Today is the 253rd day of 2015 and the 82nd day of summer.

TODAY'S HISTORY: In 1846, Elias Howe patented the first sewing machine.

In 1977, France used a guillotine in carrying out a death sentence for the last time.

In 2002, Switzerland became a member of the United Nations.

In 2008, the Large Hadron Collider was powered up for the first time in Geneva, Switzerland.

TODAY'S BIRTHDAYS: Adele Astaire (1896-1981), dancer; Arnold Palmer (1929- ), golfer; Charles Kuralt (1934-1997), TV journalist; Roger Maris (1934-1985), baseball player; Buck Buchanan (1940-1992), football player; Stephen Jay Gould (1941-2002), biologist/writer; Bill O'Reilly (1949- ), TV host/author; Chris Columbus (1958- ), film director; Colin Firth (1960- ), actor; Randy Johnson (1963- ), baseball player; Guy Ritchie (1968- ), filmmaker; Ryan Phillippe (1974- ), actor.

TODAY'S FACT: The United Nations, which included 193 member states as of August 2015, began in 1945, when representatives of 50 countries met in San Francisco to draw the charter.

TODAY'S SPORTS: In 1972, the U.S. men's basketball team fell for the first time in Olympic competition, suffering a controversial 51-50 loss to the Soviet Union team on a last-second shot in the gold medal match.

TODAY'S QUOTE: "I picture several reviewers of my own books as passing a long future lodged between Brutus and Judas in the jaws of Satan." -- Stephen Jay Gould, "An Urchin in the Storm"

TODAY'S NUMBER: 140 -- countries that have abolished the use of capital punishment in law or practice as of 2015, according to Amnesty International.

TODAY'S MOON: Between last quarter moon (Sept. 5) and new moon (Sept. 12).

Today is the 252nd day of 2015 and the 81st day of summer.

TODAY'S HISTORY: In 1776, the Continental Congress officially changed the name of the "United Colonies" to the "United States" of America.

In 1893, Esther Cleveland, second child of President Grover Cleveland and first lady Frances, became the only child of a president to be born in the White House.

In 1791, the capital of the United States was named Washington, D.C., after President George Washington.

In 1850, California was admitted as the 31st U.S. state.

In 1956, Elvis Presley made his first appearance on "The Ed Sullivan Show."

TODAY'S BIRTHDAYS: Leo Tolstoy (1828-1910), author; Harland David "Colonel" Sanders (1890-1980), businessman; Cliff Robertson (1923-2011), actor; Otis Redding (1941-1967), singer-songwriter; Joe Theismann (1949- ), sportscaster/football player; Hugh Grant (1960- ), actor; Bob Stoops (1960- ), football coach; Adam Sandler (1966- ), comedian/actor; Eric Stonestreet (1971- ), actor; Michael Buble (1975- ), singer; Michelle Williams (1980- ), actress.

TODAY'S FACT: California did not go through a formal period as a U.S. territory. It quickly achieved the 60,000 residents required for statehood, due to the Gold Rush.

TODAY'S SPORTS: In 1965, Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Sandy Koufax threw a perfect game against the Chicago Cubs.

TODAY'S QUOTE: "Respect was invented to cover the empty place where love should be." -- Leo Tolstoy, "Anna Karenina"

TODAY'S NUMBER: 208.5 million -- albums certified sold by Elvis Presley, making him second only to the Beatles (264.9 million) as the greatest-selling artist of all time.

TODAY'S MOON: Between last quarter moon (Sept. 5) and new moon (Sept. 12).

Today is the 251st day of 2015 and the 80th day of summer.

TODAY'S HISTORY: In 1664, New Amsterdam became New York as the Dutch surrendered Manhattan and surrounding land to the British.

In 1900, Galveston, Texas, was struck by a massive hurricane.

In 1966, the "Star Trek" TV series premiered on NBC.

In 1974, President Gerald Ford pardoned former president Richard Nixon for any crimes he might have committed in office.

TODAY'S BIRTHDAYS: Claude Pepper (1900-1989), U.S. senator; Sid Caesar (1922-2014), comedian/actor; Peter Sellers (1925-1980), comedian/actor; Patsy Cline (1932-1963), singer-songwriter; Aimee Mann (1960- ), singer-songwriter; David Arquette (1971- ), actor; Martin Freeman (1971- ), actor; Pink (1979- ), singer-songwriter; Wiz Khalifa (1987- ), rapper; Avicii (1989- ), DJ/record producer.

TODAY'S FACT: More than 8,000 people are estimated to have died in the 1900 Galveston hurricane, making it the deadliest natural disaster in American history.

TODAY'S SPORTS: In 1998, Mark McGwire of the St. Louis Cardinals hit his 62nd home run of the season, breaking the record held by Roger Maris since 1961. In January 2010, McGwire admitted that he used steroids during the 1998 season.

TODAY'S QUOTE: "The guy who invented the first wheel was an idiot. The guy who invented the other three, he was a genius." -- Sid Caesar

TODAY'S NUMBER: 79 -- episodes of the original "Star Trek" series broadcast on NBC until its cancellation in 1969. (The original pilot, titled "The Cage," was not aired.) The franchise has since produced 12 films and five spinoff television series totaling 646 episodes.

TODAY'S MOON: Between last quarter moon (Sept. 5) and new moon (Sept. 12).