Today is the 250th day of 2014 and the 79th day of summer.

TODAY'S HISTORY: In 1822, Brazil declared independence from Portugal.

In 1927, inventor Philo T. Farnsworth transmitted the first image by electronic means, an innovation that would eventually enable broadcast television.

In 1979, cable sports network ESPN was launched with the premiere of the long-running daily series "SportsCenter."

In 2008, the U.S. government took control of the mortgage financing enterprises Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac.

TODAY'S BIRTHDAYS: Queen Elizabeth I (1533-1603), British monarch; Grandma (Anna Mary) Moses (1860-1961), artist; Paul Brown (1908-1991), football coach/executive; Elia Kazan (1909-2003), filmmaker; Jacob Lawrence (1917-2000), artist; Peter Lawford (1923-1984), actor; Buddy Holly (1936-1959), singer-songwriter; Gloria Gaynor (1949- ), singer-songwriter; Chrissie Hynde (1951- ), singer-songwriter; Michael Emerson (1954- ), actor; Toby Jones (1966- ), actor; Evan Rachel Wood (1987- ), actress; Kevin Love (1988- ), basketball player.

TODAY'S FACT: Philo T. Farnsworth was the first to produce a televised image in 1927, but Vladimir Zworykin, who was developing the same technology for Westinghouse, was the first to obtain the patent.

TODAY'S SPORTS: In 1963, the Pro Football Hall of Fame was dedicated in Canton, Ohio, and a 17-member charter class was inducted.

TODAY'S QUOTE: "You can learn a line from a win and a book from a defeat." -- Paul Brown

TODAY'S NUMBER: 287 -- members of the Pro Football Hall of Fame, as of 2014. Current rules allow between four and seven individuals to be selected for enshrinement each year.

TODAY'S MOON: Between first quarter moon (Sept. 2) and full moon (Sept. 8).

Today is the 249th day of 2014 and the 78th day of summer.

TODAY'S HISTORY: In 1522, Ferdinand Magellan's ship, Victoria, docked in Sanlucar, Spain, completing the first global circumnavigation. Magellan himself died en route.

In 1901, President William McKinley was shot by anarchist Leon Czolgosz. He died eight days later.

In 1972, nine members of the Israeli Olympic team, taken hostage in Munich by Palestinian terrorists the day before, were killed during a failed rescue attempt.

In 1997, funeral services were held in London for Diana, Princess of Wales.

TODAY'S BIRTHDAYS: Jane Addams (1860-1935), social worker; Joseph P. Kennedy Sr. (1888-1969), businessman/ambassador; Roger Waters (1943- ), rock musician; Swoosie Kurtz (1944- ), actress; Jane Curtin (1947- ), actress/comedian; Jeff Foxworthy (1958- ), comedian/TV personality; Chris Christie (1962- ), politician; Rosie Perez (1964- ), actress; Macy Gray (1967- ), singer-songwriter; Idris Elba (1972- ), actor.

TODAY'S FACT: More than 2.5 billion people worldwide were estimated to have watched at least part of Princess Diana's funeral services on television in 1997.

TODAY'S SPORTS: In 1995, Cal Ripken Jr. of the Baltimore Orioles played in his 2,131st Major League Baseball game, breaking Lou Gehrig's consecutive-games record.

TODAY'S QUOTE: "True peace is not merely the absence of war, it is the presence of justice." -- Jane Addams

TODAY'S NUMBER: 2,632 -- consecutive games Cal Ripken Jr. ultimately played before taking a game day off on Sept. 20, 1998.

TODAY'S MOON: Between first quarter moon (Sept. 2) and full moon (Sept. 8).

Today is the 248th day of 2014 and the 77th day of summer.

TODAY'S HISTORY: In 1774, the First Continental Congress convened in Philadelphia.

In 1957, Jack Kerouac's "On the Road," a defining novel of the postwar generation, was published by Viking Press.

In 1975, President Gerald Ford survived an attempt on his life when Secret Service agents tackled would-be assassin Lynette Fromme.

In 1986, Pan Am Flight 73 was hijacked at the Jinnah International Airport in Karachi, Pakistan.

TODAY'S BIRTHDAYS: Jack Daniel (1846-1911), distiller; Jesse James (1847-1882), legendary outlaw; Arthur Nielsen (1897-1980), market researcher; Darryl Zanuck (1902-1979), film producer; John Cage (1912-1992), composer; Bob Newhart (1929- ), comedian/actor; Raquel Welch (1940- ), actress/model; Werner Herzog (1942- ), filmmaker; Freddie Mercury (1946-1991), singer-songwriter; Cathy Guisewite (1950- ), cartoonist; Michael Keaton (1951- ), actor; Rose McGowan (1973-), actress.

TODAY'S FACT: Jack Kerouac typed the manuscript of "On the Road" on a 120-foot-long scroll of paper.

TODAY'S SPORTS: In 1960, boxer Muhammad Ali (then known as Cassius Clay) won the gold medal in light heavyweight boxing at the Olympic Games in Rome.

TODAY'S QUOTE: "I can't understand why people are frightened of new ideas. I'm frightened of the old ones." -- John Cage

TODAY'S NUMBER: 12 -- colonies represented at the First Continental Congress in 1774. Georgia declined to send delegates.

TODAY'S MOON: Between first quarter moon (Sept. 2) and full moon (Sept. 8).