Today is the 185th day of 2016 and the 14th day of summer.

TODAY'S HISTORY: In 1775, George Washington assumed command of the Continental Army.

In 1844, the last two confirmed great auk specimens were killed on the island of Eldey, off the coast of Iceland.

In 1863, an assault by Gen. Robert E. Lee's Confederate forces failed and the Battle of Gettysburg ended in a Union victory.

In 1890, Idaho was admitted as the 43rd U.S. state.

In 1998, Bill Clinton completed the first presidential visit to China since the Tiananmen Square protests of 1989.

TODAY'S BIRTHDAYS: George M. Cohan (1878-1942), songwriter/entertainer; Franz Kafka (1883-1924), author; Dave Barry (1947- ), author/journalist; Montel Williams (1956- ), TV personality; Tom Cruise (1962- ), actor; Thomas Gibson (1962- ), actor; Brian Cashman (1967- ), baseball executive; Teemu Selanne (1970- ), hockey player; Patrick Wilson (1973- ), actor; Olivia Munn (1980- ), actress.

TODAY'S FACT: Rolling Stones guitarist Brian Jones and The Doors frontman Jim Morrison died on this day in 1969 and 1971, respectively.

TODAY'S SPORTS: In 1974, Mike Marshall of the Los Angeles Dodgers pitched in relief of starter Tommy John, setting a major league record for consecutive games pitched in, at 13.

TODAY'S QUOTE: "I think we ought to read only the kind of books that wound and stab us. If the book we are reading doesn't wake us up with a blow on the head, what are we reading it for? ... A book must be the axe for the frozen sea inside us." -- Franz Kafka

TODAY'S NUMBER: 21 -- films starring Tom Cruise that have grossed more than $200 million worldwide, including his 2015 film, "Mission: Impossible -- Rogue Nation."

TODAY'S MOON: Between last quarter moon (June 27) and new moon (July 4).

Today is the 184th day of 2016 and the 13th day of summer.

TODAY'S HISTORY: In 1777, Vermont became the first American territory to abolish slavery.

In 1839, a group of 53 Mende captives revolted and took control of the slave ship Amistad.

In 1881, lawyer Charles Guiteau shot President James Garfield, who died from his wounds 10 weeks later.

In 1964, President Lyndon B. Johnson signed the Civil Rights Act of 1964, outlawing major forms of discrimination.

In 2002, Steve Fossett completed the first nonstop solo hot air balloon flight around the world.

TODAY'S BIRTHDAYS: Hermann Hesse (1877-1962), author; Thurgood Marshall (1908-1993), Supreme Court justice; Pierre Cardin (1922- ), fashion designer; Medgar Evers (1925-1963), civil rights activist; Richard Petty (1937- ), NASCAR driver; Larry David (1947- ), writer/actor; Jose Canseco (1964- ), baseball player; Johnny Weir (1984- ), figure skater; Lindsay Lohan (1986- ), actress; Margot Robbie (1990- ), actress.

TODAY'S FACT: The first zeppelin airship, which made its debut flight over Lake Constance, Germany, on this day in 1900, was 420 feet long and powered by a 16-horsepower engine.

TODAY'S SPORTS: In 2002, the Chicago White Sox defeated the Detroit Tigers by a score of 17-9. Each team hit six home runs, setting a major league record of 12 in a single game.

TODAY'S QUOTE: "But every man is more than just himself; he also represents the unique, the very special and always significant and remarkable point at which the world's phenomena intersect, only once in this way and never again." -- Hermann Hesse, "Demian"

TODAY'S NUMBER: 11,527 -- Wal-Mart stores (including Walmart U.S., Sam's Club and Walmart International) worldwide, as of April 2016. The first Wal-Mart store opened in Rogers, Arkansas, on this day in 1962.

TODAY'S MOON: Between last quarter moon (June 27) and new moon (July 4).

Today is the 183rd day of 2016 and the 12th day of summer.

TODAY'S HISTORY: In 1863, the Battle of Gettysburg began.

In 1908, SOS was adopted as the international distress signal.

In 1968, 62 countries, including the United States, the United Kingdom and the Soviet Union, signed the Treaty on the Non-proliferation of Nuclear Weapons.

In 1997, China resumed sovereignty of Hong Kong after 156 years of British rule.

TODAY'S BIRTHDAYS: Amantine-Lucile-Aurore Dupin aka George Sand (1804-1876), author; Walter Francis White (1893-1955), NAACP leader; Estee Lauder (1906-2004), cosmetics company co-founder; Jamie Farr (1934- ), actor; Sydney Pollack (1934-2008), filmmaker; Dan Aykroyd (1952- ), actor; Diana, Princess of Wales (1961-1997); Carl Lewis (1961- ), Olympic athlete; Pamela Anderson (1967- ), actress; Claire Forlani (1972- ), actress; Liv Tyler (1977- ), actress; Nelson Cruz (1980- ), baseball player.

TODAY'S FACT: The International Criminal Court, established on this day in 2002, is an independent institution and is not part of the United Nations.

TODAY'S SPORTS: In 1903, the first Tour de France bicycle race began in Paris. Of the 60 cyclists who began the nearly 2,500-kilometer race, only 21 finished, including champion Maurice Garin.

TODAY'S QUOTE: "The truth is too simple: one must always get there by a complicated route." -- George Sand

TODAY'S NUMBER: $150 -- approximate price in U.S. dollars of the first Sony Walkman portable cassette player when it went on sale in Japan on this day in 1979.

TODAY'S MOON: Between last quarter moon (June 27) and new moon (July 4).