ANDREWS MCMEEL ALMANAC

Today is the 179th day of 2019 and the eighth day of summer.

TODAY'S HISTORY: In 1914, Franz Ferdinand, Archduke of Austria, was assassinated by a Serbian nationalist, sparking World War I.

In 1919, the Treaty of Versailles was signed, ending World War I.

In 1950, North Korean troops captured Seoul.

In 1965, the United States launched its first major military offensive in Vietnam.

In 2004, the U.S.-led coalition in Iraq transferred sovereignty to an interim Iraqi government.

TODAY'S BIRTHDAYS: Peter Paul Rubens (1577-1640), painter; Jean-Jacques Rousseau (1712-1778), philosopher; Joseph Joachim (1831-1907), violinist; Richard Rodgers (1902-1979), composer; Mel Brooks (1926- ), actor/filmmaker; Kathy Bates (1948- ), actress; John Elway (1960- ), football player/executive; John Cusack (1966- ), actor; Mary Stuart Masterson (1966- ), actress; Mike White (1970- ), filmmaker; Elon Musk (1971- ), business magnate/inventor; Rob Dyrdek (1974- ), skateboarder/actor.

TODAY'S FACT: President Woodrow Wilson was the first of the leaders at Versailles to sign the treaty ending World War I.

TODAY'S SPORTS: In 1997, Mike Tyson was disqualified from a heavyweight title fight when the former champion twice bit titleholder Evander Holyfield's ears in the third round.

TODAY'S QUOTE: "Virtue is a state of war, and to live in it means one always has some battle to wage against oneself." -- Jean-Jacques Rousseau

TODAY'S NUMBER: 1 -- Academy Award given to Mel Brooks (for the screenplay of "The Producers" in 1969) over his more than half-century-long career.

TODAY'S MOON: Between last quarter moon (June 25) and new moon (July 2).

ANDREWS MCMEEL ALMANAC

Today is the 178th day of 2019 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: "Security is mostly a superstition. It does not exist in nature, nor do the children of men as a whole experience it. Avoiding danger is no safer in the long run than outright exposure. Life is either a daring adventure, or nothing." -- Helen Keller, "The Open Door"

TODAY'S NUMBER: 28.5 million -- visitors to Smithsonian Institution museums in 2018.

TODAY'S MOON: Between last quarter moon (June 25) and new moon (July 2).

ANDREWS MCMEEL ALMANAC

Today is the 177th day of 2019 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: "All things are possible until they are proved impossible — and even the impossible may only be so, as of now." -- Pearl S. Buck, "A Bridge for Passing"

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 last quarter moon (June 25) and new moon (July 2).