Today is the 206th day of 2014 and the 35th day of summer.

TODAY'S HISTORY: In 1952, Puerto Rico became a self-governing U.S. commonwealth.

In 1978, Louise Joy Brown, the first baby to be conceived via in vitro fertilization, was born in Manchester, England.

In 2005, two major unions, the Teamsters and the Service Employees International Union, withdrew from the AFL-CIO.

In 2010, the website Wikileaks released the "Afghan War Diary," containing more than 75,000 secret documents from the United States' war in Afghanistan.

TODAY'S BIRTHDAYS: Henry Knox (1750-1806), first U.S. secretary of war; Maxfield Parrish (1870-1966), painter/illustrator; Eric Hoffer (1902-1983), philosopher; Rosalind Franklin (1920-1958), biophysicist; Estelle Getty (1923-2008), actress; John Gibson (1946- ), radio/TV personality; Walter Payton (1954-1999), football player; Iman (1955- ), model/actress; Thurston Moore (1958- ), musician; Matt LeBlanc (1967- ), actor.

TODAY'S FACT: The Viking Orbiter 1 spacecraft, while searching for potential landing sites for the Viking 2 Lander, snapped the famous "Face on Mars" photo of the planet's surface on this day in 1976.

TODAY'S SPORTS: In 1976, American Edwin Moses ran in his first international track and field event at the Montreal Olympics -- the 400m hurdles -- and won a gold medal with a world record-setting time of 47.64 seconds.

TODAY'S QUOTE: " A man is likely to mind his own business when it is worth minding. When it is not, he takes his mind off his own meaningless affairs by minding other people's business." -- Eric Hoffer

TODAY'S NUMBER: 3.1 million -- approximate combined membership of the Teamsters and the Service Employees International unions in 2014.

TODAY'S MOON: Between last quarter moon (July 18) and new moon (July 26).

Today is the 205th day of 2014 and the 34th day of summer.

TODAY'S HISTORY: In 1847, Brigham Young and the first Mormon pioneers arrived at Utah's Salt Lake Valley.

In 1866, Tennessee became the first Confederate state to be re-admitted to the Union following the Civil War.

In 1959, the "Kitchen Debate" between Vice President Richard Nixon and Soviet Premier Nikita Khrushchev took place in Moscow.

In 1998, a lone gunman opened fire in the U.S. Capitol building, killing two police officers.

TODAY'S BIRTHDAYS: Simon Bolivar (1783-1830), South American liberator; Alexandre Dumas, pere (1802-1870), playwright/novelist; Amelia Earhart (1897-1937), aviator; Pat Oliphant (1935- ), cartoonist; Gallagher (1946- ), comedian; Michael Richards (1949- ), actor/comedian; Gus Van Sant (1952- ), filmmaker; Karl Malone (1963- ), basketball player; Barry Bonds (1964- ), baseball player; Jennifer Lopez (1969- ), actress/singer; Elisabeth Moss (1982- ), actress; Anna Paquin (1982- ), actress.

TODAY'S FACT: In 1911, American historian Hiram Bingham rediscovered the ancient Incan city of Machu Picchu, which had been largely forgotten by those outside the immediate area in Peru.

TODAY'S SPORTS: In 1983, umpires at Yankee Stadium in New York nullified a 2-run home run by George Brett of the Kansas City Royals, due to excessive pine tar on Brett's bat. The ruling made Brett the third out in the top of the ninth inning, giving the Yankees a 4-3 victory.

TODAY'S QUOTE: "The difference between treason and patriotism is only a matter of dates." -- Alexandre Dumas, "The Count of Monte Cristo"

TODAY'S NUMBER: 6.4 million -- reported membership of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (aka Mormons) in the United States in 2014.

TODAY'S MOON: Between last quarter moon (July 18) and new moon (July 26).

Today is the 204th day of 2014 and the 33rd day of summer.

TODAY'S HISTORY: In 1962, the Telstar 1 satellite transmitted the first live, trans-Atlantic TV broadcast, featuring CBS news anchor Walter Cronkite.

In 1967, the 12th Street Riots began in Detroit, ending five days later and resulting in 43 people dead, hundreds injured and more than 1,400 buildings burned to the ground.

In 1999, with the launch of Columbia, Eileen Collins became the first woman to command a U.S. shuttle flight.

TODAY'S BIRTHDAY: Emil Jannings (1884-1950), actor; Raymond Chandler (1888-1959), author; Pee Wee Reese (1918-1999), baseball player; Anthony M. Kennedy (1936- ), Supreme Court justice; Don Imus (1940- ), radio personality; Woody Harrelson (1961- ), actor; Slash (Saul Hudson) (1965- ), musician; Philip Seymour Hoffman (1967-2014), actor; Alison Krauss (1971- ), musician/singer-songwriter; Daniel Radcliffe (1989- ), actor.

TODAY'S FACT: Comet Hale-Bopp, discovered on this day in 1995, was visible to the naked eye for a record 18 months, from May 1996 to December 1997. The previous record holder, the Great Comet of 1811, was visible for about nine months.

TODAY'S SPORTS: In 1996, injured American gymnast Kerri Strug scored a 9.7 on the vault as the U.S. won its first-ever gold medal in the women's team gymnastics competition.

TODAY'S QUOTE: "From 30 feet away she looked like a lot of class. From 10 feet away she looked like something made up to be seen from 30 feet away." -- Raymond Chandler, "The High Window"

TODAY'S NUMBER: 27 -- Grammy Awards won by bluegrass musician Alison Krauss during her career -- including six awards for a 2007 collaboration with Robert Plant -- more than any other female artist.

TODAY'S MOON: Between last quarter moon (July 18) and new moon (July 26).