ANDREWS MCMEEL ALMANAC

Today is the 224th day of 2020 and the 53rd day of summer.

TODAY'S HISTORY: In 1934, the first federal prisoners were incarcerated at the Alcatraz Island prison in San Francisco Bay.

In 1965, rioting began in the Watts district of Los Angeles.

In 1972, the last U.S. ground combat unit left South Vietnam.

In 2003, NATO took over command of peacekeeping forces in Afghanistan.

TODAY'S BIRTHDAYS: David Atchison (1807-1886), legislator; Enid Blyton (1897-1968), children's author; Alex Haley (1921-1992), historian/author; Arlene Dahl (1925- ), actress; Steve Wozniak (1950- ), Apple co-founder; Hulk Hogan (1953- ), wrestler/actor; David Brooks (1961- ), journalist; Viola Davis (1965- ), actress; Joe Rogan (1967- ), actor/comedian; Anna Gunn (1968- ), actress; Chris Hemsworth (1983- ), actor; Pablo Sandoval (1986- ), baseball player.

TODAY'S FACT: The Mall of America, which opened in Bloomington, Minnesota, on this day in 1992, cost $650 million to build and generates more than $50 million in taxes for the state each year.

TODAY'S SPORTS: In 1984, Carl Lewis replicated Jesse Owens' 1936 performance at the Summer Olympics by winning his fourth and final gold medal, all in the same track events Owens had won nearly 50 years earlier.

TODAY'S QUOTE: "I don't have any time to stay up all night worrying about what someone who doesn't love me has to say about me." -- Viola Davis

TODAY'S NUMBER: 1,545 -- federal prisoners interned at Alcatraz during its 28-year use as a prison.

TODAY'S MOON: Last quarter moon (Aug. 11).

ANDREWS MCMEEL ALMANAC

Today is the 223rd day of 2020 and the 52nd day of summer.

TODAY'S HISTORY: In 1821, Missouri was admitted as the 24th U.S. state.

In 1949, President Harry S. Truman signed the National Security Act, which established a consolidated Department of Defense.

In 1977, postal employee David Berkowitz of Yonkers, New York, was arrested for the "Son of Sam" killings that left six dead.

In 2006, British authorities arrested 24 people suspected of plotting attacks on airplanes with liquid bombs smuggled in shampoo and water bottles.

TODAY'S BIRTHDAYS: Herbert Hoover (1874-1964), 31st U.S. president; Charles Darrow (1889-1967), Monopoly game inventor; Jack Haley (1898-1979), actor; Jimmy Dean (1928-2010), singer/actor/entrepreneur; Eddie Fisher (1928-2010), singer; Rosanna Arquette (1959- ), actress; Antonio Banderas (1960- ), actor; Suzanne Collins (1962- ), author; Gus Johnson (1967- ), sportscaster; Justin Theroux (1971- ), actor/screenwriter; Angie Harmon (1972- ), actress; Kylie Jenner (1997- ), TV personality.

TODAY'S FACT: The Smithsonian Institution, officially chartered by Congress on this day in 1846, estimates that about 95% of its collection is in storage rather than on display.

TODAY'S SPORTS: In 1981, Pete Rose got the 3,631st hit of his career, breaking the National League record for career hits held by Stan Musial.

TODAY'S QUOTE: "You cannot extend the mastery of government over the daily life of a people without somewhere making it master of people's souls and thoughts. ... It poisons political equality, free speech, free press and equality of opportunity. It is the road not to more liberty but to less liberty." -- Herbert Hoover

TODAY'S NUMBER: $721.5 billion -- estimated Department of Defense budget for the 2020 fiscal year.

TODAY'S MOON: Between full moon (Aug. 3) and last quarter moon (Aug. 11).

ANDREWS MCMEEL ALMANAC

Today is the 222nd day of 2020 and the 51st day of summer.

TODAY'S HISTORY: In 1842, the Webster-Ashburton Treaty was signed by the United States and Canada, delineating the eastern section of their shared border.

In 1945, the United States dropped the "Fat Man" nuclear bomb on Nagasaki, Japan.

In 1969, followers of Charles Manson murdered actress Sharon Tate and four others at Tate's Los Angeles home.

In 1974, Gerald Ford was sworn in as the 38th U.S. president following Richard Nixon's resignation.

TODAY'S BIRTHDAYS: John Dryden (1631-1700), poet/dramatist/critic; Bob Cousy (1928- ), basketball player; Rod Laver (1938- ), tennis player; Sam Elliott (1944- ), actor; Whitney Houston (1963-2012), singer; Brett Hull (1964- ), hockey player; Hoda Kotb (1964- ), news anchor; Deion Sanders (1967- ), football and baseball player; Gillian Anderson (1968- ), actress; Eric Bana (1968- ), actor; Chris Cuomo (1970- ), journalist; Chamique Holdsclaw (1977- ), basketball player; Anna Kendrick (1985- ), actress.

TODAY'S FACT: U.S. Secretary of War Henry Stimson persuaded the Target Committee to take Kyoto, Japan, off the short list of possible nuclear targets during World War II because of its cultural and religious significance to the people of Japan.

TODAY'S SPORTS: In 1988, 27-year-old Wayne Gretzky, already considered among the greatest players in the history of hockey, was traded from the Edmonton Oilers to the Los Angeles Kings.

TODAY'S QUOTE: "It's an honor to be considered in the same breath, but I'm not Michael Jordan. I'm the first Chamique Holdsclaw. And I think that's where the women's game has to get to, when women are recognized on their own." -- Chamique Holdsclaw

TODAY'S NUMBER: 4 -- gold medals claimed by Jesse Owens at the Berlin Olympics. He won the fourth in the 4-x-100-meter relay on this day in 1936, becoming the first American to win four track-and-field gold medals in one Olympiad.

TODAY'S MOON: Between full moon (Aug. 3) and last quarter moon (Aug. 11).