Today is the 280th day of 2015 and the 15th day of autumn.

TODAY'S HISTORY: In 1896, The Wall Street Journal began publishing what is known today as the Dow Jones Industrial Average as a daily feature.

In 1985, the cruise ship Achille Lauro was hijacked in the Mediterranean by Palestinian terrorists.

In 1996, Fox News Channel was launched on cable TV.

In 2001, the United States and Great Britain began air strikes against strategic targets in Afghanistan.

TODAY'S BIRTHDAYS: Niels Bohr (1885-1962), physicist; Elijah Muhammad (1897-1975), spiritual/political leader; June Allyson (1917-2006), actress; Al Martino (1927-2009), singer/actor; Desmond Tutu (1931- ), archbishop/Nobel laureate; Thomas Keneally (1935- ), novelist; John Mellencamp (1951- ), singer-songwriter; Vladimir Putin (1952- ), Russian politician; Yo-Yo Ma (1955- ), cellist; Simon Cowell (1959- ), record executive/TV personality; Thom Yorke (1968- ), musician; Charles Woodson (1976- ), football player.

TODAY'S FACT: In 2003, the sitting governor of California, Gray Davis, was voted out of office during a recall election. Actor and Republican candidate Arnold Schwarzenegger was elected as the state's 38th governor.

TODAY'S SPORTS: In 1984, running back Walter Payton of the Chicago Bears broke Jim Brown's career-rushing record of 12,312 yards during a 20-7 victory over the New Orleans Saints.

TODAY'S QUOTE: "Sometimes tyrants do away with the necessity of satire by imposing absurdity themselves." -- Thomas Keneally

TODAY'S NUMBER: 222 -- points scored by the Georgia Tech Engineers in a football game played on this day in 1916. Their opponents, the Cumberland College Bulldogs, were shut out. The final score of 222-0 marked the most lopsided game in college football history.

TODAY'S MOON: Between last quarter moon (Oct. 4) and new moon (Oct. 12).

Today is the 279th day of 2015 and the 14th day of autumn.

TODAY'S HISTORY: In 1927, "The Jazz Singer," the first feature-length motion picture with synchronized dialogue, premiered in New York City.

In 1973, Egypt and Syria attacked Israel on Yom Kippur.

In 1981, Egyptian president and Nobel Peace Prize recipient Anwar Sadat was assassinated.

In 2000, Serbian and Yugoslavian president Slobodan Milosevic, who had been indicted by the United Nations in 1999 for crimes against humanity, resigned.

TODAY'S BIRTHDAYS: Jenny Lind (1820-1887), opera singer; George Westinghouse (1846-1914), engineer/inventor; Le Corbusier (1887-1965), architect; Helen Wills Moody (1905-1998), tennis player; Carole Lombard (1908-1942), actress; Thor Heyerdahl (1914-2002), explorer; Leslie Moonves (1949- ), TV executive; Tony Dungy (1955- ), football coach; Elisabeth Shue (1963- ), actress; Ioan Gruffudd (1973- ), actor; Jeremy Sisto (1974- ), actor; Ricky Hatton (1978- ), boxer; Olivia Thirlby (1986- ), actress.

TODAY'S FACT: George Westinghouse formed more than 60 companies to market his inventions, which were collectively estimated to have been worth $120 million in 1900.

TODAY'S SPORTS: In 1926, Babe Ruth hit three home runs in Game 4 of the World Series, setting a record that still stands and leading the New York Yankees to a 10-5 win over the St. Louis Cardinals.

TODAY'S QUOTE: "Borders? I have never seen one. But I have heard they exist in the minds of some people." -- Thor Heyerdahl

TODAY'S NUMBER: 69 -- baseball seasons since the Chicago Cubs' last World Series appearance, in 1945. Superstitious fans attribute the Cubs' championship drought to "The Curse of the Billy Goat," which originated on this day in 1945, when Cubs fan Billy Sianis and his pet goat were ejected by Wrigley Field staff during Game 4 of the World Series between the Cubs and the Detroit Tigers.

TODAY'S MOON: Between last quarter moon (Oct. 4) and new moon (Oct. 12).

Today is the 278th day of 2015 and the 13th day of autumn.

TODAY'S HISTORY: In 1877, Chief Joseph and the Nez Perce tribe surrendered to U.S. Cavalry troops after a 1,700-mile retreat.

In 1947, President Harry Truman delivered the first address to be televised from the White House.

In 1969, "Monty Python's Flying Circus" debuted on the BBC.

In 1970, the Public Broadcasting Service was founded.

In 2005, the U.S. Senate voted 90-9 to prohibit the use of "cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment" on detainees.

TODAY'S BIRTHDAYS: Jonathan Edwards (1703-1758), theologian/evangelist; Chester A. Arthur (1829-1886), 21st U.S. president; Louis Lumiere (1864-1948), inventor/filmmaker; Ray Kroc (1902-1984), founder of McDonald's Corp.; Bil Keane (1922-2011), cartoonist; Vaclav Havel (1936-2011), playwright/Czech president; Steve Miller (1943- ), musician; Bernie Mac (1957-2008), comedian/actor; Mario Lemieux (1965- ), hockey player; Guy Pearce (1967- ), actor; Kate Winslet (1975- ), actress; Jesse Eisenberg (1983- ), actor.

TODAY'S FACT: In the first televised White House address (on this day in 1947), President Truman asked the American people to stop eating meat on Tuesdays and poultry on Thursdays to help relieve food shortages in Europe.

TODAY'S SPORTS: In 2001, Barry Bonds set a new single-season home run record with his 71st and 72nd home runs.

TODAY'S QUOTE: "I'm not a star, and I don't want to be a star. Stars fall. I'm an ordinary guy with an extraordinary job." -- Bernie Mac

TODAY'S NUMBER: 1.9 million -- McDonald's employees worldwide in 2015.

TODAY'S MOON: Between last quarter moon (Oct. 4) and new moon (Oct. 12).