Today is the 194th day of 2012 and the 23rd day of summer.

TODAY'S HISTORY: In 1871, rioting between Irish Catholics and Protestants in New York City left more than 50 dead.

In 1984, Democratic Rep. Geraldine Ferraro of New York became the first woman vice presidential candidate on a major party ticket.

In 2006, Hezbollah guerrillas raided northern Israel, marking the beginning of a 33-day conflict.

TODAY'S BIRTHDAYS: Henry David Thoreau (1817-1862), author/philosopher; George Washington Carver (1864-1943), scientist; Oscar Hammerstein II (1895-1960), lyricist; Buckminster Fuller (1895-1983), scientist/inventor; Pablo Neruda (1904-1973), poet; Milton Berle (1908-2002), comedian; Bill Cosby (1937- ), comedian/actor; Richard Simmons (1948- ), fitness trainer; Topher Grace (1978- ), actor; Michelle Rodriguez (1978- ), actress.

TODAY'S SPORTS: In 1979, the Chicago White Sox's Disco Demolition Night promotion caused the team to forfeit the second game of a doubleheader against the Detroit Tigers after unruly fans rushed the field.

TODAY'S FACT: George Washington Carver's "How to Grow the Peanut and 105 Ways of Preparing It for Human Consumption" included recipes for peanut bisque, peanut coffee and peanut sausage.

TODAY'S QUOTE: "A man is rich in proportion to the number of things he can afford to let alone." -- Henry David Thoreau

TODAY'S NUMBER: 270 -- stacked height (in feet) of Buckminster Fuller's "Dymaxion Chronofile," a systematic record of personal notes and ephemera that he kept from 1920 until his death.

TODAY'S MOON: Between last quarter moon (July 10) and new moon (July 19).

Today is the 193rd day of 2012 and the 22nd day of summer.

TODAY'S HISTORY: In 1533, Pope Clement VII excommunicated King Henry VIII of England.

In 1798, an act of the U.S. Congress re-created the Marine Corps, which had been disbanded after the Revolutionary War.

In 1804, Alexander Hamilton was fatally wounded in a duel with Aaron Burr.

In 1987, the United Nations estimated that the world's population had reached 5 billion.

TODAY'S BIRTHDAYS: John Quincy Adams (1767-1848), sixth U.S. president; E.B. White (1899-1985), writer; Yul Brynner (1920-1985), actor; Tab Hunter (1931- ), actor; Giorgio Armani (1934- ), fashion designer; Suzanne Vega (1959- ), singer; Lil' Kim (1975- ), rapper.

TODAY'S SPORTS: In 1985, during a 4-3 victory over the New York Mets, Houston Astros pitcher Nolan Ryan became the first major league pitcher to record 4,000 career strikeouts.

TODAY'S FACT: The Weehawken, N.J., site where Alexander Hamilton dueled with Aaron Burr was the site of at least 18 other recorded duels between 1700 and 1845.

TODAY'S QUOTE: "I arise in the morning torn between a desire to improve (or save) the world and a desire to enjoy (or savor) the world. This makes it hard to plan the day." -- E.B. White

TODAY'S NUMBER: 19.2 -- the percentage of Air Force active-duty personnel who were women in 2010, a larger proportion than any other branch of the military.

TODAY'S MOON: Between last quarter moon (July 10) and new moon (July 19).

Today is the 192nd day of 2012 and the 21st day of summer.

TODAY'S HISTORY: In 1913, Death Valley, Calif., temperatures reached a sizzling 134 degrees Fahrenheit (56.7 Celsius), the hottest peak temperature on U.S. record.

In 1940, Nazi forces began an air attack on southern Britain that would last 114 days and become known as the Battle of Britain.

In 1962, AT&T (in conjunction with NASA) launched the first privately owned satellite, Telstar 1.

TODAY'S BIRTHDAYS: John Calvin (1509-1564), theologian/reformer; Marcel Proust (1871-1922), writer; Carl Orff (1895-1982), composer; David Brinkley (1920-2003), TV reporter; Alice Munro (1931- ), writer; Arthur Ashe (1943-1993), tennis player; Arlo Guthrie (1947- ), musician; Adrian Grenier (1976- ), actor; Jessica Simpson (1980- ), actress/singer.

TODAY'S SPORTS: In 1999, the U.S. soccer team defeated China 5-4 to win the Women's World Cup in Pasadena, Calif.

TODAY'S FACT: Coca-Cola sponsored the 1928 Olympic Games in Amsterdam and has given financial support to the Olympic Movement ever since.

TODAY'S QUOTE: "The regularity of a habit is generally in proportion to its absurdity." -- Marcel Proust

TODAY'S NUMBER: Minus 80 -- lowest temperature, in degrees Fahrenheit, recorded in U.S. history (Jan. 23, 1971, in Prospect Creek Camp, Alaska).

TODAY'S MOON: Last quarter moon (July 10).