Today is the 291st day of 2014 and the 27th day of autumn.

TODAY'S HISTORY: In 1767, the boundary between Delaware, Maryland and Pennsylvania (the Mason-Dixon Line) was established.

In 1851, Herman Melville's "Moby-Dick" was first published as a three-volume edition titled "The Whale."

In 1962, Drs. James Watson, Francis Crick and Maurice Wilkins were given the Nobel Prize in medicine/physiology for uncovering the double-helix structure of DNA.

In 2001, four al-Qaida members were sentenced to life in prison for bombing the U.S. embassies in Kenya and Tanzania in 1998.

TODAY'S BIRTHDAYS: Pierre Elliott Trudeau (1919-2000), Canadian prime minister; Jesse Helms (1921-2008), U.S. senator; Chuck Berry (1926- ), singer-songwriter; George C. Scott (1927-1999), actor; Peter Boyle (1935-2006), actor; Mike Ditka (1939- ), football coach/player; Wendy Wasserstein (1950-2006), playwright; Martina Navratilova (1956- ), tennis player; Jean-Claude Van Damme (1960- ), actor; Wynton Marsalis (1961- ), jazz musician; Josh Gracin (1980- ), singer; Zac Efron (1987- ), actor.

TODAY'S FACT: The Mason-Dixon Line surveyed by Charles Mason and Jeremiah Dixon in 1767 left a "wedge" of land in dispute between Delaware and Pennsylvania until 1921.

TODAY'S SPORTS: In 1977, New York Yankees outfielder Reggie Jackson hit three home runs on three consecutive swings against three different Los Angeles Dodgers pitchers, leading his team to an 8-4 win (and the series win) in Game 6 of the World Series.

TODAY'S QUOTE: "The past is to be respected and acknowledged, but not to be worshipped. It is our future in which we will find our greatness." -- Pierre Elliott Trudeau

TODAY'S NUMBER: 41 -- record number of Grand Slam doubles (including mixed doubles) titles won by Martina Navratilova.

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

Today is the 290th day of 2014 and the 26th day of autumn.

TODAY'S HISTORY: In 1931, Al Capone was convicted of income tax evasion and sentenced to 11 years in prison.

In 1933, German refugee Albert Einstein immigrated to the United States, where he would live and work for the rest of his life.

In 1989, a 7.1-magnitude earthquake struck Northern California, killing more than 60 people.

In 2006, the U.S. population topped 300 million for the first time.

TODAY'S BIRTHDAYS: Jean Arthur (1900-1991), actress; Jerry Siegel (1914-1996), writer/illustrator; Arthur Miller (1915-2005), playwright/novelist; Rita Hayworth (1918-1987), actress; Beverly Garland (1926-2008), actress; Evel Knievel (1938-2007), stunt performer; Michael McKean (1947- ), actor; Mae Jemison (1956- ), scientist/astronaut; Mike Judge (1962- ), animator/writer/director; Ziggy Marley (1968- ), singer-songwriter; Ernie Els (1969- ), golfer; Wyclef Jean (1969- ), rapper/producer; Eminem (1972- ), rapper.

TODAY'S FACT: In 1952, Albert Einstein was offered the post of Israeli president, which he politely declined.

TODAY'S SPORTS: In 1968, American Olympic sprinters Tommie Smith and John Carlos were forced to return their medals for raising their fists in protest against racial discrimination during the victory ceremony.

TODAY'S QUOTE: "Just remember, kid, you can quicker get back a million dollars that was stole than a word that you gave away. " -- Arthur Miller, "A View from the Bridge"

TODAY'S NUMBER: 4 -- performances in 1944 of Arthur Miller's first play, "The Man Who Had All the Luck," before it closed to poor reviews.

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

Today is the 289th day of 2014 and the 25th day of autumn.

TODAY'S HISTORY: In 1859, abolitionist John Brown led a raid on Harpers Ferry, Virginia.

In 1923, brothers Walt and Roy Disney founded Walt Disney Productions (now known as The Walt Disney Company) in Los Angeles.

In 1964, China detonated its first atomic bomb.

In 1995, hundreds of thousands of black men joined the Million Man March, led by Louis Farrakhan in Washington, D.C.

TODAY'S BIRTHDAYS: Noah Webster (1758-1843), lexicographer; Oscar Wilde (1854-1900), playwright; David Ben-Gurion (1886-1973), statesman/first Israeli prime minister; Eugene O'Neill (1888-1953), playwright; Angela Lansbury (1925- ), actress; Gunter Grass (1927- ), author; Suzanne Somers (1946- ), actress; Bob Weir (1947- ), musician; Tim Robbins (1958- ), actor; John Mayer (1977- ), singer-songwriter; Bryce Harper (1992- ), baseball player.

TODAY'S FACT: In 1986, Italian mountaineer Reinhold Messner reached the summit of Lhotse in Nepal, becoming the first climber to ascend all 14 of the world's "eight-thousanders" -- mountain peaks more than 8,000 meters (26,000 feet) above sea level.

TODAY'S SPORTS: In 1969, the 8-year-old New York Mets won the World Series over the Baltimore Orioles.

TODAY'S QUOTE: "We are all in the gutter, but some of us are looking at the stars." -- Oscar Wilde, "Lady Windermere's Fan"

TODAY'S NUMBER: 9 -- countries thought to have nuclear-weapon capabilities in 2014 (the United States, Russia, the United Kingdom, France, China, India, Pakistan, North Korea and Israel).

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