Today is the 215th day of 2012 and the 44th day of summer.

TODAY'S HISTORY: In 1790, the first official census of the United States was conducted.

In 1923, President Warren Harding died in San Francisco. Vice President Calvin Coolidge was sworn in as president before dawn the next day.

In 1939, Albert Einstein wrote a letter to President Franklin D. Roosevelt, requesting that the U.S. research the possibility of atomic weapons.

In 1990, Iraq invaded Kuwait.

TODAY'S BIRTHDAYS: James Baldwin (1924-1987), writer; Carroll O'Connor (1924-2001), actor; Peter O'Toole (1932- ), actor; Wes Craven (1939- ), filmmaker; Mary-Louise Parker (1964- ), actress; Kevin Smith (1970- ), filmmaker; Sam Worthington (1976- ), actor.

TODAY'S SPORTS: In 1921, former Chicago White Sox baseball players, charged with defrauding the public in a conspiracy to throw the 1919 World Series, were acquitted.

TODAY'S FACT: Vice President Calvin Coolidge was sworn into the presidency by his father, a notary public, in the living room of the Coolidge family home in Vermont.

TODAY'S QUOTE: "Children have never been very good at listening to their elders, but they have never failed to imitate them." -- James Baldwin

TODAY'S NUMBER: 3,929,214 -- population of the United States as recorded in the 1790 census.

TODAY'S MOON: Between full moon (Aug. 1) and last quarter moon (Aug. 9).

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).