Today is the 212th day of 2012 and the 41st day of summer.

TODAY'S HISTORY: In 1619, America's first representative assembly met in Jamestown, Va.

In 1965, President Lyndon B. Johnson signed the bill that created Medicare.

In 1975, former Teamsters Union president Jimmy Hoffa disappeared from suburban Detroit.

In 2006, the Democratic Republic of the Congo held its first multiparty election in four decades.

TODAY'S BIRTHDAYS: Emily Bronte (1818-1848), novelist; Henry Ford (1863-1947), industrialist/automaker; Casey Stengel (1890-1975), baseball player/manager; Bud Selig (1934- ), baseball commissioner; Paul Anka (1941- ), singer/songwriter; Arnold Schwarzenegger (1947- ), actor/former governor; Laurence Fishburne (1961- ), actor; Lisa Kudrow (1963- ), actress; Christopher Nolan (1970- ), film director; Hilary Swank (1974- ), actress.

TODAY'S SPORTS: In 2002, Los Angeles Sparks center Lisa Leslie became the first woman to dunk in a WNBA game.

TODAY'S FACT: In 1919, Henry Ford sued the Chicago Tribune for libeling him in an editorial headlined, "Ford Is an Anarchist." The jury found in his favor and awarded him 6 cents plus trial costs.

TODAY'S QUOTE: "The key to good management is keeping the nine guys who hate your guts away from the nine guys who haven't made up their minds." -- Casey Stengel

TODAY'S NUMBER: 28 -- age at which Emily Bronte finished writing "Wuthering Heights."

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

Today is the 211h day of 2012 and the 40th day of summer.

TODAY'S HISTORY: In 1907, Sir Robert Baden-Powell formed the Boy Scouts in England.

In 1958, President Eisenhower signed legislation creating the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA).

In 1981, Prince Charles and Lady Diana Spencer were married at St. Paul's Cathedral in London.

TODAY'S BIRTHDAYS: Alexis de Tocqueville (1805-1859), writer/historian/political scientist; Benito Mussolini (1883-1945), Italian dictator; Elizabeth Dole (1936- ), U.S. senator; Peter Jennings (1938-2005), TV news anchor; Ken Burns (1953- ), documentary filmmaker; Tim Gunn (1953- ), TV personality; Martina McBride (1966- ), singer; Josh Radnor (1974- ), actor.

TODAY'S SPORTS: In 2003, Bill Mueller of the Boston Red Sox became the first major league batter in history to hit grand slams from both sides of the plate in a single game. The Red Sox defeated the Texas Rangers 14-7.

TODAY'S FACT: The Boy Scouts of America organization was founded in 1910, and the American Girl Guides (later changed to Girl Scouts) was founded two years later.

TODAY'S QUOTE: "In order to enjoy the inestimable benefits that the liberty of the press ensures, it is necessary to submit to the inevitable evils which it engenders." -- Alexis de Tocqueville

TODAY'S NUMBER: 700 million -- estimated number of people worldwide who watched the wedding of Prince Charles and Diana Spencer on television.

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

Today is the 210th day of 2012 and the 39th day of summer.

TODAY'S HISTORY: In 1868, the 14th Amendment to the Constitution was ratified, guaranteeing full citizenship rights to African-Americans and due process of law to all citizens.

In 1914, World War I began when Austria-Hungary declared war on Serbia.

In 1932, the Bonus Army -- unemployed World War I veterans demanding their bonus payments in full -- was evicted from government property in Washington, D.C.

In 2005, the Irish Republican Army renounced violence as a political tactic and ordered its units to disarm and cease all terrorist activities.

TODAY'S BIRTHDAYS: Beatrix Potter (1866-1943), children's author/illustrator; Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis (1929-1994), first lady; Bill Bradley (1943- ), basketball player/U.S. senator; Jim Davis (1945- ), cartoonist; Sally Struthers (1948- ), actress; Hugo Chavez (1954- ), Venezuelan president; Scott Pelley (1957- ), TV journalist.

TODAY'S SPORTS: In 1989, Vince Coleman's base-stealing streak ended at 50. The Cardinal outfielder's record-setting streak included six steals from the 1988 season.

TODAY'S FACT: Jacqueline Kennedy was the first first lady who was born in a hospital.

TODAY'S QUOTE: "Way down deep, we're all motivated by the same urges. Cats have the courage to live by them." -- Jim Davis

TODAY'S NUMBER: 9,217 -- points scored by Bill Bradley during his Hall of Fame professional basketball career.

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