Today is the 255th day of 2014 and the 84th day of summer.
TODAY'S HISTORY: In 1609, English explorer Henry Hudson entered the river that would later bear his surname.
In 1940, four teenagers discovered prehistoric paintings, estimated to be 15,000 to 17,000 years old, in a cave in Lascaux, France.
In 1953, Sen. John F. Kennedy of Massachusetts married Jaqueline Lee Bouvier in Newport, Rhode Island.
In 1959, the Western series "Bonanza" premiered on NBC.
In 2011, the National September 11 Memorial and Museum opened in New York City.
TODAY'S BIRTHDAYS: H.L. Mencken (1880-1956), journalist/critic; Jesse Owens (1913-1980), Olympic athlete; Ian Holm (1931- ), actor; George Jones (1931-2013), singer-songwriter; Barry White (1944-2003), singer-songwriter; Joe Pantoliano (1951- ), actor; Ben Folds (1966- ), musician; Louis C.K. (1967- ), actor/comedian; Jason Statham (1967- ), actor; Paul Walker (1973-2013), actor; Yao Ming (1980- ), basketball player; Jennifer Hudson (1981- ), actress/singer; Andrew Luck (1989- ), football player.
TODAY'S FACT: In 1992, the space shuttle Endeavour embarked on the 50th NASA shuttle mission. Dr. Mae Carol Jemison, the crew's science mission specialist, became the first African-American woman in space.
TODAY'S SPORTS: In 1984, Dwight "Doc" Gooden of the New York Mets threw his 246th strikeout, breaking the rookie record for strikeouts in a single season. He finished the season with 276, a record that still stands.
TODAY'S QUOTE: "Democracy is the theory that the common people know what they want, and deserve to get it good and hard." -- H.L. Mencken, "A Little Book in C Major"
TODAY'S NUMBER: 45 -- minutes it took track legend Jesse Owens to break three world records and tie a fourth, at a college track meet in 1935.
TODAY'S MOON: Between full moon (Sept. 8) and last quarter moon (Sept. 15).