Today is the 258th day of 2012 and the 87th day of summer.

TODAY'S HISTORY: In 1814, Francis Scott Key wrote "Defence of Fort McHenry," the poem that provided the lyrics for "The Star-Spangled Banner."

In 1901, President William McKinley died of wounds from an assassin's bullet, and Vice President Theodore Roosevelt was sworn in as his successor.

In 1975, Pope Paul VI canonized Elizabeth Ann Seton as the first American-born Catholic saint.

In 2006, the Food and Drug Administration warned consumers of an E. coli outbreak originating in bagged spinach.

TODAY'S BIRTHDAYS: Margaret Sanger (1879-1966), women's health advocate; Zoe Caldwell (1933- ), actress; Walter Koenig (1936- ), actor/director/producer; Sam Neill (1947- ), actor; Faith Ford (1964- ), actress; Tyler Perry (1969- ), actor/filmmaker; Andrew Lincoln (1973- ), actor; Nas (1973- ), rapper; Amy Winehouse (1983-2011), singer.

TODAY'S SPORTS: In 1994, Major League Baseball commissioner Bud Selig announced the cancellation of the remainder of the year's baseball season after a 34-day player strike.

TODAY'S FACT: "The Star-Spangled Banner" is sung to the tune of a British song called "To Anacreon in Heaven."

TODAY'S QUOTE: "A man who is good enough to shed his blood for his country is good enough to be given a square deal afterwards. More than that no man is entitled, and less than that no man shall have." -- Theodore Roosevelt

TODAY'S NUMBER: 8 -- days that passed between President William McKinley's 1901 shooting and his resulting death.

TODAY'S MOON: Between last quarter (Sept. 8) and new moon (Sept. 15).

Today is the 257th day of 2012 and the 86th day of summer.

TODAY'S HISTORY: In 1788, Congress chose New York City as the temporary federal capital.

In 1971, a four-day riot at Attica Correctional Facility in New York came to an end as state troopers stormed the prison.

In 1993, Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin and PLO chairman Yasser Arafat signed the Oslo Accords.

TODAY'S BIRTHDAYS: John Pershing (1860-1948), U.S. Army general; Sherwood Anderson (1876-1941), writer; Claudette Colbert (1903-1996), actress; Roald Dahl (1916-1990), writer; Judith Martin (1938- ), "Miss Manners" columnist; Jacqueline Bisset (1944- ), actress; Michael Johnson (1967- ), Olympic sprinter; Fiona Apple (1977- ), singer; Thomas Muller (1989- ), soccer player.

TODAY'S SPORTS: In 1970, Gary Muhrcke won the first New York City Marathon with a time of 2:31:38.

TODAY'S FACT: Best known for his children's books and the movies based on them, Roald Dahl was also a screenwriter, penning the scripts for films such as "Chitty Chitty Bang Bang" and "You Only Live Twice."

TODAY'S QUOTE: "It's far more impressive when others discover your good qualities without your help." -- Judith Martin

TODAY'S NUMBER: 3 -- gold medals Michael Johnson won in sprints and relays at the 1992 and 1996 Olympic Games.

TODAY'S MOON: Between last quarter (Sept. 8) and new moon (Sept. 15).

Today is the 256th day of 2012 and the 85th day of summer.

TODAY'S HISTORY: In 1609, English explorer Henry Hudson entered the river that would later bear his surname.

In 1974, Ethiopian Emperor Haile Selassie was removed from power by a military coup after 58 years of rule.

In 1992, space shuttle Endeavour embarked on the 50th NASA shuttle mission.

TODAY'S BIRTHDAYS: H.L. Mencken (1880-1956), journalist/critic; Jesse Owens (1913-1980), Olympic athlete; Ian Holm (1931- ), actor; George Jones (1931- ), singer; Barry White (1944-2003), singer; Joe Pantoliano (1951- ), actor; Ben Folds (1966- ), musician; Yao Ming (1980- ), basketball player; Jennifer Hudson (1981- ), actress/singer; Andrew Luck (1989- ), football player.

TODAY'S SPORTS: In 1979, Boston Red Sox bomber Carl Yastrzemski became the first American League player to reach career totals of 3,000 hits and 400 homers.

TODAY'S FACT: Dr. Mae Jemison, the science mission specialist on the Endeavour in 1992, was the first African-American woman in space.

TODAY'S QUOTE: "The older I grow, the more I distrust the familiar doctrine that age brings wisdom." -- H.L. Mencken

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 last quarter (Sept. 8) and new moon (Sept. 15).