Today is the 260th day of 2012 and the 89th day of summer.

TODAY'S HISTORY: In 1920, a bomb explosion on Wall Street killed 30 people and injured hundreds more.

In 1940, Democrat Samuel Rayburn of Texas was elected to serve as speaker of the House of Representatives.

In 1955, Argentine president Juan Peron was ousted by a military coup.

In 1974, President Gerald Ford announced a conditional amnesty program for Vietnam War deserters and draft evaders.

TODAY'S BIRTHDAYS: Lauren Bacall (1924- ), actress; B.B. King (1925- ), musician; Peter Falk (1927-2011), actor; Henry Louis Gates Jr. (1950- ), writer/academic; Mickey Rourke (1952- ), actor; David Copperfield (1956- ), magician; Molly Shannon (1964- ), actress; Marc Anthony (1968- ), singer; Amy Poehler (1971- ), actress; Nick Jonas (1992- ), singer/musician.

TODAY'S SPORTS: In 1988, Tim Browning pitched a perfect game for the Cincinnati Reds, in a one-run victory over the Los Angeles Dodgers.

TODAY'S FACT: Samuel Rayburn was the longest-serving speaker of the House of Representatives in American history. He served almost 17 (non-consecutive) years (1940-47; 1949-1953; 1955-1961).

TODAY'S QUOTE: "History and experience tell us that moral progress comes not in comfortable and complacent times, but out of trial and confusion." -- Gerald Ford

TODAY'S NUMBER: 248 -- Medals of Honor awarded to American military members for service during the Vietnam War.

TODAY'S MOON: Between new moon (Sept. 15) and first quarter (Sept. 22).

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).