Today is the 285th day of 2012 and the 20th day of autumn.

TODAY'S HISTORY: In 1779, Polish nobleman Casimir Pulaski died while fighting for American independence in the Revolutionary War.

In 1890, the Daughters of the American Revolution formed.

In 1975, William Jefferson Clinton and Hillary Diane Rodham were married.

In 1975, "Saturday Night Live" debuted on NBC.

TODAY'S BIRTHDAYS: Eleanor Roosevelt (1884-1962), first lady/writer/diplomat; Elmore Leonard (1925- ), novelist; Steve Young (1961- ), football player; Joan Cusack (1962- ), actress; Jane Krakowski (1968- ), actress; Michelle Trachtenberg (1985- ), actress; Michelle Wie (1989- ), golfer.

TODAY'S SPORTS: In 1890, John Owens ran the first recorded 100-yard dash that broke 10 seconds.

TODAY'S FACT: Hillary Clinton was a member of Wal-Mart's board of directors for more than six years (1985-1992).

TODAY'S QUOTE: "At all times, day by day, we have to continue fighting for freedom of religion, freedom of speech and freedom from want -- for these are things that must be gained in peace as well as in war." -- Eleanor Roosevelt

TODAY'S NUMBER: 10 -- writing rules Elmore Leonard gave in a 2001 New York Times essay, later republished in book form. The first rule: "Never open a book with weather."

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

Today is the 284th day of 2012 and the 19th day of autumn.

TODAY'S HISTORY: In 1845, the U.S. Naval Academy (then known as the U.S. Naval School) opened in Annapolis, Md.

In 1973, Spiro Agnew resigned the vice presidency after being charged with tax evasion.

In 2002, the U.S. House of Representatives voted to give President George W. Bush authority to use military force in Iraq.

TODAY'S BIRTHDAYS: Giuseppe Verdi (1813-1901), composer; Helen Hayes (1900-1993), actress; Thelonious Monk (1917-1982), jazz pianist/composer; Harold Pinter (1930-2008), director/playwright; Ben Vereen (1946- ), actor/singer/dancer; David Lee Roth (1955- ), musician; Bradley Whitford (1959- ), actor; Daniel Pearl (1963-2002), journalist; Brett Favre (1969- ), football player; Dale Earnhardt Jr. (1974- ), race car driver; Aimee Teegarden (1989- ), actress.

TODAY'S SPORTS: In 1948, the Green Bay Packers played so badly in a 17-7 loss to the Chicago Cardinals that coach Curly Lambeau legendarily fined his team and released two players as "an apology to the people who paid good money to see it."

TODAY'S FACT: The U.S. Naval Academy's rowing crew teams won gold medals at the Olympic Games in 1920 and 1952.

TODAY'S QUOTE: "There can be no hard distinctions between what is real and what is unreal, nor between what is true and what is false. A thing is not necessarily either true or false; it can be both true and false." -- Harold Pinter

TODAY'S NUMBER: 112,158 -- shareholders in the Super Bowl champion Green Bay Packers in 2011. It is the only publicly owned NFL franchise.

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

Today is the 283rd day of 2012 and the 18th day of autumn.

TODAY'S HISTORY: In 1635, religious dissident Roger Williams was banished from Massachusetts Bay Colony.

In 1888, the public was first allowed inside the Washington Monument.

In 1967, guerrilla leader Ernesto "Che" Guevara was executed for attempting to lead revolutionaries in Bolivia.

In 2006, North Korea claimed it had performed its first nuclear test.

TODAY'S BIRTHDAYS: John Lennon (1940-1980), musician; Trent Lott (1941- ), politician; Jackson Browne (1948- ), singer/songwriter; Tony Shalhoub (1953- ), actor; Scott Bakula (1954- ), actor; Mike Singletary (1958- ), football player; Guillermo del Toro (1964- ), director; Annika Sorenstam (1970- ), golfer; Scotty McCreery (1993- ), singer.

TODAY'S SPORTS: In 1915, Woodrow Wilson became the first sitting president to attend a World Series game.

TODAY'S FACT: The National Association of Professional Baseball Leagues presented a lifetime presidential pass for attending games to Theodore Roosevelt in 1907, but he wasn't a baseball fan.

TODAY'S QUOTE: "To err is human, to forgive is divine ... but this does not make it desirable to make as many errors as possible." -- Roger Williams

TODAY'S NUMBER: 36,491 -- marble bricks used to build the Washington Monument.

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