Today is the 194th day of 2015 and the 23rd day of summer.

TODAY'S HISTORY: In 1863, New York City draft riots began. An estimated 1,000 people were killed or wounded.

In 1973, Alexander Butterfield, deputy assistant to President Richard Nixon, revealed the existence of the "Nixon Tapes" to a senatorial committee investigating the Watergate scandal.

In 1977, a 25-hour blackout hit the New York City area, leaving some 9 million people in darkness and resulting in looting and disorder.

TODAY'S BIRTHDAYS: John Clare (1793-1864), poet; John Jacob Astor IV (1864-1912), businessman; Bob Crane (1928-1978), actor; Jack Kemp (1935-2009), football player/politician; Patrick Stewart (1940- ), actor; Robert Forster (1941- ), actor; Harrison Ford (1942- ), actor; Cheech Marin (1946- ), actor/comedian; Tony Kornheiser (1948- ), sportscaster; Cameron Crowe (1957- ), filmmaker; Tom Kenny (1962- ), actor/comedian; Ken Jeong (1969- ), actor/comedian.

TODAY'S FACT: Presidents Washington, Adams, Jefferson and Madison all proposed that Congress pass some form of mandatory military conscription or registration, but none of the proposals succeeded.

TODAY'S SPORTS: In 1930, France defeated Mexico 4-1 and the United States defeated Belgium 3-0 in the first World Cup soccer matches, held in Montevideo, Uruguay.

TODAY'S QUOTE: "I loved thee, though I told thee not, / Right earlily and long, / Thou wert my joy in every spot, / My theme in every song." -- John Clare, "The Secret"

TODAY'S NUMBER: 1.9 billion -- estimated global audience (in 150 countries) that watched the Live Aid concerts, broadcast on this day in 1985 to raise money for African famine relief.

TODAY'S MOON: Between last quarter moon (July 8) and new moon (July 15).

Today is the 193rd day of 2015 and the 22nd day of summer.

TODAY'S HISTORY: In 1862, President Abraham Lincoln signed into law a measure creating the U.S. Army Medal of Honor.

In 1871, rioting between Irish Catholics and Protestants in New York City left more than 50 dead.

In 1984, Democratic Rep. Geraldine Ferraro of New York became the first female vice presidential candidate on a major party ticket.

In 2006, Hezbollah guerrillas raided northern Israel, marking the beginning of a 33-day conflict.

TODAY'S BIRTHDAYS: Henry David Thoreau (1817-1862), author/philosopher; Buckminster Fuller (1895-1983), architect; Oscar Hammerstein II (1895-1960), lyricist; Pablo Neruda (1904-1973), poet; Milton Berle (1908-2002), comedian; Richard Simmons (1948- ), fitness trainer; Julio Cesar Chavez (1962- ), boxer; Brock Lesnar (1977- ), wrestler/mixed martial artist; Topher Grace (1978- ), actor; Michelle Rodriguez (1978- ), actress.

TODAY'S FACT: Mary Edwards Walker, who served as a surgeon for the Union Army during the Civil War, is the only female recipient of the U.S. Army Medal of Honor.

TODAY'S SPORTS: In 1979, rioting during the Chicago White Sox's "Disco Demolition Night" promotion, in which an explosive-rigged dumpster filled with disco records was destroyed between games of a planned doubleheader, led to 39 arrests and caused the team to forfeit the second game against the Detroit Tigers.

TODAY'S QUOTE: "If a man believes and expects great things of himself, it makes no odds where you put him, or what you show him ... he will be surrounded by grandeur." -- Henry David Thoreau

TODAY'S NUMBER: 270 -- stacked height (in feet) of Buckminster Fuller's "Dymaxion Chronofile," a systematic record of personal notes and ephemera that he kept from 1920 until his death.

TODAY'S MOON: Between last quarter moon (July 8) and new moon (July 15).

Today is the 192nd day of 2015 and the 21st day of summer.

TODAY'S HISTORY: In 1798, the U.S. Marine Corps was re-established, having been disbanded since April 1783.

In 1804, former Secretary of the Treasury Alexander Hamilton was fatally wounded in a duel with Vice President Aaron Burr.

In 1960, Harper Lee's "To Kill a Mockingbird" was published.

In 1987, the United Nations estimated that the world's population had reached 5 billion.

TODAY'S BIRTHDAYS: John Quincy Adams (1767-1848), sixth U.S. president; E.B. White (1899-1985), author; Yul Brynner (1920-1985), actor; David Kelly (1929-2012), actor; Giorgio Armani (1934- ), fashion designer; Leon Spinks (1953- ), boxer; Sela Ward (1956- ), actress; Suzanne Vega (1959- ), singer-songwriter; Jeff Corwin (1967- ), naturalist/TV personality; Lil' Kim (1975- ), rapper; Andre Johnson (1981- ), football player; Patrick Peterson (1990- ), football player.

TODAY'S FACT: William Howard Taft, who was sworn in as chief justice of the United States on this day in 1921, is the only person in history to serve as both chief justice and president of the United States.

TODAY'S SPORTS: In 1914, Babe Ruth made his major league debut, pitching seven innings for the Boston Red Sox in a 4-3 victory over the Cleveland Indians.

TODAY'S QUOTE: "I would feel more optimistic about a bright future for man if he spent less time proving that he can outwit Nature and more time tasting her sweetness and respecting her seniority." -- E.B. White

TODAY'S NUMBER: 18 -- documented duels between 1798-1845 at the site known as the Heights of Weehawken in New Jersey, where the Burr-Hamilton duel took place.

TODAY'S MOON: Between last quarter moon (July 8) and new moon (July 15).