SUNDAY,

JULY 18, 2021

Today is the 199th day of 2021 and the 29th day of summer.

TODAY’S HISTORY: In 1863, Union troops led by Col. Robert Gould Shaw and the African American soldiers in the 54th Regiment Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry attacked Fort Wagner in South Carolina.

In 1936, Spanish army officials revolted, led by Gen. Francisco Franco, starting the Spanish Civil War.

In 1984, a gunman opened fire in a McDonald’s in San Ysidro, California, killing 21 people.

In 2013, the city of Detroit, Michigan, filed for the largest municipal bankruptcy in U.S. history, estimated at $18 million to $20 million.

TODAY’S BIRTHDAYS: Red Skelton (1913-1997), actor/comedian; Nelson Mandela (1918-2013), South African president; John Glenn (1921-2016), astronaut/U.S. senator; Hunter S. Thompson (1937-2005), journalist; James Brolin (1940- ), actor; Joe Torre (1940- ), baseball player/manager; Steve Forbes (1947- ), publisher; Richard Branson (1950- ), entrepreneur; Wendy Williams (1964- ), TV personality; Vin Diesel (1967- ), actor; Kristen Bell (1980- ), actress.

TODAY’S FACT: The technology company Intel, founded on this day in 1968, generated $2,672 in firstyear revenue. The company currently has a market value of $226 billion.

TODAY’S SPORTS: In 1976, Nadia Comaneci of Romania became the first athlete to be awarded a perfect 10 score in an Olympic gymnastics event.

TODAY’S QUOTE: “A good head and good heart are always a formidable combination. But when you add to that a literate tongue or pen, then you have something very special.” -- Nelson Mandela

TODAY’S NUMBER: 180,000 -- African American men who served as soldiers in the U.S. Army during the Civil War. Roughly half were former slaves from Confederate states.

TODAY’S MOON: First quarter moon (July 17) and full moon (July 23).

MONDAY,

JULY 19, 2021

Today is the 200th day of 2021 and the 30th day of summer.

TODAY’S HISTORY: In 1848, a seminal women’s rights convention opened in Seneca Falls, New York.

In 1941, Winston Churchill launched his V for Victory campaign.

In 1943, Allied forces bombed railway yards in Rome.

In 1993, President Bill Clinton announced a “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell, Don’t Pursue” policy for gay men and women serving in the U.S. military.

TODAY’S BIRTHDAYS: Samuel Colt (1814-1862), inventor; Edgar Degas (1834-1917), painter; Lizzie Borden (1860-1927), alleged murderer; Max Fleischer (1883-1972), animator; A.J. Cronin (1896-1981), writer; George McGovern (1922-2012), U.S. senator/presidential candidate; Ilie Nastase (1946- ), tennis player; Brian May (1947- ), musician; Stuart Scott (1965-2015), sportscaster; Jim Norton (1968- ), comedian/radio personality; Vitali Klitschko (1971- ), boxer/politician; Benedict Cumberbatch (1976- ), actor; Jared Padalecki (1982- ), actor; LaMarcus Aldridge (1985- ), basketball player; Jon Jones (1987- ), mixed martial artist.

TODAY’S FACT: British Prime Minister Winston Churchill was the first person ever named an honorary American citizen.

TODAY’S SPORTS: In 1903, Italian cyclist Maurice-Francois Garin won the inaugural Tour de France.

TODAY’S QUOTE: “Being on a plane ... and hearing a baby crying. That’s the sound of life, man. Moms: Stop apologizing for your kid crying -- he or she has a right to be there. I love to revel in the beauty of a baby’s cry.” -- Stuart Scott, “Every Day I Fight”

TODAY’S NUMBER: 1 -- state (Massachusetts) from which Democratic Sen. George McGovern of South Dakota won electoral votes in the 1972 presidential election, along with Washington, D.C.

TODAY’S MOON: Between first quarter moon (July 17) and full moon (July 23).