ANDREWS MCMEEL ALMANAC

Today is the 174th day of 2017 and the fourth day of summer.

TODAY'S HISTORY: In 1894, the International Olympic Committee was founded in Paris.

In 1947, the Senate overrode President Harry S. Truman's veto of the Taft-Hartley Act, which restricts the activities and power of labor unions.

In 1972, an audio recording captured President Richard Nixon and his chief of staff conspiring to obstruct the FBI's investigation of the Watergate break-ins.

In 2016, the United Kingdom voted in a referendum to leave the European Union.

TODAY'S BIRTHDAYS: Alan Turing (1912-1954), mathematician; Bob Fosse (1927-1987), choreographer/director; June Carter Cash (1929-2003), singer-songwriter; Wilma Rudolph (1940-1994), Olympic sprinter; Clarence Thomas (1948- ), U.S. Supreme Court justice; Randy Jackson (1956- ), musician/TV personality; Frances McDormand (1957- ), actress; Joss Whedon (1964- ), filmmaker; Joel Edgerton (1974- ), actor; Jason Mraz (1977- ), singer-songwriter.

TODAY'S FACT: Host country Greece won 47 medals, more than any other participating country, at the first modern Summer Olympics in 1896.

TODAY'S SPORTS: In 1917, Boston Red Sox pitcher Babe Ruth walked the first batter of a game against the Washington Senators. When Ruth was ejected for arguing the call, he punched the umpire. Ruth's replacement, Ernie Shore, went on to retire all 26 batters he faced.

TODAY'S QUOTE: "I will not catalogue my opinions to which there have been objections since they are a matter of public record. But I must note in passing that I can't help but wonder if some of my critics can read." -- Clarence Thomas, "I Am a Man, a Black Man, an American"

TODAY'S NUMBER: 1,400 -- length (in feet) of high wire artist Nik Wallenda's tightrope walk across the Little Colorado River Gorge, near the Grand Canyon, on this day in 2013. Wallenda completed the walk in 22 minutes, 54 seconds during a live television broadcast that peaked at a viewership of 13 million.

TODAY'S MOON: New moon (June 23).

ANDREWS MCMEEL ALMANAC

Today is the 173rd day of 2017 and the third day of summer.

TODAY'S HISTORY: In 1815, French emperor Napoleon Bonaparte abdicated his throne for the second time.

In 1870, Congress created the U.S. Department of Justice.

In 1942, Congress officially recognized the Pledge of Allegiance as part of the U.S. Flag Code.

In 1944, President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed into law the GI Bill, providing benefits to veterans.

In 1945, the Battle for Okinawa ended in an Allied victory after 83 days of fighting.

TODAY'S BIRTHDAYS: Anne Morrow Lindbergh (1906-2001), aviator/author; Billy Wilder (1906-2002), director; Bill Blass (1922-2002), fashion designer; Kris Kristofferson (1936- ), singer/actor; Ed Bradley (1941-2006), journalist; Meryl Streep (1949- ), actress; Bruce Campbell (1958- ), actor; Randy Couture (1963- ), mixed martial artist/actor; Amy Brenneman (1964- ), actress; Dan Brown (1964- ), author; Kurt Warner (1971- ), football player; Carson Daly (1973- ), TV personality; Dustin Johnson (1984- ), golfer.

TODAY'S FACT: The Pledge of Allegiance was first published in the September 1892 issue of The Youth's Companion magazine, to celebrate the 400th anniversary of Columbus' arrival in the Americas.

TODAY'S SPORTS: In 1937, Joe Louis knocked out Jim Braddock in the eighth round, becoming the first African-American heavyweight boxing champion since Jack Johnson in 1915.

TODAY'S QUOTE: "Him that I love, I wish to be / Free -- / Even from me." -- Anne Morrow Lindbergh, "Even--"

TODAY'S NUMBER: 49 -- percentage of U.S. college students who were war veterans in 1947, marking the peak year of the GI Bill education program.

TODAY'S MOON: Between last quarter moon (June 17) and new moon (June 23).

ANDREWS MCMEEL ALMANAC

Today is the 172nd day of 2017 and the second day of summer.

TODAY'S HISTORY: In 1788, New Hampshire ratified the U.S. Constitution and became the ninth state.

In 1898, U.S. troops captured the island of Guam.

In 1982, John Hinckley was found not guilty by reason of insanity for his attempted assassination of President Ronald Reagan.

In 1989, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that burning the American flag was a form of political protest protected by the First Amendment.

In 2004, SpaceShipOne, piloted by Mike Melvill, became the first privately sponsored craft to carry a human into space.

TODAY'S BIRTHDAYS: Al Hirschfeld (1903-2003), cartoonist; Jean-Paul Sartre (1905-1980), philosopher; Mary McCarthy (1912-1989), writer; Jane Russell (1921-2011), actress; Ray Davies (1944- ), guitarist/songwriter; Tony Scott (1944-2012), filmmaker; Benazir Bhutto (1953-2007), Pakistani politician; Berkeley Breathed (1957- ), cartoonist; Kevin Harlan (1960- ), sportscaster; Juliette Lewis (1973- ), actress; Chris Pratt (1979- ), actor; Prince William (1982- ), Duke of Cambridge.

TODAY'S FACT: James Buchanan was the only U.S. president who never married.

TODAY'S SPORTS: In 1997, the first Women's National Basketball Association game kicked off the league's debut season.

TODAY'S QUOTE: "Fascism is not defined by the number of its victims, but by the way it kills them." -- Jean-Paul Sartre

TODAY'S NUMBER: 142,000 -- population of New Hampshire in 1790, following ratification of the U.S. Constitution.

TODAY'S MOON: Between last quarter moon (June 17) and new moon (June 23).