Today is the 216th day of 2012 and the 45th day of summer.

TODAY'S HISTORY: In 1492, Christopher Columbus, seeking a sea route to the Far East, departed Palos de la Frontera, Spain.

In 1914, Germany declared war on France.

In 1958, the nuclear-powered submarine Nautilus became the first vessel to cross the North Pole underwater.

In 2005, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad became president of Iran.

TODAY'S BIRTHDAYS: Ernie Pyle (1900-1945), journalist/war correspondent; John Scopes (1900-1970), teacher; Leon Uris (1924-2003), novelist; Tony Bennett (1926- ), singer; Martin Sheen (1940- ), actor; Martha Stewart (1941- ), TV personality/business mogul; James Hetfield (1963- ), musician; Tom Brady (1977- ), football player; Evangeline Lilly (1979- ), actress; Ryan Lochte (1984- ), Olympic swimmer.

TODAY'S SPORTS: In 1984, gymnast Mary Lou Retton scored a perfect 10 in the vault event to clinch an Olympic gold medal in the all-around competition.

TODAY'S FACT: The Navy's submarine branch has received more decorations of honor, per person, than any other Navy branch.

TODAY'S QUOTE: "How often in life it is a truth that we have no time for our friends but all the time in the world for our enemies." -- Leon Uris

TODAY'S NUMBER: 70 -- length (in days) of Christopher Columbus' first voyage across the Atlantic Ocean in 1492.

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

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).