Today is the 230th day of 2012 and the 59th day of summer.

TODAY'S HISTORY: In 1863, Union forces began shelling Fort Sumter in South Carolina.

In 1896, prospectors discovered gold in Alaska, sparking the Klondike gold rush.

In 1945, Indonesia declared its independence from the Netherlands.

In 1988, Pakistani President Muhammad Zia died in an airplane crash.

TODAY'S BIRTHDAYS: Davy Crockett (1786-1836), frontiersman/soldier; Marcus Garvey (1887-1940), Black Nationalist leader; Samuel Goldwyn (1882-1974), film producer; Mae West (1893-1980), actress; Maureen O'Hara (1920- ), actress; Robert De Niro (1943- ), actor; Sean Penn (1960- ), actor/director; Jorge Posada (1971- ), baseball player; Dustin Pedroia (1983- ), baseball player.

TODAY'S SPORTS: In 2008, swimmer Michael Phelps won his historic eighth gold medal of the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing.

TODAY'S FCAT: Only about 161,000 metric tons of gold have been mined in all of human history.

TODAY'S QUOTE: "I hope our wisdom will grow with our power, and teach us that the less we use our power the greater it will be." -- Thomas Jefferson

TODAY'S NUMBER: 17,508 -- islands counted within the territory of Indonesia.

TODAY'S MOON: New moon (Aug. 17).

Today is the 229th day of 2012 and the 58th day of summer.

TODAY'S HISTORY: In 1861, President Abraham Lincoln prohibited Union states from trading with states that had seceded.

In 1956, the Democratic Convention nominated Adlai Stevenson for president for the second time.

In 1977, Elvis Presley died at age 42.

In 2007, U.S. citizen Jose Padilla was convicted of conspiracy in a terrorism case and sentenced to more than 17 years in prison.

TODAY'S BIRTHDAYS: T.E. Lawrence (of Arabia) (1888-1935), soldier/archaeologist/writer; George Meany (1894-1980), union leader; Charles Bukowski (1920-1994), poet/writer; Ann Blyth (1928- ), actress; Eydie Gorme (1928- ), singer/actress; Frank Gifford (1930- ), sportscaster/football player; Kathie Lee Gifford (1953- ), actress/TV personality; James Cameron (1954- ), film director; Angela Bassett (1958- ), actress; Madonna (1958- ), singer/actress; Steve Carell (1962- ), actor/comedian; Yu Darvish (1986- ), baseball player.

TODAY'S SPORTS: In 1920, Cleveland Indians shortstop Ray Chapman was hit in the head by a pitch. Twelve hours later, Chapman became the first and only major-league player to die as a result of a pitched ball.

TODAY'S FACT: Excluding five Canadian shows in 1957, Elvis Presley never performed a concert outside of the United States.

TODAY'S QUOTE: "Every man has a right to be heard; but no man has the right to strangle democracy with a single set of vocal cords." -- Adlai Stevenson

TODAY'S NUMBER: 102,800 -- height (in feet) from which Joseph Kittinger jumped during a U.S. Air Force experiment on this day in 1960. Jumping from nearly 20 miles above the Earth, he reached a speed of 614 mph during 4 minutes, 36 seconds of free fall.

TODAY'S MOON: Between last quarter moon (Aug. 9) and new moon (Aug. 17).

Today is the 228th day of 2012 and the 57th day of summer.

TODAY'S HISTORY: In 1483, the Vatican's Sistine Chapel was inaugurated.

In 1914, the Panama Canal officially opened.

In 1947, India and Pakistan won independence from Britain.

In 2003, Libya accepted responsibility for the bombing of a Pan Am airliner over Lockerbie, Scotland, in 1988, and agreed to pay reparations.

TODAY'S BIRTHDAYS: Napoleon Bonaparte (1769-1821), French emperor; Sir Walter Scott (1771-1832), poet/novelist; Ethel Barrymore (1879-1959), actress; Julia Child (1912-2004), TV personality; Debra Messing (1968- ), actress, Ben Affleck (1972- ), actor; Jennifer Lawrence (1990- ), actress.

TODAY'S SPORTS: In 1948, Babe Didrikson Zaharias won the third women's golf U.S. Open, even after missing a 5-foot putt on the 18th hole.

TODAY'S FACT: India and Pakistan went to war in 1947 over the area of Kashmir. The territory continues to be disputed today and is one of the oldest unresolved border conflicts in the world.

TODAY'S QUOTE: "There is only one step from the sublime to the ridiculous." -- Napoleon Bonaparte

TODAY'S NUMBER: 56,307 -- persons who were employed on the construction of the Panama Canal between 1904 and 1913.

TODAY'S MOON: Between last quarter moon (Aug. 9) and new moon (Aug. 17).