Today is the 294th day of 2014 and the 30th day of autumn.

TODAY'S HISTORY: In 1879, Thomas Edison successfully tested an electric light bulb.

In 1892, the original "Pledge of Allegiance" was recited by an estimated 12 million schoolchildren across the United States in honor of the 400th anniversary of Columbus' voyage to the New World.

In 1959, the Guggenheim Museum opened in New York City.

In 1967, more than 35,000 anti-war protesters stormed the Pentagon, resulting in nearly 700 arrests.

TODAY'S BIRTHDAYS: Samuel Taylor Coleridge (1772-1834), poet/essayist; Alfred Nobel (1833-1896), inventor/arms manufacturer; Dizzy Gillespie (1917-1993), jazz musician; Celia Cruz (1924-2003), singer; Whitey Ford (1928- ), baseball player; Ursula K. Le Guin (1929- ), author; Judy Sheindlin (1942- ), judge/TV personality; Benjamin Netanyahu (1949- ), Israeli politician; Carrie Fisher (1956- ), actress/writer; Ken Watanabe (1959- ), actor.

TODAY'S FACT: Of the seven fundamental units of measure in the International System, only the kilogram is defined by a specific physical object. It is the mass of a platinum-iridium bar kept by the International Bureau of Weights and Measures in France.

TODAY'S SPORTS: In 1975, Red Sox catcher Carlton Fisk hit a home run that glanced off the foul pole at Fenway Park in Boston, giving the Red Sox a 12th-inning victory over the Cincinnati Reds in Game 6 of the World Series.

TODAY'S QUOTE: "Common sense in an uncommon degree is what the world calls wisdom." -- Samuel Taylor Coleridge

TODAY'S NUMBER: 13.5 -- hours Thomas Edison's first prototype electric incandescent light bulb lasted before burning out.

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

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).