Today is the 245th day of 2012 and the 74th day of summer.

TODAY'S HISTORY: In 1897, the first section of Boston's subway system -- the first underground public transportation in the U.S. -- opened.

In 1939, Germany invaded Poland, marking the beginning of World War II.

In 2004, Chechen militants took more than 1,100 people hostage at a school in Beslan, Russia.

TODAY'S BIRTHDAYS: Edgar Rice Burroughs (1875-1950), author/journalist; Rocky Marciano (1923-1969), boxer; Conway Twitty (1933-1993), singer; Lily Tomlin (1939- ), actress/comedian; Barry Gibb (1946- ), singer/songwriter; Phil McGraw (1950- ), TV personality; Gloria Estefan (1957- ), singer; Clinton Portis (1981- ), football player.

TODAY'S SPORTS: In 1972, Bobby Fischer won the World Chess Championship in Reykjavik, Iceland.

TODAY'S FACT: Of all the countries involved in World War II, Poland is believed to have lost the highest percentage of its citizens to war-related fatalities, at about 20 percent.

TODAY'S QUOTE: "All sides in a trial want to hide at least some of the truth." -- Alan Dershowitz

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. 31) and last quarter (Sept. 8).

Today is the 244th day of 2012 and the 73rd day of summer.

TODAY'S HISTORY: In 1887, Thomas Alva Edison received a patent for his kinetoscope, which could produce motion pictures.

In 1954, Hurricane Carol made landfall over Long Island and Connecticut and soon became one of the most destructive hurricanes to hit New England.

In 1997, Diana, Princess of Wales, was killed in a car accident.

In 2001, the last original episode of "Mister Rogers' Neighborhood" aired.

TODAY'S BIRTHDAYS: Maria Montessori (1870-1952), physician/educator; William Saroyan (1908-1981), playwright; Buddy Hackett (1924-2003), comedian/actor; James Coburn (1928-2002), actor; Frank Robinson (1935- ), baseball player/manager; Van Morrison (1945- ), singer/songwriter; Itzhak Perlman (1945- ), violinist; Chris Tucker (1972- ), actor.

TODAY'S SPORTS: In 1990, Ken Griffey and Ken Griffey Jr., playing for the Seattle Mariners, became the first father-son duo to be in the same Major League Baseball lineup.

TODAY'S FACT: The only patent ever issued to a president was to Abraham Lincoln for a "Manner of Buoying Vessels" in 1849.

TODAY'S QUOTE: "Establishing lasting peace is the work of education; all politics can do is keep us out of war." -- Maria Montessori

TODAY'S NUMBER: 1,093 -- U.S. patents held by Thomas Edison.

TODAY'S MOON: Full moon (Aug. 31).

Today is the 243rd day of 2012 and the 72nd day of summer.

TODAY'S HISTORY: In 1963, a United States-Soviet diplomatic teletype "hotline," intended to prevent accidental war, was installed.

In 1967, the U.S. Senate confirmed the appointment of Thurgood Marshall as the first African-American Supreme Court justice.

In 1996, Russian and Chechen leaders agreed to a ceasefire, ending the First Chechen war.

TODAY'S BIRTHDAYS: Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley (1797-1851), writer; Huey Long (1893-1935), politician; Shirley Booth (1898-1992), actress; Roy Wilkins (1901-1981), civil rights activist; Fred MacMurray (1908-1991), actor; Ted Williams (1918-2002), baseball player; Cameron Diaz (1972- ), actress; Andy Roddick (1982- ), tennis player.

TODAY'S SPORTS: In 1905, Ty Cobb made his major league debut for the Detroit Tigers.

TODAY'S FACT: The number of hours Americans spent online increased nearly 100 percent between 2000 and 2010, from 9.4 hours per week to 18.3 hours per week.

TODAY'S QUOTE: "The task of winning our share was not the easy one of disengagement and flight but the hard one of work, of short as well as long jumps, of disappointment -- and of sweet success." -- Roy Wilkins

TODAY'S NUMBER: 32 -- cases Thurgood Marshall had argued before the Supreme Court before he became a justice. He won 29 of them.

TODAY'S MOON: Between first quarter moon (Aug. 24) and full moon (Aug. 31).