Today is the 214th day of 2012 and the 43rd day of summer.

TODAY'S HISTORY: In 1834, Britain abolished slavery in all of its colonies.

In 1876, Colorado became the 38th U.S. state.

In 1981, MTV debuted. The music video "Video Killed the Radio Star" by the Buggles was the first thing that it aired.

In 2007, a highway bridge in Minneapolis collapsed over the Mississippi River, killing 13 and injuring 145.

TODAY'S BIRTHDAYS: William Clark (1770-1838), explorer; Francis Scott Key (1779-1843), composer/lawyer; Herman Melville (1819-1891), writer; Dom DeLuise (1933-2009), actor/comedian; Yves Saint Laurent (1936-2008), fashion designer; Jerry Garcia (1942-1995), musician; Coolio (1963- ), rapper; Adam Duritz (1964- ), musician; Jason Momoa (1979- ), actor.

TODAY'S SPORTS: In 1936, the Olympic Games opened in Berlin before a crowd of 100,000 spectators.

TODAY'S FACT: The U.S. Census Bureau hired nearly 700,000 people to conduct interviews for the 2010 census.

TODAY'S QUOTE: "Never joke at funerals, or during business transactions." -- Herman Melville

TODAY'S NUMBER: 11 -- U.S. presidents to lie in state in the U.S. Capitol Rotunda. Abraham Lincoln was the first so honored in 1865.

TODAY'S MOON: Full moon (August 1).

Today is the 213th day of 2012 and the 42nd day of summer.

TODAY'S HISTORY: In 1914, trading on the New York Stock Exchange stopped upon the outbreak of World War I. It did not resume until December of that year.

In 1967, the American space probe Ranger 7 transmitted the first close-up photographs of the moon.

In 2006, Cuban dictator Fidel Castro underwent surgery and transferred presidential power to his brother Raul.

TODAY'S BIRTHDAYS: Milton Friedman (1912-2006), economist; Primo Levi (1919-1987), writer; Evonne Goolagong (1951- ), tennis player; Wesley Snipes (1962- ), actor; Fatboy Slim (1963- ), musician; J.K. Rowling (1965- ), author; Dean Cain (1966- ), actor; Zac Brown (1978- ), musician; DeMarcus Ware (1982- ), football player.

TODAY'S SPORTS: In 1990, Nolan Ryan won his milestone 300th game.

TODAY'S FACT: U.S. trademarks protect words, names, symbols, sounds or colors that distinguish goods and services. Unlike patents, they can be renewed forever as long as they are being used in business.

TODAY'S QUOTE: "Sooner or later in life everyone discovers that perfect happiness is unrealizable, but there are few who pause to consider the antithesis: that perfect unhappiness is equally unattainable." -- Primo Levi

TODAY'S NUMBER: 11.1 million -- estimated population of Cuba in 2012.

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

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).