Today is the 178th day of 2012 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 spoke the famous words "Ich bin ein Berliner," while visiting a divided Berlin.

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; Peter Lorre (1904-1964), actor; Babe Didrikson Zaharias (1911-1956), athlete/golfer; Milton Glaser (1929- ), graphic designer; Gilberto Gil (1942- ), musician; Nick Offerman (1970- ), actor; Gretchen Wilson (1973- ), singer; Derek Jeter (1974- ), baseball player; Jason Schwartzman (1980- ), actor; Aubrey Plaza (1984- ), actress.

TODAY'S SPORTS: In an unusual 1944 exhibition game played by the Yankees, Dodgers and Giants over nine innings, each team batted for 18 outs, played defense for 18 outs, and watched for 18 outs. The Dodgers won the New York-centric game with five runs. The Yankees scored one run and the Giants were shut out.

TODAY'S FACT: The United Nations currently has 193 member states, including famously neutral Switzerland, which did not formally join until 2002, and South Sudan, its newest member, which joined in 2011.

TODAY'S QUOTE: "All free men, wherever they may live, are citizens of Berlin, and therefore, as a free man, I take pride in the words 'Ich bin ein Berliner.'" -- John F. Kennedy

TODAY'S NUMBER: $0 -- amount Milton Glaser charged the New York state tourism board for designing the "I (heart) New York" logo in 1977.

TODAY'S MOON: First quarter moon (June 26).

Today is the 177th day of 2012 and the sixth day of summer.

TODAY'S HISTORY: In 1876, Lt. Col. George Custer and 263 soldiers under his command were killed by Cheyenne and Sioux fighters in the "last stand" Battle of Little Bighorn.

In 1938, the first federal hourly minimum wage was enacted (at 25 cents an hour).

In 1950, North Korean forces crossed the 38th parallel into South Korea, igniting the Korean War.

In 1998, the Supreme Court ruled the federal line-item veto unconstitutional.

TODAY'S BIRTHDAYS: Antoni Gaudi (1852-1926), architect; George Abbott (1887-1995), playwright/producer/director; George Orwell (1903-1950), essayist/novelist; Sidney Lumet (1924-2011), filmmaker; Sonia Sotomayor (1954- ), U.S. Supreme Court justice; Anthony Bourdain (1956- ), chef/author/TV personality; Ricky Gervais (1961- ), comedian/actor; George Michael (1963- ), singer; Linda Cardellini (1975- ), actress; Busy Philipps (1979- ), actress.

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 FACT: North Korea's military had 1.1 million active troops and 8.2 million reserve troops in 2011.

TODAY'S QUOTE: "If liberty means anything at all, it means the right to tell people what they do not want to hear." -- George Orwell

TODAY'S NUMBER: $9.04 -- hourly minimum wage in Washington state, which had the highest minimum wage of any state in 2012.

TODAY'S MOON: Between new moon (June 19) and first quarter moon (June 26).

Today is the 176th day of 2012 and the fifth day of summer.

TODAY'S HISTORY: In 1821, Venezuelan revolutionaries under Simon Bolivar defeated the Spanish at the Battle of Carabobo and secured the nation's independence.

In 1901, the first major exhibition of Pablo Picasso's work opened in Paris.

In 1948, President Harry S. Truman signed the Selective Service Act, requiring all men between the ages of 18 and 25 to register for military service.

In 2011, New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo signed a bill into law that legalized same-sex marriage.

TODAY'S BIRTHDAYS: John Ross (1777-1856), Arctic explorer; Henry Ward Beecher (1813-1887), clergyman/abolitionist; Ambrose Bierce (1842-1914), writer/satirist; Gerrit Rietveld (1888-1964), architect; Jack Dempsey (1895-1983), boxer; Mick Fleetwood (1947- ), musician; Sherry Stringfield (1967- ), actress; Mindy Kaling (1979- ), actress/producer; Minka Kelly (1980- ), actress; Lionel Messi (1987- ), soccer player.

TODAY'S SPORTS: In 1995, South Africa defeated New Zealand in the finals of the Rugby World Cup as Nelson Mandela looked on. The event was dramatized in the 2009 film "Invictus."

TODAY'S FACT: Pablo Picasso was honored on his 90th birthday with an exhibition at the Louvre in Paris in 1971. It was the first time the Louvre had exhibited the work of a living artist.

TODAY'S QUOTE: "A good head and a good heart are always a formidable combination." -- Nelson Mandela

TODAY'S NUMBER: 16.5 million -- living U.S. wartime veterans, as of late 2011.

TODAY'S MOON: Between new moon (June 19) and first quarter moon (June 26).