Today is the 178th day of 2014 and the seventh day of summer.

TODAY'S HISTORY: In 1829, British chemist James Smithson died, leaving an endowment for "the Smithsonian Institution, an establishment for the increase and diffusion of knowledge among men."

In 1844, Mormon religion founder Joseph Smith and his brother Hyrum were murdered by an anti-Mormon mob at the jail where they were being held in Carthage, Illinois.

In 1950, President Harry S. Truman sent the U.S. Air Force and U.S. Navy to fight in the Korean War.

In 1985, the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials decertified Route 66.

TODAY'S BIRTHDAYS: Emma Goldman (1869-1940), labor leader; Helen Keller (1880-1968), activist/author; H. Ross Perot (1930- ), businessman/politician; Vera Wang (1949- ), fashion designer; J.J. Abrams (1966- ), TV/film producer; Tobey Maguire (1975- ), actor; Ed Westwick (1987- ), actor; Chandler Riggs (1999- ), actor.

TODAY'S FACT: Boston Red Sox legend Ted Williams flew 39 combat missions during the Korean War. Williams sat out nearly five Major League Baseball seasons due to his military service in World War II and Korea.

TODAY'S SPORTS: In 2001, the Washington Wizards drafted 19-year-old center Kwame Brown, marking the first time a high school student was taken with the No. 1 overall pick in the NBA Draft.

TODAY'S QUOTE: "Character cannot be developed in ease and quiet. Only through experience of trial and suffering can the soul be strengthened, vision cleared, ambition inspired and success achieved." -- Helen Keller

TODAY'S NUMBER: 30 million -- visitors to Smithsonian Institution museums in 2013.

TODAY'S MOON: New moon (June 27).

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).