FRIDAY,

JUNE 25, 2021

Today is the 176th day of 2021 and the sixth 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: “But if thought corrupts language, language can also corrupt thought.” -- George Orwell, “1984”

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 full moon (June 24) last quarter moon (July 1).

SATURDAY

JUNE 26, 2021

Today is the 177th day of 2021 and the seventh 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 Yorkbased 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: “Perhaps one has to be very old before one learns to be amused rather than shocked.” -- Pearl S. Buck

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 full moon (June 24) last quarter moon (July 1).