Today is the 353rd day of 2012 and the 88th day of autumn.

TODAY'S HISTORY: In 1865, slavery formally ended in the United States with the ratification of the 13th Amendment.

In 1957, the first civilian electricity-generating nuclear facility in the United States opened in Pennsylvania.

In 1958, a U.S. rocket launched SCORE (Signal Communication by Orbiting Relay Equipment), the world's first communications satellite, into space.

TODAY'S BIRTHDAYS: Ty Cobb (1886-1961), baseball Hall of Famer; Robert Moses (1888-1981), urban planner; Betty Grable (1916-1973), actress; Ossie Davis (1917-2005), actor; Keith Richards (1943- ), musician; Steven Spielberg (1946- ), director; Brad Pitt (1963- ), actor; Katie Holmes (1978- ), actress; Christina Aguilera (1980- ), singer.

TODAY'S SPORTS: In 1932, a blizzard forced the National Football League to hold its championship game inside Chicago Stadium on an 80-yard field. The Chicago Bears defeated the Portsmouth Spartans, 9-0.

TODAY'S FACT: The SCORE satellite launched in 1958 used a tape recorder to save and relay voice messages. It communicated a Christmas message from President Dwight D. Eisenhower to the world via shortwave frequency on Dec. 19.

TODAY'S QUOTE: "Cities are created by and for traffic. A city without traffic is a ghost town." -- Robert Moses

TODAY'S NUMBER: 104 -- commercial nuclear power plants operating in the United States as of 2012. Combined, the plants produce nearly 20 percent of the nation's electricity.

TODAY'S MOON: Between new moon (Dec. 13) and first quarter moon (Dec. 20).

Today is the 352nd day of 2012 and the 87th day of autumn.

TODAY'S HISTORY: In 1903, Orville Wright made the first controlled, sustained flight in a power-driven airplane.

In 1989, the first episode of "The Simpsons" aired.

In 1992, the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) was signed by the leaders of the United States, Canada and Mexico.

In 2010, street vendor Mohamed Bouazizi set himself on fire in protest of government mistreatment in Tunisia, becoming a catalyst for Arab Spring protests in the region.

TODAY'S BIRTHDAYS: John Greenleaf Whittier (1807-1892), poet; Ford Madox Ford (1873-1939), novelist; William Safire (1929-2009), columnist; Eugene Levy (1946- ), actor/comedian; Bill Pullman (1953- ), actor; Peter Farrelly (1956- ), director; Paula Radcliffe (1973- ), long-distance runner; Sarah Paulson (1974- ), actress; Manny Pacquiao (1978- ), boxer; Chase Utley (1978- ), baseball player.

TODAY'S SPORTS: In 1933, the Chicago Bears defeated the New York Giants 23-21 to win the first NFL Championship game.

TODAY'S FACT: An attempt to recreate the Wright brothers' inaugural flight on North Carolina's Outer Banks failed to take off in 2003, on the first flight's 100-year anniversary.

TODAY'S QUOTE: "I think we all have a need to know what we do not need to know." -- William Safire

TODAY'S NUMBER: 27 -- Emmy Awards won by "The Simpsons" as of 2012.

TODAY'S MOON: Between new moon (Dec. 13) and first quarter moon (Dec. 20).

Today is the 351st day of 2012 and the 86th day of autumn.

TODAY'S HISTORY: In 1773, patriots in Massachusetts held the infamous "Boston Tea Party."

In 1835, a huge fire destroyed nearly 700 buildings in New York City.

In 2000, President George W. Bush selected Colin Powell as the first African-American secretary of state.

TODAY'S BIRTHDAYS: Ludwig van Beethoven (1770-1827), composer; Jane Austen (1775-1817), novelist; Noel Coward (1899-1973), playwright; Margaret Mead (1901-1978), anthropologist; Arthur C. Clarke (1917-2008), writer; Philip K. Dick (1928-1982), writer; Lesley Stahl (1941- ), journalist; William "The Refrigerator" Perry (1962- ), football player; Benjamin Bratt (1963- ), actor; Krysten Ritter (1981- ), actress.

TODAY'S SPORTS: In 1973, O.J. Simpson, playing for the Buffalo Bills, became the first player in NFL history to rush for 2,000 yards in a season.

TODAY'S FACT: Margaret Mead was named "Mother of the World" by Time magazine in 1969.

TODAY'S QUOTE: "The only way of discovering the limits of the possible is to venture a little way past them into the impossible." -- Arthur C. Clarke

TODAY'S NUMBER: 1 -- opera written by Ludwig van Beethoven. It was called "Fidelio."

TODAY'S MOON: Between new moon (Dec. 13) and first quarter moon (Dec. 20).