ANDREWS MCMEEL ALMANAC
Today is the 183rd day of 2017 and the 13th day of summer.
TODAY'S HISTORY: In 1777, Vermont became the first American territory to abolish slavery.
In 1839, a group of 53 Mende captives revolted and took control of the slave ship Amistad.
In 1881, lawyer Charles Guiteau shot President James Garfield, who died from his wounds 10 weeks later.
In 1964, President Lyndon B. Johnson signed the Civil Rights Act of 1964, outlawing major forms of discrimination.
In 2002, Steve Fossett completed the first nonstop solo hot air balloon flight around the world.
TODAY'S BIRTHDAYS: Hermann Hesse (1877-1962), author; Thurgood Marshall (1908-1993), Supreme Court justice; Pierre Cardin (1922- ), fashion designer; Medgar Evers (1925-1963), civil rights activist; Richard Petty (1937- ), NASCAR driver; Larry David (1947- ), writer/actor; Jose Canseco (1964- ), baseball player; Johnny Weir (1984- ), figure skater; Lindsay Lohan (1986- ), actress; Margot Robbie (1990- ), actress.
TODAY'S FACT: The first zeppelin airship, which made its debut flight over Lake Constance, Germany, on this day in 1900, was 420 feet long and powered by a 16-horsepower engine.
TODAY'S SPORTS: In 2002, the Chicago White Sox defeated the Detroit Tigers by a score of 17-9. Each team hit six home runs, setting a major league record of 12 in a single game.
TODAY'S QUOTE: "I do not consider myself less ignorant than most people. I have been and still am a seeker, but I have ceased to question stars and books; I have begun to listen to the teachings my blood whispers to me." -- Hermann Hesse, "Demian"
TODAY'S NUMBER: 11,723 -- Walmart stores (including Walmart U.S., Sam's Club and Walmart International) worldwide, as of June 2017. The first Walmart store opened in Rogers, Arkansas, on this day in 1962.
TODAY'S MOON: Between first quarter moon (June 30) and full moon (July 8).