FRIDAY, JULY 23, 2021

Today is the 204th day of 2021 and the 34th day of summer.

TODAY’S HISTORY: In 1962, the Telstar 1 satellite transmitted the first live, trans-Atlantic TV broadcast, featuring CBS news anchor Walter Cronkite.

In 1967, the 12th Street Riots began in Detroit, ending five days later and resulting in 43 people dead, hundreds injured and more than 1,400 buildings burned to the ground.

In 1999, with the launch of Columbia, Eileen Collins became the first woman to command a U.S. space shuttle flight.

TODAY’S BIRTHDAY: Emil Jannings (1884-1950), actor; Raymond Chandler (1888-1959), author; Anthony M. Kennedy (1936- ), Supreme Court justice; Woody Harrelson (1961- ), actor; Eriq La Salle (1962- ); actor/director; Slash (1965- ), guitarist; Philip Seymour Hoffman (1967-2014), actor; Alison Krauss (1971- ), singer-songwriter; Marlon Wayans (1972- ), actor; Michelle Williams (1979- ), singer/actress; Daniel Radcliffe (1989- ), actor.

TODAY’S FACT: Comet Hale-Bopp, discovered on this day in 1995, was visible to the naked eye for a record 18 months, from May 1996 to December 1997. The previous record holder, the Great Comet of 1811, was visible for about nine months.

TODAY’S SPORTS: In 1996, injured American gymnast Kerri Strug scored a 9.7 on the vault as the U.S. won its first-ever Olympic gold medal in the women’s team gymnastics competition.

TODAY’S QUOTE: “He looked about as inconspicuous as a tarantula on a slice of angel food cake.” -- Raymond Chandler, “Farewell, My Lovely”

TODAY’S NUMBER: 1,400 -- the distance from Earth (in light years) of Kepler-452b, a potentially Earthlike exoplanet orbiting within the habitable zone of a star in the constellation Cygnus. NASA announced its discovery on this day in 2015.

TODAY’S MOON: Full moon (July 23).

SATURDAY, JULY 24, 2021

Today is the 205th day of 2021 and the 35th day of summer.

TODAY’S HISTORY: In 1847, Brigham Young and the first Mormon pioneers arrived at Utah’s Salt Lake Valley. In 1866, Tennessee

In 1866, Tennessee became the first Confederate state to be readmitted to the Union following the Civil War.

In 1959, the “Kitchen Debate” between Vice President Richard Nixon and Soviet Premier Nikita Khrushchev took place in Moscow.

In 1998, a lone gunman opened fire in the U.S. Capitol building, killing two police officers.

TODAY’S BIRTHDAYS: Simon Bolivar (1783-1830), South American liberator; Alexandre Dumas (1802-1870), playwright/novelist; Amelia Earhart (1897-1937), aviator; Pat Oliphant (1935- ), cartoonist; Gallagher (1946- ), comedian; Gus Van Sant (1952- ), filmmaker; Karl Malone (1963- ), basketball player; Barry Bonds (1964- ), baseball player; Jennifer Lopez (1969- ), actress/singer; Patty Jenkins (1971- ), filmmaker; Rose Byrne (1979- ), actress; Elisabeth Moss (1982- ), actress; Anna Paquin (1982- ), actress.

TODAY’S FACT: In 1911, American historian Hiram Bingham rediscovered the ancient Incan city of Machu Picchu, which had been largely forgotten by those outside its immediate area in Peru.

TODAY’S SPORTS: In 1983, umpires at Yankee Stadium in New York nullified a two-run home run in the ninth inning by George Brett of the Kansas City Royals, due to excessive pine tar on Brett’s bat. The ruling was later overturned, and the Royals won the restarted game 5-4 on Aug. 18.

TODAY’S QUOTE: “Moral wounds have this peculiarity - they may be hidden, but they never close; always painful, always ready to bleed when touched, they remain fresh and open in the heart.” -- Alexandre Dumas, “The Count of Monte Cristo”

TODAY’S NUMBER: 16.7 million -- reported worldwide membership of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (aka Mormons) in 2020.

TODAY’S MOON: Between full moon (July 23) and last quarter moon (July 31).