SUNDAY, JUNE 20, 2021

Today is the 171st day of 2021 and the first day of summer.

TODAY’S HISTORY: In 1863, West Virginia was admitted as the 35th U.S. state.

In 1893, Lizzie Borden was acquitted of the murders of her father and stepmother.

In 1900, the Boxer Rebellion began in China, as the Imperial Chinese Army began a 55-day siege of the Legation Quarter in Beijing.

In 1963, the Soviet Union and the United States established the Moscow-Washington hotline.

TODAY’S BIRTHDAYS: Lillian Hellman (1905-1984), playwright; Errol Flynn (1909-1959), actor; Chet Atkins (1924-2001), singer-songwriter; Audie Murphy (1924-1971), war hero/actor; Martin Landau (1928-2017), actor; Brian Wilson (1942- ), musician/singer-songwriter; Anne Murray (1945- ), singer; Bob Vila (1946- ), handyman/TV personality; Lionel Richie (1949- ), singer-songwriter; John Goodman (1952- ), actor; Nicole Kidman (1967- ), actress; Robert Rodriguez (1968- ), filmmaker; Christopher Mintz-Plasse (1989- ), actor.

TODAY’S FACT: Western Argentina is home to Aconcagua Mountain, the highest peak in the Western Hemisphere, with an altitude of 22,834 feet.

TODAY’S SPORTS: In 1967, boxer Muhammad Ali was convicted of violating Selective Service laws by refusing to be inducted. The Supreme Court overturned Ali’s conviction in 1971.

TODAY’S QUOTE: “I find the greatest songs in the world come out of pain, and I don’t like it! Here’s what it does: It strips away all of your facade. It makes you so honest. It’s cleansing.” -- Lionel Richie

TODAY’S NUMBER: 2 -- Grammy Award wins for the Beach Boys. The group, which formed in 1961 and was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1988, won the Lifetime Achievement Award in 2001 and the Best Historical Album award in 2013 for its “The Smile Sessions” boxed set.

TODAY’S MOON: Between first quarter moon (June 17) and full moon (June 24).

MONDAY, JUNE 21, 2021

Today is the 172nd day of 2021 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 from Spain.

In 1982, John Hinckley Jr. 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: “Ultimately, leadership is about the strength of one’s convictions, the ability to endure the punches, and the energy to promote an idea.” -- Benazir Bhutto

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

TODAY’S MOON: Between first quarter moon (June 17) and full moon (June 24).