Today is the 177th day of 2014 and the sixth day of summer.

TODAY'S HISTORY: In 1870, the U.S. Congress recognized Christmas as a federal holiday.

In 1945, the United Nations charter was signed by 50 nations.

In 1963, John F. Kennedy gave a speech while visiting West Berlin, declaring "Ich bin ein Berliner" ("I am a Berliner.")

In 2000, scientists announced the completion of a basic structural map of the human genome.

TODAY'S BIRTHDAYS: William Thomson, Baron Kelvin (1824-1907), physicist; Pearl S. Buck (1892-1973), author; Peter Lorre (1904-1964), actor; Babe Didrikson Zaharias (1911-1956), athlete/golfer; Milton Glaser (1929- ), graphic designer; Gilberto Gil (1942- ), musician; Greg LeMond (1961- ), cyclist; Sean Hayes (1970- ), actor; Nick Offerman (1970- ), actor; Gretchen Wilson (1973- ), singer; Derek Jeter (1974- ), baseball player; Ryan Tedder (1979- ), singer-songwriter; Jason Schwartzman (1980- ), actor; Aubrey Plaza (1984- ), actress.

TODAY'S FACT: The United Nations currently has 193 member states. The newest member, South Sudan, joined in 2011.

TODAY'S SPORTS: In 1944, an unusual "tri-cornered" exhibition baseball game featured the New York-based Yankees, Dodgers and Giants. In nine innings of play, each team batted for 18 outs, played defense for 18 outs, and watched for 18 outs. The Dodgers won the game with five runs, the Yankees scored one run and the Giants were shut out.

TODAY'S QUOTE: "All things are possible until they are proved impossible -- and even the impossible may only be so, as of now." -- Pearl S. Buck, "A Bridge for Passing"

TODAY'S NUMBER: $0 -- amount graphic designer Milton Glaser charged the New York state tourism board for designing the "I (heart) New York" logo in 1977.

TODAY'S MOON: Between last quarter moon (June 19) and new moon (June 27).

Today is the 176th day of 2014 and the fifth day of summer.

TODAY'S HISTORY: In 1876, Lt. Col. George Custer and 263 soldiers under his command were killed by Cheyenne and Sioux fighters in the Battle of Little Bighorn.

In 1938, President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed into law the Fair Labor Standards Act, enacting the first federal hourly minimum wage (at 25 cents an hour).

In 1950, North Korean forces crossed the 38th parallel into South Korea, igniting the Korean War.

In 1998, the Supreme Court ruled the presidential line-item veto unconstitutional.

TODAY'S BIRTHDAYS: Antoni Gaudi (1852-1926), architect; George Abbott (1887-1995), playwright/producer/director; George Orwell (1903-1950), essayist/novelist; Sidney Lumet (1924-2011), filmmaker; Carly Simon (1945- ), singer-songwriter; Sonia Sotomayor (1954- ), U.S. Supreme Court justice; Anthony Bourdain (1956- ), chef/author/TV personality; Ricky Gervais (1961- ), comedian/actor; George Michael (1963- ), singer-songwriter; Linda Cardellini (1975- ), actress; Busy Philipps (1979- ), actress.

TODAY'S FACT: North Korea's military had 1.2 million active troops and an estimated 7.7 million reserve troops in 2013.

TODAY'S SPORTS: In 1968, San Francisco Giants rookie Bobby Bonds became the first player in the 20th century to hit a grand slam in his first major league game.

TODAY'S QUOTE: "Nearly all creators of Utopia have resembled the man who has toothache, and therefore thinks happiness consists in not having toothache." -- George Orwell

TODAY'S NUMBER: $9.32 -- hourly minimum wage in Washington state, which has the highest minimum wage of any state in 2014.

TODAY'S MOON: Between last quarter moon (June 19) and new moon (June 27).

Today is the 175th day of 2014 and the fourth day of summer.

TODAY'S HISTORY: In 1901, the first major exhibition of Pablo Picasso's work opened in Paris.

In 1948, President Harry S. Truman signed the Selective Service Act, requiring all men between the ages of 18 and 25 to register for military service.

In 1957, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in Roth v. United States that the First Amendment does not protect obscenity.

In 2011, New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo signed a bill into law that legalized same-sex marriage.

TODAY'S BIRTHDAYS: John Ross (1777-1856), Arctic explorer; Henry Ward Beecher (1813-1887), clergyman/abolitionist; Ambrose Bierce (1842-1914), writer/satirist; Gerrit Rietveld (1888-1964), architect; Jack Dempsey (1895-1983), boxer; Mick Fleetwood (1947- ), musician; Peter Weller (1947- ), actor; Sherry Stringfield (1967- ), actress; Mindy Kaling (1979- ), actress/producer; Minka Kelly (1980- ), actress; Lionel Messi (1987- ), soccer player.

TODAY'S FACT: Pablo Picasso was honored on his 90th birthday with an exhibition at the Louvre in Paris in 1971. It was the first time the Louvre had exhibited the work of a living artist.

TODAY'S SPORTS: In 1995, the South Africa Springboks defeated the New Zealand All Blacks in the finals of the Rugby World Cup as Nelson Mandela looked on. The event was dramatized in the 2009 film "Invictus."

TODAY'S QUOTE: "We should not judge people by their peak of excellence; but by the distance they have traveled from the point where they started." -- Henry Ward Beecher

TODAY'S NUMBER: 9 -- age of British explorer John Ross when he joined the Royal Navy as an apprentice in 1786.

TODAY'S MOON: Between last quarter moon (June 19) and new moon (June 27).