Today is the 173rd day of 2012 and the second day of summer.
TODAY'S HISTORY: In 1788, the U.S. Constitution went into effect as New Hampshire became the ninth state to ratify it.
In 1989, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that burning the American flag was a form of political protest protected by the First Amendment.
In 2004, SpaceShipOne, piloted by Mike Melvill, became the first privately sponsored craft to carry a human into space.
TODAY'S BIRTHDAYS: Al Hirschfeld (1903-2003), cartoonist; Jean-Paul Sartre (1905-1980), philosopher; Mary McCarthy (1912-1989), writer; Jane Russell (1921-2011), actress; Ray Davies (1944- ), guitarist/songwriter; Benazir Bhutto (1953-2007), politician; Juliette Lewis (1973- ), actress; Prince William (1982- ), Duke of Cambridge.
TODAY'S SPORTS: In 1997, the first Women's National Basketball Association game kicked off the league's debut season.
TODAY'S FACT: James Buchanan was the only U.S. president who never married.
TODAY'S QUOTE: "Man is condemned to be free; because once thrown into the world, he is responsible for everything he does." -- Jean-Paul Sartre
TODAY'S NUMBER: 142,000 -- population of New Hampshire in 1790, following ratification of the U.S. Constitution.
TODAY'S MOON: Between new moon (June 19) and first quarter moon (June 26).