Today is the 263rd day of 2014 and the 92nd day of summer.

TODAY'S HISTORY: In 1873, the New York Stock Exchange closed because of a banking panic.

In 1881, Chester A. Arthur was sworn in as president, one day after the death of James Garfield.

In 1977, the Socialist Republic of Vietnam was admitted to the United Nations.

In 1984, a suicide bombing killed 20 Americans at the U.S. Embassy in Beirut, Lebanon.

In 2001, President George W. Bush declared a "war on terror" before a joint session of Congress.

TODAY'S BIRTHDAYS: Upton Sinclair (1878-1968), author/social reformer; Leo Strauss (1899-1973), philosopher; Jacob "Red" Auerbach (1917-2006), basketball coach; Anne Meara (1929- ), actress/comedian; Sophia Loren (1934- ), actress; George R.R. Martin (1948- ), author; Guy Lafleur (1951- ), hockey player; Kristen Johnston (1967- ), actress; Moon Bloodgood (1975- ), actress; Brian Joubert (1984- ), figure skater.

TODAY'S FACT: About 2 million Southeast Asian-Americans live in the United States today.

TODAY'S SPORTS: In 1973, Billie Jean King won the "Battle of the Sexes" tennis match against Bobby Riggs in three straight sets.

TODAY'S QUOTE: "It is difficult to get a man to understand something, when his salary depends on his not understanding it." -- Upton Sinclair, "I, Candidate for Governor: And How I Got Licked"

TODAY'S NUMBER: 9 -- NBA championship titles Red Auerbach won as head coach of the Boston Celtics, eight of which were consecutive (1959-1966).

TODAY'S MOON: Between last quarter moon (Sept. 15) and new moon (Sept. 23).

Today is the 262nd day of 2014 and the 91st day of summer.

TODAY'S HISTORY: In 1881, President James Garfield died from gunshot wounds sustained during an assassination attempt on July 2.

In 1957, the United States conducted its first entirely underground nuclear test, in a mountain tunnel in Nevada.

In 1995, The Washington Post published the Unabomber's manifesto, in partnership with The New York Times.

In 2002, President George W. Bush requested that Congress authorize him to "use all means" to disarm and depose Saddam Hussein in Iraq.

TODAY'S BIRTHDAYS: William Golding (1911-1993), author; Roger Angell (1920- ), author/journalist; James Lipton (1926- ), actor/TV host; Adam West (1928- ), actor; Cass Elliot (1941-1974), singer; Jeremy Irons (1948- ), actor; Twiggy (1949- ), model/actress; Trisha Yearwood (1964- ), singer-songwriter; Jimmy Fallon (1974- ), comedian/TV personality; Alison Sweeney (1976- ), actress/TV host; Tegan and Sara Quin (1980- ), singer-songwriters.

TODAY'S FACT: The Threshold Test Ban Treaty, signed in 1974, prohibited nuclear weapons testing in the atmosphere, in outer space and underwater, but permitted underground testing.

TODAY'S SPORTS: In 1988, U.S. diver Greg Louganis came back to win gold at the Summer Olympics in Seoul, South Korea, after hitting his head on the board during a dive in the preliminary round.

TODAY'S QUOTE: "The writer probably knows what he meant when he wrote a book, but he should immediately forget what he meant when he's written it." -- William Golding

TODAY'S NUMBER: 36 -- gold medals won by the United States at the 1988 Summer Olympics in Seoul, South Korea.

TODAY'S MOON: Between last quarter moon (Sept. 15) and new moon (Sept. 23).

Today is the 261st day of 2014 and the 90th day of summer.

TODAY'S HISTORY: In 1793, President George Washington laid the cornerstone for the U.S. Capitol building in Washington, D.C.

In 1850, Congress passed the Fugitive Slave Act, which allowed slave owners to reclaim slaves who had escaped to free states.

In 1947, under National Security Act reorganization, the Air Force became an independent branch of the U.S. military.

In 2009, the final episode of the soap opera "The Guiding Light" aired, ending its 72-year broadcast run on radio and TV.

TODAY'S BIRTHDAYS: Samuel Johnson (1709-1784), author/lexicographer; Greta Garbo (1905-1990), actress; Agnes de Mille (1905-1993), dancer/choreographer; Jack Warden (1920-2006), actor; Joe Kubert (1926-2012), writer/illustrator; Scotty Bowman (1933- ), hockey coach; Frankie Avalon (1939- ), singer; Fred Willard (1939- ), actor/comedian; Rick Pitino (1952- ), basketball coach; James Gandolfini (1961-2013), actor; Lance Armstrong (1971- ), cyclist; Jada Pinkett Smith (1971- ), actress; Jason Sudeikis (1975- ), actor/comedian.

TODAY'S FACT: The National Security Act of 1947 established the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA).

TODAY'S SPORTS: In 1999, Sammy Sosa became the first Major League Baseball player to hit more than 60 home runs in two seasons.

TODAY'S QUOTE: "Of all the properties which belong to honorable men, not one is so highly prized as that of character." -- Henry Clay

TODAY'S NUMBER: $1 billion -- donation pledged "to United Nations causes" by media mogul Ted Turner on this day in 1998. Turner's United Nations Foundation donated its billionth dollar in 2006, $600 million of which came from Turner himself.

TODAY'S MOON: Between last quarter moon (Sept. 15) and new moon (Sept. 23).