Today is the 186th day of 2012 and the 15th day of summer.

TODAY'S HISTORY: In 1776, the Continental Congress adopted the text of the Declaration of Independence.

In 1826, founding fathers John Adams and Thomas Jefferson both died.

In 1895, the Congregationalist magazine published the poem "America the Beautiful," written by Wellesley professor Katharine Lee Bates.

TODAY'S BIRTHDAYS: Nathaniel Hawthorne (1804-1864), writer; Calvin Coolidge (1872-1933), 30th U.S. president; Leona Helmsley (1920-2007), real estate developer; Eva Marie Saint (1924- ), actress; Neil Simon (1927- ), playwright; George Steinbrenner (1930-2010), New York Yankees owner; Geraldo Rivera (1943- ), TV personality.

TODAY'S SPORTS: In 1939, more than 60,000 baseball fans honored Lou Gehrig, who was suffering from amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, at Yankee Stadium. Gehrig delivered the famous line, "Today, I consider myself the luckiest man on the face of the earth."

TODAY'S FACT: Eleven different places in the United States have "independence" in their names. Independence, Mo., is the most populous place, with 116,830 residents.

TODAY'S QUOTE: "If you can go through life without ever experiencing pain, you probably haven't been born yet." -- Neil Simon

TODAY'S NUMBER: $3.6 million -- value of imported American flags in 2011 ($3.3 million worth of American flags were imported from China alone).

TODAY'S MOON: Between full moon (July 3) and last quarter moon (July 10).

Today is the 185th day of 2012 and the 14th day of summer.

TODAY'S HISTORY: In 1775, George Washington assumed command of the Continental Army.

In 1863, the Battle of Gettysburg ended in a major victory for the Union states as Confederate troops retreated.

In 1998, Bill Clinton completed the first presidential visit to China since the Tiananmen Square protests of 1989.

TODAY'S BIRTHDAYS: George M. Cohan (1878-1942), songwriter/entertainer; Franz Kafka (1883-1924), writer; Tom Stoppard (1937- ), playwright; Tom Cruise (1962- ), actor; Olivia Munn (1980- ), actress.

TODAY'S SPORTS: In 2001, NBA owners approved the move of the 6-year-old Grizzlies franchise from Vancouver, British Columbia, to Memphis, Tenn.

TODAY'S FACT: George M. Cohan, author of the songs "You're a Grand Old Flag" and "Over There," among many others, often claimed to have been "born on the Fourth of July."

TODAY'S QUOTE: "Don't despair, not even over the fact that you don't despair." -- Franz Kafka

TODAY'S NUMBER: 50,000 -- estimated number of Gettysburg veterans who reunited at the site to mark the battle's 50th anniversary in 1913. The youngest veteran claimed to be only 61.

TODAY'S MOON: Full moon (July 3).

Today is the 184th day of 2012 and the 13th day of summer.

TODAY'S HISTORY: In 1881, President James Garfield was shot and fatally wounded by a disturbed office-seeker, Charles Guiteau.

In 1947, an object that the Air Force called a weather balloon crashed near Roswell, N.M., giving rise to theories that it might be an alien spacecraft.

In 1964, President Lyndon B. Johnson signed a civil rights bill barring discrimination in voting, jobs and public accommodations.

TODAY'S BIRTHDAYS: Hermann Hesse (1877-1962), novelist; Thurgood Marshall (1908-1993), Supreme Court justice; Dave Thomas (1932-2002), Wendy's fast-food chain founder; Richard Petty (1937- ), NASCAR driver; Larry David (1947- ), writer/actor; Jose Canseco (1964- ), baseball player; Johnny Weir (1984- ), figure skater; Lindsay Lohan (1986- ), actress.

TODAY'S SPORTS: In 1941, Joe DiMaggio passed "Wee" Willie Keeler's 44-game record hitting streak from 1897.

TODAY'S FACT: When President Johnson signed the Civil Rights Act in 1964, 57 percent of African-American housing had been judged to be unacceptable by the contemporary standard.

TODAY'S QUOTE: "None of us got where we are solely by pulling ourselves up by our bootstraps." -- Thurgood Marshall

TODAY'S NUMBER: 24 -- years Thurgood Marshall served as a U.S. Supreme Court justice.

TODAY'S MOON: Between first quarter moon (June 26) and full moon (July 3).