Today is the 257th day of 2014 and the 86th day of summer.

TODAY'S HISTORY: In 1814, Francis Scott Key wrote "Defence of Fort McHenry," the poem that provided the lyrics for "The Star-Spangled Banner."

In 1901, President William McKinley died of wounds received on Sept. 6 from an assassin's bullet, and Vice President Theodore Roosevelt was sworn in as his successor.

In 1994, Major League Baseball commissioner Bud Selig announced the cancellation of the remainder of the season after a 34-day player strike.

In 2006, the Food and Drug Administration warned consumers of an E. coli outbreak originating in bagged spinach.

TODAY'S BIRTHDAYS: Clayton Moore (1914-1999), actor; Mario Benedetti (1920-2009), journalist/author; Zoe Caldwell (1933- ), actress; Walter Koenig (1936- ), actor/director/producer; Larry Brown (1940- ), basketball coach; Sam Neill (1947- ), actor; Melissa Leo (1960- ), actress; Faith Ford (1964- ), actress; Andrew Lincoln (1973- ), actor; Nas (1973- ), rapper; Katie Lee (1981- ), chef/TV personality; Amy Winehouse (1983-2011), singer.

TODAY'S FACT: Elizabeth Ann Seton became the first American-born Catholic saint when she was canonized by Pope Paul VI on this day in 1975.

TODAY'S SPORTS: In 1987, the Toronto Blue Jays hit a major-league record 10 home runs in a single game.

TODAY'S QUOTE: "Five minutes are enough to dream a whole life, that is how relative time is." -- Mario Benedetti

TODAY'S NUMBER: 12 -- member states of the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC), including six in the Middle East, four in Africa and two in South America. OPEC was founded on this day in 1960.

TODAY'S MOON: Between full moon (Sept. 8) and last quarter moon (Sept. 15).

Today is the 256th day of 2014 and the 85th day of summer.

TODAY'S HISTORY: In 1788, Congress chose New York City as the temporary federal capital.

In 1971, state police and National Guard soldiers stormed Attica Correctional Facility in New York, bringing a four-day riot to an end.

In 1993, Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin and PLO chairman Yasser Arafat signed the Oslo Accords.

In 2001, civilian air traffic resumed in the wake of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.

TODAY'S BIRTHDAYS: Milton Hershey (1857-1945), Hershey Co. founder; John Pershing (1860-1948), U.S. Army general; Sherwood Anderson (1876-1941), author; Claudette Colbert (1903-1996), actress; Roald Dahl (1916-1990), author; Mel Torme (1925-1999), singer/actor; Judith Martin (1938- ), "Miss Manners" columnist; Jean Smart (1951- ), actress; Anne Geddes (1956- ), photographer; Michael Johnson (1967- ), Olympic sprinter; Tyler Perry (1969- ), actor/filmmaker; Fiona Apple (1977- ), singer; Thomas Muller (1989- ), soccer player.

TODAY'S FACT: Roald Dahl, best known as an author of children's books, was the screenwriter of the 1967 James Bond film "You Only Live Twice."

TODAY'S SPORTS: In 1970, Gary Muhrcke won the first New York City Marathon with a time of 2:31:38.

TODAY'S QUOTE: "Charming villains have always had a decided social advantage over well-meaning people who chew with their mouths open." -- Judith Martin

TODAY'S NUMBER: 70 million -- Hershey's Kisses produced daily by the Hershey Co.

TODAY'S MOON: Between full moon (Sept. 8) and last quarter moon (Sept. 15).

Today is the 255th day of 2014 and the 84th day of summer.

TODAY'S HISTORY: In 1609, English explorer Henry Hudson entered the river that would later bear his surname.

In 1940, four teenagers discovered prehistoric paintings, estimated to be 15,000 to 17,000 years old, in a cave in Lascaux, France.

In 1953, Sen. John F. Kennedy of Massachusetts married Jaqueline Lee Bouvier in Newport, Rhode Island.

In 1959, the Western series "Bonanza" premiered on NBC.

In 2011, the National September 11 Memorial and Museum opened in New York City.

TODAY'S BIRTHDAYS: H.L. Mencken (1880-1956), journalist/critic; Jesse Owens (1913-1980), Olympic athlete; Ian Holm (1931- ), actor; George Jones (1931-2013), singer-songwriter; Barry White (1944-2003), singer-songwriter; Joe Pantoliano (1951- ), actor; Ben Folds (1966- ), musician; Louis C.K. (1967- ), actor/comedian; Jason Statham (1967- ), actor; Paul Walker (1973-2013), actor; Yao Ming (1980- ), basketball player; Jennifer Hudson (1981- ), actress/singer; Andrew Luck (1989- ), football player.

TODAY'S FACT: In 1992, the space shuttle Endeavour embarked on the 50th NASA shuttle mission. Dr. Mae Carol Jemison, the crew's science mission specialist, became the first African-American woman in space.

TODAY'S SPORTS: In 1984, Dwight "Doc" Gooden of the New York Mets threw his 246th strikeout, breaking the rookie record for strikeouts in a single season. He finished the season with 276, a record that still stands.

TODAY'S QUOTE: "Democracy is the theory that the common people know what they want, and deserve to get it good and hard." -- H.L. Mencken, "A Little Book in C Major"

TODAY'S NUMBER: 45 -- minutes it took track legend Jesse Owens to break three world records and tie a fourth, at a college track meet in 1935.

TODAY'S MOON: Between full moon (Sept. 8) and last quarter moon (Sept. 15).