ANDREWS MCMEEL ALMANAC
Today is the 244th day of 2018 and the 73rd 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 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; 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; Padma Lakshmi (1970- ), actress.
TODAY'S FACT: "A Trip to the Moon," widely considered the first science-fiction film, was released in France on this day in 1902.
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: "If I had followed my better judgment always, my life would have been a very dull one." -- Edgar Rice Burroughs
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: Between full moon (Aug. 26) and last quarter moon (Sept. 2).