ANDREWS MCMEEL ALMANAC

Today is the 178th day of 2018 and the seventh day of summer.

TODAY'S HISTORY: In 1829, British chemist James Smithson died, leaving an endowment for "the Smithsonian Institution, an establishment for the increase and diffusion of knowledge among men."

In 1844, Mormon religion founder Joseph Smith and his brother Hyrum were murdered by an anti-Mormon mob at the jail where they were being held in Carthage, Illinois.

In 1950, President Harry S. Truman sent the U.S. Air Force and U.S. Navy to fight in the Korean War.

In 1985, the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials decertified Route 66.

TODAY'S BIRTHDAYS: Emma Goldman (1869-1940), labor leader; Helen Keller (1880-1968), activist/author; H. Ross Perot (1930- ), businessman/politician; Vera Wang (1949- ), fashion designer; J.J. Abrams (1966- ), TV/film producer; Tobey Maguire (1975- ), actor; Drake Bell (1986- ), actor; Ed Westwick (1987- ), actor; Chandler Riggs (1999- ), actor.

TODAY'S FACT: Boston Red Sox legend Ted Williams flew 39 combat missions during the Korean War. Williams sat out nearly five Major League Baseball seasons due to his military service in World War II and Korea.

TODAY'S SPORTS: In 2001, the Washington Wizards drafted 19-year-old center Kwame Brown, marking the first time a high school student was taken with the No. 1 overall pick in the NBA Draft.

TODAY'S QUOTE: "We differ, blind and seeing, one from another, not in our senses, but in the use we make of them, in the imagination and courage with which we seek wisdom beyond the senses." -- Helen Keller, "The Five-Sensed World"

TODAY'S NUMBER: 30 million -- visitors to Smithsonian Institution museums in 2017.

TODAY'S MOON: Full moon (June 27).

ANDREWS MCMEEL ALMANAC

Today is the 177th day of 2018 and the sixth day of summer.

TODAY'S HISTORY: In 1870, the U.S. Congress recognized Christmas as a federal holiday.

In 1945, the United Nations charter was signed by 50 nations.

In 1963, John F. Kennedy gave a speech while visiting West Berlin, declaring "Ich bin ein Berliner" ("I am a Berliner").

In 2000, scientists announced the completion of a basic structural map of the human genome.

TODAY'S BIRTHDAYS: William Thomson, Baron Kelvin (1824-1907), physicist; Pearl S. Buck (1892-1973), author; Peter Lorre (1904-1964), actor; Babe Didrikson Zaharias (1911-1956), athlete/golfer; Milton Glaser (1929- ), graphic designer; Greg LeMond (1961- ), cyclist; Sean Hayes (1970- ), actor; Nick Offerman (1970- ), actor; Gretchen Wilson (1973- ), singer; Derek Jeter (1974- ), baseball player; Ryan Tedder (1979- ), singer-songwriter; Jason Schwartzman (1980- ), actor; Aubrey Plaza (1984- ), actress; Ariana Grande (1993- ), singer.

TODAY'S FACT: The United Nations currently has 193 member states.

TODAY'S SPORTS: In 1944, a "tri-cornered" exhibition baseball game to raise money for the war effort featured the New York-based Yankees, Dodgers and Giants. In nine innings of play, each team batted for 18 outs, played defense for 18 outs, and watched for 18 outs. The Dodgers won the game with five runs, the Yankees scored one run and the Giants were shut out.

TODAY'S QUOTE: "Ah well, perhaps one has to be very old before one learns how to be amused rather than shocked." -- Pearl S. Buck, "China, Past and Present"

TODAY'S NUMBER: $0 -- amount graphic designer Milton Glaser charged the New York state tourism board for designing the "I (heart) New York" logo in 1977.

TODAY'S MOON: Between first quarter moon (June 20) and full moon (June 27).

ANDREWS MCMEEL ALMANAC

Today is the 176th day of 2018 and the fifth day of summer.

TODAY'S HISTORY: In 1788, Virginia became the 10th state to ratify the U.S. Constitution.

In 1876, Lt. Col. George Custer and 263 soldiers under his command were killed by Cheyenne and Sioux fighters in the Battle of the Little Bighorn.

In 1938, President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed into law the Fair Labor Standards Act, enacting the first federal hourly minimum wage (at 25 cents per hour).

In 1950, North Korean forces crossed the 38th parallel into South Korea, igniting the Korean War.

In 1998, the Supreme Court ruled that the Line Item Veto Act of 1996 was unconstitutional.

TODAY'S BIRTHDAYS: Antoni Gaudi (1852-1926), architect; George Abbott (1887-1995), playwright/producer/director; George Orwell (1903-1950), author; Sidney Lumet (1924-2011), filmmaker; Carly Simon (1945- ), singer-songwriter; Sonia Sotomayor (1954- ), U.S. Supreme Court justice; Anthony Bourdain (1956-2018), chef/author/TV personality; Ricky Gervais (1961- ), comedian/actor; George Michael (1963-2016), singer-songwriter; Linda Cardellini (1975- ), actress.

TODAY'S FACT: Gen. George Custer's nephew, brother-in-law and two younger brothers also died at the Battle of the Little Bighorn.

TODAY'S SPORTS: In 1968, San Francisco Giants rookie Bobby Bonds became the first player in the 20th century to hit a grand slam in his first major league game.

TODAY'S QUOTE: "Travel isn't always pretty. It isn't always comfortable. Sometimes it hurts, it even breaks your heart. But that's okay. The journey changes you; it should change you. It leaves marks on your memory, on your consciousness, on your heart and on your body. You take something with you. Hopefully, you leave something good behind." -- Anthony Bourdain, "No Reservations"

TODAY'S NUMBER: 17 -- age of singer-songwriter Debbie Gibson when her hit song, "Foolish Beat," topped the charts on this day in 1988, making her the youngest female artist to write, produce and perform a Billboard Hot 100 No. 1 single.

TODAY'S MOON: Between first quarter moon (June 20) and full moon (June 27).