The TODAY function

The TODAY function returns the current system date. If the following query is issued when the current system date is July 10, 1998, it returns this one row.
Figure 1: Query
SELECT * FROM orders WHERE order_date = TODAY;
Figure 2: Query result
order_num      1018
order_date     07/10/1998
customer_num   121
ship_instruct  SW corner of Biltmore Mall
backlog        n
po_num         S22942
ship_date      07/13/1998
ship_weight    70.50
ship_charge    $20.00
paid_date      08/06/1998