Today is the 293rd day of 2014 and the 29th day of autumn.

TODAY'S HISTORY: In 1947, the House Un-American Activities Committee opened its first hearings on communist influence in the film industry.

In 1977, three members of the band Lynyrd Skynyrd were killed (along with their road manager and the two pilots) when their chartered plane crashed in Mississippi.

In 2011, ousted Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi was captured and killed by rebel forces in Sirte, Libya.

TODAY'S BIRTHDAYS: Arthur Rimbaud (1854-1891), poet; Bela Lugosi (1882-1956), actor; Art Buchwald (1925-2007), columnist; Joyce Brothers (1927-2013), psychologist/columnist; Mickey Mantle (1931-1995), baseball player; Jerry Orbach (1935-2004), actor; Tom Petty (1950- ), singer-songwriter; Danny Boyle (1956- ), film director; Viggo Mortensen (1958- ), actor; Snoop Dogg (1971- ), rapper/actor; John Krasinski (1979- ), actor.

TODAY'S FACT: Only four nations in the world currently self-identify as communist states: China, Cuba, Laos and Vietnam.

TODAY'S SPORTS: In 1968, American Dick Fosbury won a gold medal and set an Olympic record when he high-jumped 7 feet 4 1/4 inches at the Olympic Games in Mexico City, marking the international debut of his signature jump style, the "Fosbury Flop."

TODAY'S QUOTE: "I think we should follow a simple rule: if we can take the worst, take the risk." -- Joyce Brothers

TODAY'S NUMBER: 18 -- World Series home runs hit by Mickey Mantle in his 18-year career, a record that still stands.

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

Today is the 292nd day of 2014 and the 28th day of autumn.

TODAY'S HISTORY: In 1781, Lord Charles Cornwallis' British troops surrendered at Yorktown, Virginia, heralding an imminent victory for the Continental Army.

In 1960, the United States imposed an embargo on exports to Cuba except for medical supplies and certain foods.

In 1987, "Black Monday" set a new Wall Street record for a single-day decline when the Dow Jones Industrial Average plunged 508 points.

In 2003, Mother Teresa was beatified by Pope John Paul II.

TODAY'S BIRTHDAYS: Auguste Lumiere (1862-1954), inventor/filmmaker; Charles Merrill (1885-1956), investment banker; Jack Anderson (1922-2005), columnist; John le Carre (1931- ), author; John Lithgow (1945- ), actor; Jennifer Holliday (1960- ), singer/actress; Evander Holyfield (1962- ), boxer; Ty Pennington (1965- ), TV host/carpenter; Jon Favreau (1966- ), actor/director; Trey Parker (1969- ), TV producer/writer; Chris Kattan (1970- ), actor/comedian; Jason Reitman (1977- ), filmmaker.

TODAY'S FACT: Brothers Auguste and Louis Lumiere, inventors of the Cinematographe camera that helped kick-start the motion-picture era, once declared cinema "an invention without any future."

TODAY'S SPORTS: In 1957, Maurice "Rocket" Richard of the Montreal Canadiens became the first NHL player to score 500 goals.

TODAY'S QUOTE: "There are moments which are made up of too much stuff for them to be lived at the time they occur." -- John le Carre, "Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy"

TODAY'S NUMBER: 5 -- Emmy wins for Trey Parker and Matt Stone's "South Park." The mature-audiences animated sitcom has been nominated for the Outstanding Animated Program award 13 times in its 18 seasons.

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

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).