Red Robin restaurant is going to close March 21. Located in the Seattle U-District, the owners have decided not to renew its lease.
• The U.S. Postal service is giving serious thought to a 5-day-a-week delivery schedule.

Cleveland, Ohio, was named "the most miserable city in the United States," according to Forbes. To measure cities' misery, the magazine used income taxes, sales taxes, commute times, violent crime and the win-loss record of the professional sports teams over the past two years. The top 10 most miserable U.S. cities:

1. Cleveland, Ohio
2. Stockton, California
3. Memphis, Tennessee
4. Detroit, Michigan
5. Flint, Michigan
6. Miami, Florida
7. St. Louis, Missouri
8. Buffalo, New York
9. Canton, Ohio
10. Chicago, Illinois

A new study has found that atheists and liberals in the U.S. tend to have slightly higher IQs than religious believers and conservatives. The findings of the study, which will be published in the March issue of Social Psychology Quarterly indicate that atheists tend to have IQs about 6 points higher than believers and that liberals tend to have IQs that are about 11 points higher than conservatives. So what would Jesus say: "I thank thee, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because thou hast hid these things from the wise and prudent, and hast revealed them unto babes." (Matthew 11:25)

In London, an English dog-owner was fined for taking his pet for a stroll. So? Well, he was driving next to him in his car. Prosecutors said Paul Railton was spotted driving at low speed along a country lane in December, holding his dog's leash through the car window as the animal trotted alongside.

So boys and girls, what is the most irritating invention? When that question was asked of 2,500 adult Britons, the karaoke machine was the biggest offender. Here's the top 5 most irritating inventions:

1. Karaoke machines (22%)
2. 24-hour sports channels (17%)
3. Computer game consoles (12%)
4. Cell phones (11%)
5. Alarm clocks (7%)

If you put that soft drink down now, you might be able to save your waistline. The typical American drinks almost 50 additional calories from sweetened beverages than they did 20 years ago, for an average of 300 calories daily, says research from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. What does this mean? If you eat the exact same diet as you did in 1988 -- except for the extra 50 calories from the soda -- you'll gain five pounds a year. If you cut 300 liquid calories from your daily diet, you'll lose 2.5 pounds a month.

When a woman asks if her pants make her look fat and you both know she's gained 5 pounds, what goes through his head? Women's Health contributing editor, Larry Smith's answer is: Dread. Hope. Fear. Dread because it's a lose-lose question, no answer is going to make you happy. Hope because when we tell you, "You're beautiful and I love you," we hope you know we mean it, and really hope you won't keep asking. And fear because it's not that 5 pounds is a big deal, we've had ups and downs ourselves and feel lucky that your love isn't calibrated to the scale.