Today is the 195th day of 2012 and the 24th day of summer.

TODAY'S HISTORY: In 1787, the U.S. Congress adopted the Northwest Ordinance, which established governing rules for the Northwest Territory.

In 1863, New York City draft riots began. An estimated 1,000 people were killed or wounded.

In 1977, a 25-hour blackout hit the New York City area, leaving some 9 million people in darkness and resulting in looting and disorder.

In 1985, the Live Aid concerts were broadcast to more than 1 billion people in 110 countries to raise money for African famine relief.

TODAY'S BIRTHDAYS: Jack Kemp (1935-2009), football player/politician; Patrick Stewart (1940- ), actor; Harrison Ford (1942- ), actor; Cheech Marin (1946- ), actor/comedian; Cameron Crowe (1957- ), screenwriter; Ken Jeong (1969- ), actor/comedian.

TODAY'S SPORTS: In 1930, France defeated Mexico 4-1 and the United States defeated Belgium 3-0 in the first World Cup soccer matches, held in Montevideo, Uruguay.

TODAY'S FACT: Presidents Washington, Adams, Jefferson and Madison all proposed that Congress pass some form of mandatory military conscription or registration, but none of the proposals succeeded.

TODAY'S QUOTE: "Pro football gave me a good sense of perspective to enter politics. I'd already been booed, cheered, cut, sold, traded and hung in effigy." -- Jack Kemp

TODAY'S NUMBER: 688,621 -- approximate area, in square miles, of the Northwest Territory (later divided into Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Michigan, Wisconsin and parts of Minnesota).

TODAY'S MOON: Between last quarter moon (July 10) and new moon (July 19).

Today is the 194th day of 2012 and the 23rd day of summer.

TODAY'S HISTORY: In 1871, rioting between Irish Catholics and Protestants in New York City left more than 50 dead.

In 1984, Democratic Rep. Geraldine Ferraro of New York became the first woman vice presidential candidate on a major party ticket.

In 2006, Hezbollah guerrillas raided northern Israel, marking the beginning of a 33-day conflict.

TODAY'S BIRTHDAYS: Henry David Thoreau (1817-1862), author/philosopher; George Washington Carver (1864-1943), scientist; Oscar Hammerstein II (1895-1960), lyricist; Buckminster Fuller (1895-1983), scientist/inventor; Pablo Neruda (1904-1973), poet; Milton Berle (1908-2002), comedian; Bill Cosby (1937- ), comedian/actor; Richard Simmons (1948- ), fitness trainer; Topher Grace (1978- ), actor; Michelle Rodriguez (1978- ), actress.

TODAY'S SPORTS: In 1979, the Chicago White Sox's Disco Demolition Night promotion caused the team to forfeit the second game of a doubleheader against the Detroit Tigers after unruly fans rushed the field.

TODAY'S FACT: George Washington Carver's "How to Grow the Peanut and 105 Ways of Preparing It for Human Consumption" included recipes for peanut bisque, peanut coffee and peanut sausage.

TODAY'S QUOTE: "A man is rich in proportion to the number of things he can afford to let alone." -- Henry David Thoreau

TODAY'S NUMBER: 270 -- stacked height (in feet) of Buckminster Fuller's "Dymaxion Chronofile," a systematic record of personal notes and ephemera that he kept from 1920 until his death.

TODAY'S MOON: Between last quarter moon (July 10) and new moon (July 19).

Today is the 193rd day of 2012 and the 22nd day of summer.

TODAY'S HISTORY: In 1533, Pope Clement VII excommunicated King Henry VIII of England.

In 1798, an act of the U.S. Congress re-created the Marine Corps, which had been disbanded after the Revolutionary War.

In 1804, Alexander Hamilton was fatally wounded in a duel with Aaron Burr.

In 1987, the United Nations estimated that the world's population had reached 5 billion.

TODAY'S BIRTHDAYS: John Quincy Adams (1767-1848), sixth U.S. president; E.B. White (1899-1985), writer; Yul Brynner (1920-1985), actor; Tab Hunter (1931- ), actor; Giorgio Armani (1934- ), fashion designer; Suzanne Vega (1959- ), singer; Lil' Kim (1975- ), rapper.

TODAY'S SPORTS: In 1985, during a 4-3 victory over the New York Mets, Houston Astros pitcher Nolan Ryan became the first major league pitcher to record 4,000 career strikeouts.

TODAY'S FACT: The Weehawken, N.J., site where Alexander Hamilton dueled with Aaron Burr was the site of at least 18 other recorded duels between 1700 and 1845.

TODAY'S QUOTE: "I arise in the morning torn between a desire to improve (or save) the world and a desire to enjoy (or savor) the world. This makes it hard to plan the day." -- E.B. White

TODAY'S NUMBER: 19.2 -- the percentage of Air Force active-duty personnel who were women in 2010, a larger proportion than any other branch of the military.

TODAY'S MOON: Between last quarter moon (July 10) and new moon (July 19).