Today is the 209th day of 2012 and the 38th day of summer.

TODAY'S HISTORY: In 1789, Congress established the State Department.

In 1940, the first Bugs Bunny cartoon, "A Wild Hare," debuted in movie theaters.

In 1953, a Korean War armistice was signed after three years of fighting.

In 1974, the House of Representatives voted to recommend the first article of impeachment against President Nixon, which charged him with obstruction of justice.

In 1996, a bomb exploded in an Atlanta park during the Summer Olympics, killing one person.

TODAY'S BIRTHDAYS: Alexandre Dumas, fils (1824-1895), novelist/playwright; Leo Durocher (1905-1991), baseball player/manager; Norman Lear (1922- ), TV producer/writer; Maya Rudolph (1972- ), actress; Alex Rodriguez (1975- ), baseball player; Jonathan Rhys-Meyers (1977- ), actor.

TODAY'S SPORTS: In 1986, 83 years after the Tour de France was established, American cyclist Greg LeMond became the first non-European to win the race.

TODAY'S FACT: The Republic of Korea (South Korea) refused to sign the armistice agreement that ended the Korean War. They have never made a peace treaty with the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (North Korea).

TODAY'S QUOTE: "Life is about having a good time, and it was a good time. We did some things well and some things poorly, but that was always the case." -- Norman Lear

TODAY'S NUMBER: 4 -- Major League Baseball teams (Dodgers, Giants, Cubs and Astros) managed by Leo Durocher on his way to a career total of 2,009 wins.

TODAY'S MOON: Between first quarter moon (July 26) and full moon (August 1).

Today is the 208th day of 2012 and the 37th day of summer.

TODAY'S HISTORY: In 1775, the Second Continental Congress established a postal system.

In 1947, President Truman signed the National Security Act, uniting the Army, Navy and Air Force under the Department of Defense and creating the National Security Council, Joint Chiefs of Staff and Central Intelligence Agency.

In 1990, President George H.W. Bush signed the Americans with Disabilities Act.

TODAY'S BIRTHDAYS: George Bernard Shaw (1856-1950), playwright/critic; Carl Jung (1875-1961), psychiatrist; Aldous Huxley (1894-1963), writer; Stanley Kubrick (1928-1999), film director; Mick Jagger (1943- ), singer; Helen Mirren (1945- ), actress; Kevin Spacey (1959- ), actor; Sandra Bullock (1964- ), actress; Jeremy Piven (1965- ), actor.

TODAY'S SPORTS: In 2005, Chicago Cubs pitcher Greg Maddux became the 13th pitcher in major league history to strike out 3,000 batters.

TODAY'S FACT: Stanley Kubrick's "Dr. Strangelove, or How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb" has the longest title of any film nominated for the Best Picture Oscar.

TODAY'S QUOTE: "A government which robs Peter to pay Paul can always depend on the support of Paul." -- George Bernard Shaw

TODAY'S NUMBER: 9 -- Joint Chiefs of Staff chairmen (out of 18) who have been Army officers. Only one (Peter Pace, 2005-2007) was a Marine Corps officer.

TODAY'S MOON: Between first quarter moon (July 26) and full moon (August 1).

Today is the 207th day of 2012 and the 36th day of summer.

TODAY'S HISTORY: In 1952, Puerto Rico became a self-governing U.S. commonwealth.

In 1956, the Andrea Doria ocean liner collided with the cruise ship Stockholm off the New England coast and sank the next day, killing 51.

In 1978, the first "test-tube baby," Louise Brown, was born in England.

In 2005, two major unions, the Teamsters and the Service Employees International Union, withdrew from the AFL-CIO.

TODAY'S BIRTHDAYS: Henry Knox (1750-1806), first U.S. secretary of war; Eric Hoffer (1902-1983), philosopher; Rosalind Franklin (1920-1958), biophysicist; Estelle Getty (1923-2008), actress; John Gibson (1946- ), radio/TV personality; Walter Payton (1954-1999), football player; Iman (1955- ), model/actress; Thurston Moore (1958- ), musician; Matt LeBlanc (1967- ), actor.

TODAY'S SPORTS: In 1976, American Edwin Moses ran in his first international track and field event at the Montreal Olympics -- the 400m hurdles -- and won a gold medal with a world record-setting time of 47.64 seconds.

TODAY'S FACT: In plebiscites held in 1967, 1993 and 1998, Puerto Rican voters chose to retain commonwealth status.

TODAY'S QUOTE: "A man is likely to mind his own business when it is worth minding. When it is not, he takes his mind off his own meaningless affairs by minding other people's business." -- Eric Hoffer

TODAY'S NUMBER: 3.2 million -- approximate combined membership of the Teamsters and the Service Employees International unions in 2012.

TODAY'S MOON: Between new moon (July 19) and first quarter moon (July 26).