Today is the 240th day of 2012 and the 69th day of summer.
TODAY'S HISTORY: In 1859, the first successful oil well in the United States was drilled by Edwin L. Drake near Titusville, Pa.
In 1928, the Kellogg-Briand Pact, which outlawed war and provided guidelines to peaceful conflict resolution, was signed in Paris.
In 1979, British war hero Lord Louis Mountbatten was killed, with his grandson and two others, in a boat explosion for which the IRA claimed responsibility.
In 1999, the final crew left Russia's Mir space station.
TODAY'S BIRTHDAYS: Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel (1770-1831), philosopher; Theodore Dreiser (1871-1945), novelist; Man Ray (1890-1976), artist/filmmaker; Lyndon B. Johnson (1908-1973), 36th U.S. president; Alice Coltrane (1937-2007), jazz musician; Paul Reubens (1952- ), actor; Chandra Wilson (1969- ), actress; Sarah Chalke (1976- ), actress; Aaron Paul (1979- ), actor.
TODAY'S SPORTS: In 1982, Oakland Athletics outfielder Rickey Henderson stole his 119th base of the year, setting a new single-season record. He went on to steal three more bases by the end of the game.
TODAY'S FACT: The Valles Marineris canyon system on Mars, also known as the Mars Grand Canyon, stretches for 2,500 miles and is up to four miles deep.
TODAY'S QUOTE: "It is easier to discover a deficiency in individuals, in states, and in Providence, than to see their real import and value." -- Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel
TODAY'S NUMBER: 43,129,566 -- votes cast for Lyndon B. Johnson in the 1964 presidential election.
TODAY'S MOON: Between first quarter moon (Aug. 24) and full moon (Aug. 31).