Today is the 294th day of 2016 and the 29th day of autumn.
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TODAY'S HISTORY: In 1944, U.S. forces landed on Leyte Island, beginning a months-long campaign to free the Philippines from Japanese control.
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 Moammar Gadhafi 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: "You can't make up anything anymore. The world itself is a satire. All you're doing is recording it." -- Art Buchwald
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 full moon (Oct. 15) and last quarter moon (Oct. 22).