Today is the 295th day of 2012 and the 30th day of autumn.

TODAY'S HISTORY: In 1879, Thomas Edison successfully tested a workable electric lamp.

In 1892, the "Pledge of Allegiance" was recited for the first time by schoolchildren across the United States in honor of the 400th anniversary of Columbus' voyage to the New World.

In 1967, following a peaceful demonstration at the Lincoln Memorial, thousands of anti-war protesters stormed the Pentagon, resulting in hundreds of arrests.

In 1983, the meter was redefined as the distance light travels in a vacuum in 1/299,792,458th of a second.

TODAY'S BIRTHDAYS: Samuel Taylor Coleridge (1772-1834), poet/essayist; Alfred Nobel (1833-1896), inventor/arms manufacturer; Dizzy Gillespie (1917-1993), jazz musician; Celia Cruz (1924-2003), singer; Whitey Ford (1928- ), baseball player; Ursula K. Le Guin (1929- ), novelist; Judy Sheindlin (1942- ), judge/TV personality; Benjamin Netanyahu (1949- ), Israeli politician; Carrie Fisher (1956- ), actress/novelist; Kim Kardashian (1980- ), TV personality.

TODAY'S SPORTS: In 1975, Red Sox catcher Carlton Fisk hit a home run that glanced off the foul pole at Fenway Park in Boston, giving the Red Sox a 12th-inning victory over the Cincinnati Reds in World Series Game 6.

TODAY'S FACT: Of the seven fundamental units of measure in the International System, only the kilogram is defined by a specific physical object. It is the mass of a platinum-iridium bar kept by the International Bureau of Weights and Measures in France.

TODAY'S QUOTE: "The only thing that makes life possible is permanent, intolerable uncertainty; not knowing what comes next." -- Ursula K. Le Guin

TODAY'S NUMBER: 13.5 -- hours Thomas Edison's first prototype electric light bulb lasted before burning out.

TODAY'S MOON: First quarter moon (Oct. 21).

Today is the 294th day of 2012 and the 29th day of autumn.

TODAY'S HISTORY: In 1947, the House Un-American Activities Committee opened its first hearings on communist influence in the film industry.

In 1973, the "Saturday Night Massacre" occurred as President Richard Nixon had Watergate special prosecutor Archibald Cox fired by the solicitor general, after Attorney General Elliot Richardson and his deputy had resigned rather than fire Cox themselves.

In 1977, three members of the band Lynyrd Skynyrd were killed (along with their road manager and the two pilots) when their chartered plane crashed in Mississippi.

TODAY'S BIRTHDAYS: Arthur Rimbaud (1854-1891), poet; Bela Lugosi (1882-1956), actor; Art Buchwald (1925-2007), columnist; Mickey Mantle (1931-1995), baseball player; Jerry Orbach (1935-2004), actor; Tom Petty (1950- ), musician; Keith Hernandez (1953- ), baseball player/sportscaster; Viggo Mortensen (1958- ), actor; Snoop Dogg (1971- ), rapper/actor; John Krasinski (1979- ), actor; Gillian Jacobs (1982- ), actress.

TODAY'S SPORTS: In 1968, American Dick Fosbury won a gold medal and set an Olympic record when he high-jumped 7 feet 4 1/4 inches at the Olympic Games in Mexico City, marking the international debut of the "Fosbury Flop," his signature jump style.

TODAY'S FACT: There were only five self-defined communist states in the world in 2012: China, Cuba, Laos, North Korea and Vietnam.

TODAY'S QUOTE: "Every time you think television has hit its lowest ebb, a new program comes along to make you wonder where you thought the ebb was." -- Art Buchwald

TODAY'S NUMBER: 18 -- World Series home runs hit by Mickey Mantle in his 18-year career, a record that still stands.

TODAY'S MOON: Between new moon (Oct. 15) and first quarter (Oct. 21).

Today is the 293rd day of 2012 and the 28th day of autumn.

TODAY'S HISTORY: In 1781, Lord Charles Cornwallis' British troops surrendered at Yorktown, Va., heralding an imminent victory for the Continental Army.

In 1960, the United States imposed an embargo on exports to Cuba except for medical supplies and certain foods.

In 1987, "Black Monday" set a new Wall Street record for a single-day decline when the Dow Jones Industrial Average plunged 508 points.

In 2003, Mother Teresa was beatified by Pope John Paul II.

TODAY'S BIRTHDAYS: Auguste Lumiere (1862-1954), inventor/filmmaker; Charles Merrill (1885-1956), investment banker; Jack Anderson (1922-2005), columnist; John le Carre (1931- ), novelist; John Lithgow (1945- ), actor; Jennifer Holliday (1960- ), singer; Evander Holyfield (1962- ), boxer; Jon Favreau (1966- ), actor/director; Trey Parker (1969- ), TV producer/writer; Chris Kattan (1970- ), actor/comedian; Jason Reitman (1977- ), filmmaker.

TODAY'S SPORTS: In 1957, Maurice "Rocket" Richard became the first NHL player to score 500 goals.

TODAY'S FACT: Brothers Auguste and Louis Lumiere, inventors of the Cinematographe camera that helped kick-start the motion-picture era, declared cinema "an invention without any future."

TODAY'S QUOTE: "A desk is a dangerous place from which to watch the world." -- John le Carre

TODAY'S NUMBER: 16 -- seasons Trey Parker and Matt Stone's "South Park" has aired on Comedy Central.

TODAY'S MOON: Between new moon (Oct. 15) and first quarter (Oct. 21).