ANDREWS MCMEEL ALMANAC

Today is the 169th day of 2017 and the 91st day of spring.

TODAY'S HISTORY: In 1812, President James Madison signed a declaration of war against Great Britain.

In 1815, Napoleon Bonaparte's Imperial French army was defeated at the Battle of Waterloo after sustaining more than 25,000 casualties.

In 1940, British Prime Minister Winston Churchhill gave his famous "This was their finest hour" speech before the House of Commons of the United Kingdom.

In 1948, Columbia Records revealed the new 12-inch, 33 1/3 revolutions-per-minute, long-playing record.

In 1983, astronaut Sally Ride became the first American woman in space.

TODAY'S BIRTHDAYS: E.W. Scripps (1854-1926), publisher; Kay Kyser (1905-1985), bandleader; Sammy Cahn (1913-1993), songwriter; George Mikan (1924-2005), basketball player; Lou Brock (1939- ), baseball player; Roger Ebert (1942-2013), film critic; Paul McCartney (1942- ), musician/singer-songwriter; Isabella Rossellini (1952- ), actress/model; Ray LaMontagne (1973- ), singer-songwriter; Blake Shelton (1976- ), singer-songwriter.

TODAY'S FACT: Napoleon Bonaparte amassed the largest army ever in Europe for his invasion of Russia in 1812. At its peak, the Grande Armee consisted of more than 554,000 men.

TODAY'S SPORTS: In 2000, 24-year-old golfer Tiger Woods won the U.S. Open by 15 strokes, the largest margin of victory ever in a major.

TODAY'S QUOTE: "We must try to contribute joy to the world. That is true no matter what our problems, our health, our circumstances. We must try. I didn't always know this and am happy I lived long enough to find it out." -- Roger Ebert, "Life Itself: A Memoir"

TODAY'S NUMBER: 23 -- minutes of music per side the first commercial LPs were formatted to play.

TODAY'S MOON: Between last quarter moon (June 17) and new moon (June 23).

ANDREWS MCMEEL ALMANAC

Today is the 168th day of 2017 and the 90th day of spring.

TODAY'S HISTORY: In 1963, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that requiring the recitation of Bible verses and the Lord's Prayer in public schools is unconstitutional.

In 1967, the People's Republic of China carried out its first successful test of a thermonuclear bomb.

In 1972, five people were arrested for breaking into the Democratic National Committee headquarters in the Watergate office complex in Washington, D.C.

In 1994, a televised police chase ended in the arrest of O.J. Simpson for the murders of his ex-wife and her friend.

In 2015, a gunman killed nine people at a church in Charleston, South Carolina.

TODAY'S BIRTHDAYS: Igor Stravinsky (1882-1971), composer; M.C. Escher (1898-1972), artist; Ralph Bellamy (1904-1991), actor; Elroy "Crazylegs" Hirsch (1923-2004), football player; Newt Gingrich (1943- ), U.S. politician; Barry Manilow (1943- ), singer-songwriter; Thomas Haden Church (1960- ), actor; Greg Kinnear (1963- ), actor; Will Forte (1970- ), actor; Venus Williams (1980- ), tennis player; Kendrick Lamar (1987- ), rapper.

TODAY'S FACT: "In God We Trust" became the official U.S. national motto after an act of Congress in 1956.

TODAY'S SPORTS: In 1962, 22-year-old Jack Nicklaus beat Arnold Palmer by three strokes and became the youngest golfer to win the U.S. Open since 1923.

TODAY'S QUOTE: "I believe that producing pictures, as I do, is almost solely a question of wanting so very much to do it well." -- M.C. Escher

TODAY'S NUMBER: 4 -- months it took to reassemble the Statue of Liberty upon its arrival in New York City on this day in 1885 from France. It was shipped to the United States in 350 pieces.

TODAY'S MOON: Last quarter moon (June 17).

ANDREWS MCMEEL ALMANAC

Today is the 167th day of 2017 and the 89th day of spring.

TODAY'S HISTORY: In 1884, the first U.S. roller coaster began operation at Coney Island in Brooklyn, New York.

In 1903, the Ford Motor Co. was incorporated.

In 1963, cosmonaut Valentina Tereshkova became the first woman in space.

In 2000, the FCC approved the merger of Bell Atlantic Corp. and GTE Corp. as Verizon Communications.

TODAY'S BIRTHDAYS: Stan Laurel (1890-1965), actor/comedian; Barbara McClintock (1902-1992), geneticist; John Howard Griffin (1920-1980), journalist; Joyce Carol Oates (1938- ), author; Roberto Duran (1951- ), boxer; Laurie Metcalf (1955- ), actress; James Hellwig aka The Ultimate Warrior (1959-2014), wrestler; Cobi Jones (1970- ), soccer player; Phil Mickelson (1970- ), golfer; Tupac Shakur (1971-1996), rapper; Abby Elliott (1987- ), actress/comedian.

TODAY'S FACT: The Formula Rossa roller coaster at Ferrari World in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, overtook the Kingda Ka roller coaster at Six Flags Great Adventure in Jackson, New Jersey, as the fastest coaster in the world in 2010, reaching a maximum speed of 149.1 mph.

TODAY'S SPORTS: In 1998, the Detroit Red Wings defeated the Washington Capitals 4-1, winning the Stanley Cup and sweeping the championship series for the second consecutive year.

TODAY'S QUOTE: "When people say there is too much violence in (my books), what they are saying is there is too much reality in life." -- Joyce Carol Oates

TODAY'S NUMBER: 31 -- years of the papacy of Pius IX, the longest-reigning elected pope in the history of the Catholic Church. Pius IX began his reign on this day in 1846.

TODAY'S MOON: Between full moon (June 9) and last quarter moon (June 17).