ANDREWS MCMEEL ALMANAC

Today is the 346th day of 2017 and the 82nd day of autumn.

TODAY'S HISTORY: In 1787, Pennsylvania became the second state to ratify the U.S. Constitution.

In 1901, the first trans-Atlantic radio transmission was received by inventor Guglielmo Marconi in Newfoundland.

In 2000, the Supreme Court ruled in favor of George W. Bush in Bush v. Gore, effectively resolving the 2000 presidential election.

In 2012, North Korea successfully launched Kwangmyongsong-3 Unit 2, its first satellite.

TODAY'S BIRTHDAYS: John Jay (1745-1829), first chief justice of the United States; William Lloyd Garrison (1805-1879), journalist/abolitionist; Gustave Flaubert (1821-1880), novelist; Edvard Munch (1863-1944), artist; Edward G. Robinson (1893-1973), actor; Frank Sinatra (1915-1998), singer; Bob Barker (1923- ), TV personality; Dionne Warwick (1940- ), singer; Bill Nighy (1949- ), actor; Royce Gracie (1966- ), mixed martial artist; Jennifer Connelly (1970- ), actress; Mayim Bialik (1975- ), actress.

TODAY'S FACT: Ten nations/organizations are currently capable of putting satellites in orbit using their own launch vehicles: the United States, Japan, China, the intergovernmental European Space Agency, India, Israel, Ukraine, Russia, Iran and North Korea.

TODAY'S SPORTS: In 1965, rookie running back Gale Sayers of the Chicago Bears scored an NFL record-tying six touchdowns (four rushing, one receiving and one punt return) in a 61-20 win over the visiting San Francisco 49ers.

TODAY'S QUOTE: "Do not read as children do to enjoy themselves, or, as the ambitious do to educate themselves. No, read to live." -- Gustave Flaubert

TODAY'S NUMBER: 537 -- popular votes by which George W. Bush officially won the state of Florida's electoral votes in 2000.

TODAY'S MOON: Between last quarter moon (Dec. 10) and new moon (Dec. 17).

ANDREWS MCMEEL ALMANAC

Today is the 345th day of 2017 and the 81st day of autumn.

TODAY'S HISTORY: In 1816, Indiana was admitted as the 19th U.S. state.

In 1941, the United States declared war on Germany and Italy, hours after those nations had declared war on the U.S.

In 1946, the United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund (UNICEF) was established.

In 1972, the lunar module for Apollo 17, the final manned mission of the Apollo space program, touched down on the moon.

In 2008, investment banker Bernie Madoff was arrested for perpetrating one of the largest Ponzi-scheme frauds in U.S. history.

TODAY'S BIRTHDAYS: Hector Berlioz (1803-1869), composer; Fiorello La Guardia (1882-1947), New York City mayor; Alexandr Solzhenitsyn (1918-2008), novelist/dissident; Rita Moreno (1931- ), actress; John Kerry (1943- ), U.S. secretary of state; Teri Garr (1947- ), actress; Mo'Nique (1967- ), actress; Mos Def (1973- ), actor/rapper; Hailee Steinfeld, (1996- ), actress.

TODAY'S FACT: Apollo 17, which set records for the longest lunar surface exploration and the most lunar material collected, remains the most recent manned lunar mission.

TODAY'S SPORTS: In 1981, Muhammad Ali fought in his final boxing match, losing a unanimous decision to Trevor Berbick.

TODAY'S QUOTE: "It is not because the truth is too difficult to see that we make mistakes. It may even lie on the surface; but we make mistakes because the easiest and most comfortable course for us is to seek insight where it accords with our emotions -- especially selfish ones." -- Alexandr Solzhenitsyn

TODAY'S NUMBER: $17.3 billion -- total (in principal) lost by clients in Bernie Madoff's Ponzi scheme. $48 billion more was lost in fictitious profits.

TODAY'S MOON: Between last quarter moon (Dec. 10) and new moon (Dec. 17).

ANDREWS MCMEEL ALMANAC

Today is the 344th day of 2017 and the 80th day of autumn.

TODAY'S HISTORY: In 1817, Mississippi was admitted as the 20th U.S. state.

In 1869, Wyoming became the first U.S. state or territory to grant women the right to vote.

In 1884, Mark Twain's "The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn" was published.

In 1898, the Spanish-American War officially ended with the signing of the Treaty of Paris.

In 1901, the first Nobel Prizes were awarded.

In 1967, 26-year-old singer-songwriter Otis Redding died in a plane crash near Madison, Wisconsin.

TODAY'S BIRTHDAYS: Cesar Franck (1822-1890), composer; Emily Dickinson (1830-1886), poet; Melvil Dewey (1851-1931), librarian; Dorothy Lamour (1914-1996), actress; Susan Dey (1952- ), actress; Michael Clarke Duncan (1957-2012), actor; Kenneth Branagh (1960- ), actor/director; Bobby Flay (1964- ), celebrity chef; Greg Giraldo (1965-2010), comedian; Meg White (1974- ), drummer; Raven-Symone (1985- ), actress.

TODAY'S FACT: President Theodore Roosevelt was the first American to be awarded the Nobel Peace Prize, on this day in 1906.

TODAY'S SPORTS: In 1935, Jay Berwanger of the University of Chicago won the first Downtown Athletic Club Trophy, which was renamed the Heisman Trophy in 1936.

TODAY'S QUOTE: "I took one Draught of Life — / I'll tell you what I paid — / Precisely an existence — / The market price, they said." -- Emily Dickinson, "I Took One Draught of Life"

TODAY'S NUMBER: 4 -- American presidents who have been awarded the Nobel Peace Prize: Theodore Roosevelt, Woodrow Wilson, Jimmy Carter and Barack Obama.

TODAY'S MOON: Last quarter moon (Dec. 10).