Today is the 329th day of 2012 and the 64th day of autumn.
TODAY'S HISTORY: In 1639, Jeremiah Horrocks observed the first recorded transit of Venus, which occurs when Venus passes directly between the sun and the Earth and is visible as a small black disc on the sun.
In 1859, Charles Darwin published his theory of natural selection in "On the Origin of Species."
In 1963, John F. Kennedy assassin Lee Harvey Oswald was fatally shot by Jack Ruby on live national television.
TODAY'S BIRTHDAYS: Zachary Taylor (1784-1850), 12th U.S. president; Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec (1864-1901), painter; Scott Joplin (1868-1917), musician; Dale Carnegie (1888-1955), author; William F. Buckley Jr. (1925-2008), columnist; Oscar Robertson (1938- ), basketball player; Pete Best (1941- ), drummer; Spider Robinson (1948- ), writer; Russell Watson (1966- ), singer; Katherine Heigl (1978- ), actress.
TODAY'S SPORTS: In 1960, Wilt Chamberlain of the Philadelphia Warriors set a record that still stands by grabbing 55 rebounds in one game. The Warriors lost the game to the Boston Celtics, 132-129.
TODAY'S FACT: In 1903, a moth with a 10-inch tongue was discovered in Madagascar, 41 years after Charles Darwin hypothesized its existence.
TODAY'S QUOTE: "The best defense against usurpatory government is an assertive citizenry." -- William F. Buckley Jr.
TODAY'S NUMBER: 224.7 -- length, in days, of Venus' year.
TODAY'S MOON: Between first quarter (Nov. 20) and full moon (Nov. 28).