Today is the 245th day of 2016 and the 74th day of summer.
TODAY'S HISTORY: In 1897, the first section of Boston's subway system -- the first underground public transportation in the United States -- opened.
In 1902, "A Trip to the Moon," widely considered the first science fiction film, was released in France.
In 1939, Germany invaded Poland, marking the beginning of World War II.
In 1985, American and French researchers discovered the wreckage of the luxury liner Titanic on the ocean floor near Newfoundland.
In 2004, Chechen militants took more than 1,100 people hostage at a school in Beslan, Russia.
TODAY'S BIRTHDAYS: Engelbert Humperdinck (1854-1921), composer; Edgar Rice Burroughs (1875-1950), author/journalist; Richard Farnsworth (1920-2000), actor; Rocky Marciano (1923-1969), boxer; Boxcar Willie (1931-1999), singer-songwriter; Conway Twitty (1933-1993), singer-songwriter; Alan Dershowitz (1938- ), attorney; Lily Tomlin (1939- ), actress/comedian; Barry Gibb (1946- ), singer-songwriter; James Rebhorn (1948-2014), actor; Gloria Estefan (1957- ), singer-songwriter.
TODAY'S FACT: Poland is believed to have lost about 20 percent of its citizens to war-related fatalities in World War II, the highest percentage of all the countries involved in the conflict.
TODAY'S SPORTS: In 1964, San Francisco Giants pitcher Masanori Murakami became the first Japanese player to play in the American major leagues, pitching a scoreless eighth inning in a 4-1 loss to the New York Mets at Shea Stadium in New York City.
TODAY'S QUOTE: "All sides in a trial want to hide at least some of the truth." -- Alan Dershowitz
TODAY'S NUMBER: 900 -- unmarked graves unearthed by workers building the first section of the Boston subway system in the late 19th century.
TODAY'S MOON: New moon (Sept. 1).