Today is the 270th day of 2012 and the fifth day of autumn.
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TODAY'S HISTORY: In 1789, Thomas Jefferson was named the first U.S. secretary of state and John Jay was named the first chief justice of the United States.
In 1960, John F. Kennedy and Richard Nixon met in the first televised presidential debate.
In 1990, the Motion Picture Association of America introduced the NC-17 rating, which was intended to replace the stigmatized X rating for films intended for viewers aged 17 and older.
TODAY'S BIRTHDAYS: T.S. Eliot (1888-1965), poet/playwright; George Gershwin (1898-1937), composer; Jack LaLanne (1914-2011), fitness expert; Olivia Newton-John (1948- ), actress/singer; Linda Hamilton (1956- ), actress; Jim Caviezel (1968- ), actor; Serena Williams (1981- ), tennis player.
TODAY'S SPORTS: In 1983, the Royal Perth Yacht Club's Australia II won the America's Cup. It was the first win by a non-American yacht in the cup's 132-year history.
TODAY'S FACT: Public opinion polls showed that those who had listened to the radio broadcast of the first Nixon-Kennedy debate in 1960 thought Nixon was the victor, while those who watched the debate on television overwhelmingly thought Kennedy had won.
TODAY'S QUOTE: "Let us never negotiate out of fear. But let us never fear to negotiate." -- John F. Kennedy
TODAY'S NUMBER: 2 -- X-rated films ever nominated for the best picture Academy Award. "Midnight Cowboy" is the only X-rated film ever to win the Oscar.
TODAY'S MOON: Between first quarter (Sept. 22) and full moon (Sept. 29).