Today is the 305th day of 2012 and the 40th day of autumn.

TODAY'S HISTORY: In 1517, Martin Luther nailed his Ninety-Five Theses on the door of the Castle Church in Wittenberg, Germany, in protest of the selling of papal indulgences.

In 1957, Toyota Motor Sales, U.S.A., Inc., established its first American headquarters in Hollywood, Calif.

In 1984, Indian Prime Minister Indira Gandhi was assassinated by two bodyguards.

TODAY'S BIRTHDAYS: John Keats (1795-1821), poet; Juliette Gordon Low (1860-1927), Girl Scouts founder; Chiang Kai-shek (1887-1975), statesman; Dan Rather (1931- ), TV journalist; Michael Landon (1936-1991), actor; John Candy (1950-1994), actor; Jane Pauley (1950- ), TV journalist; Peter Jackson (1961- ), filmmaker; Dermot Mulroney (1963- ), actor; Piper Perabo (1976- ), actress; Willow Smith (2000- ), actress/singer.

TODAY'S SPORTS: In 1950, Earl Lloyd became the first African-American to play in an NBA game.

TODAY'S FACT: Japanese automaker Toyota began locating some manufacturing operations in the United States in 1972.

TODAY'S QUOTE: "Once the herd starts moving in one direction, it's very hard to turn it, even slightly." -- Dan Rather

TODAY'S NUMBER: 4 -- years after Martin Luther's posting of the Ninety-Five Theses that he was formally excommunicated from the Catholic Church.

TODAY'S MOON: Between full moon (Oct. 29) and last quarter (Nov. 6).

Today is the 304th day of 2012 and the 39th day of autumn.

TODAY'S HISTORY: In 1890, Oakland, Calif., became one of the first jurisdictions in the country to enact an anti-drug law, which banned opium, morphine and cocaine unless prescribed by a doctor.

In 1938, Orson Welles' radio production of "War of the Worlds" created panic in listeners who believed they were actually listening to reports of Martian invasion.

In 1991, President George Bush opened the Madrid Conference, the first direct, official peace talks to include Israel and all its Arab neighbors.

TODAY'S BIRTHDAYS: John Adams (1735-1826), second U.S. president; William Halsey (1882-1959), U.S. admiral/fleet commander; Ezra Pound (1885-1972), poet/critic; Charles Atlas (1893-1972), bodybuilder; Grace Slick (1939- ), singer; Henry Winkler (1945- ), actor; Harry Hamlin (1951- ), actor; Nia Long (1970- ), actress; Matthew Morrison (1978- ), actor.

TODAY'S SPORTS: In 1974, Muhammad Ali regained the world heavyweight title by knocking out George Foreman in the eighth round of the "Rumble in the Jungle."

TODAY'S FACT: Cocaine was not nationally regulated in the United States until 1914, when the Harrison Narcotics Tax Act was passed.

TODAY'S QUOTE: "I guess the definition of a lunatic is a man surrounded by them." -- Ezra Pound

TODAY'S NUMBER: 24.7 -- amount (in pounds) of candy that Americans consumed per capita in 2010.

TODAY'S MOON: Between full moon (Oct. 29) and last quarter (Nov. 6).

Today is the 303rd day of 2012 and the 38th day of autumn.

TODAY'S HISTORY: In 1929, the stock market crashed in what came to be called "Black Tuesday."

In 1966, the newly formed National Organization for Women held its first conference.

In 1969, the first connection on ARPANET (which introduced technology that would lead to the Internet) was made between computers at UCLA and Stanford Research Institute.

In 2004, European leaders signed the first constitution of the European Union.

TODAY'S BIRTHDAYS: Fanny Brice (1891-1951), singer/comedian; Bill Mauldin (1921-2003), cartoonist; Ellen Johnson Sirleaf (1938- ), Liberian president; Bob Ross (1942-1995), painter/instructor; Richard Dreyfuss (1947- ), actor; Randy Jackson (1961- ), musician/TV personality; Joely Fisher (1967- ), actress; Winona Ryder (1971- ), actress.

TODAY'S SPORTS: In 1969, New York Mets pitcher Tom Seaver won the Cy Young Award with 23 of 24 first-place votes.

TODAY'S FACT: Liberian President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf is Africa's first female head of state.

TODAY'S QUOTE: "There are only two places in the league: first place and no place." -- Tom Seaver

TODAY'S NUMBER: 2.5 -- hours by which the ticker tape from the New York Stock Exchange fell behind on Black Tuesday due to volume of trading.

TODAY'S MOON: Full moon (Oct. 29).