Today is the 259th day of 2012 and the 88th day of summer.

TODAY'S HISTORY: In 1935, the Nuremberg Laws were enacted in Germany, depriving Jews of their citizenship and imposing the swastika as a national symbol.

In 1963, a bomb exploded at the Sixteenth Street Baptist Church in Birmingham, Ala., killing four young girls.

In 2001, President George W. Bush named Osama bin Laden as the prime suspect in the Sept. 11 attacks and pledged a sustained fight against terrorism.

TODAY'S BIRTHDAYS: James Fenimore Cooper (1789-1851), novelist/historian; William Howard Taft (1857-1930), 27th U.S. president/chief justice of the United States; Agatha Christie (1890-1976), writer; Roy Acuff (1903-1992), musician; Merlin Olsen (1940-2010), football player/actor; Tommy Lee Jones (1946- ), actor; Oliver Stone (1946- ), filmmaker; Dan Marino (1961- ), football player; Tom Hardy (1977- ), actor; Prince Harry (1984- ), British royal.

TODAY'S SPORTS: In 2004, National Hockey League owners agreed to lock out players over contract disputes. The entire season was eventually canceled.

TODAY'S FACT: William Howard Taft is still the record-holder for heaviest man to hold the U.S. presidency. He weighed 332 pounds in 1911.

TODAY'S QUOTE: "The press, like fire, is an excellent servant, but a terrible master." -- James Fenimore Cooper

TODAY'S NUMBER: 6 -- romance novels written by mystery novelist Agatha Christie under the pseudonym Mary Westmacott.

TODAY'S MOON: New moon (Sept. 15).

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).