ANDREWS MCMEEL ALMANAC

Today is the 259th day of 2017 and the 89th day of summer.

TODAY'S HISTORY: In 1920, the explosion of a bomb on Wall Street killed more than 30 people and injured hundreds of others.

In 1940, President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed the Selective Training and Service Act, authorizing the military draft.

In 1955, Argentine president Juan Peron was ousted by a military coup.

In 1974, President Gerald Ford announced a conditional amnesty program for Vietnam War deserters and draft evaders.

TODAY'S BIRTHDAYS: Jean Arp (1886-1966), artist; H.A. Rey (1898-1977), children's author/illustrator; Lauren Bacall (1924-2014), actress; B.B. King (1925-2015), musician; Peter Falk (1927-2011), actor; Ed Begley Jr. (1949- ), actor; Henry Louis Gates Jr. (1950- ), author/academic; Mickey Rourke (1952- ), actor; David Copperfield (1956- ), magician; Marc Anthony (1968- ), singer-songwriter; Amy Poehler (1971- ), actress; Nick Jonas (1992- ), singer/musician.

TODAY'S FACT: German-born Jewish authors Margret and H.A. Rey fled Paris by bicycle in June 1940, the manuscript for what would become "Curious George" in tow, just before the city fell to Nazi Germany.

TODAY'S SPORTS: In 1981, Sugar Ray Leonard unified boxing's welterweight title by knocking out Tommy Hearns in the 14th round of a bout in an outdoor arena at the Caesar's Palace casino in Las Vegas.

TODAY'S QUOTE: "Sculpture should walk on the tips of its toes, unostentatious, unpretentious and light as the spoor of an animal in snow. Art should melt into and even merge with nature itself." -- Jean Arp

TODAY'S NUMBER: 342 -- one-night stand gigs performed by blues legend B.B. King and his band in 1956.

TODAY'S MOON: Between last quarter moon (Sept. 12) and new moon (Sept. 19).

ANDREWS MCMEEL ALMANAC

Today is the 258th day of 2017 and the 88th day of summer.

TODAY'S HISTORY: In 1935, the Nuremberg Laws were enacted in Germany, depriving German Jews of their citizenship and imposing the swastika as a national symbol.

In 1963, a bomb exploded at the 16th Street Baptist Church in Birmingham, Alabama, killing four young girls.

In 2001, President George W. Bush named Osama bin Laden as the prime suspect in the Sept. 11 attacks and pledged a sustained fight against terrorism.

In 2008, the global financial services firm Lehman Brothers filed for bankruptcy.

TODAY'S BIRTHDAYS: James Fenimore Cooper (1789-1851), author/historian; William Howard Taft (1857-1930), 27th U.S. president/chief justice of the United States; Agatha Christie (1890-1976), author; Roy Acuff (1903-1992), musician; Fay Wray (1907-2004), actress; Merlin Olsen (1940-2010), football player/actor; Tommy Lee Jones (1946- ), actor; Oliver Stone (1946- ), filmmaker; Dan Marino (1961- ), football player; Tom Hardy (1977- ), actor; Prince Harry (1984- ), British royal.

TODAY'S FACT: No president has sported facial hair since Howard Taft left office in 1913.

TODAY'S SPORTS: In 2004, National Hockey League Commissioner Gary Bettman announced the decision to lock out players over contract disputes. The season was eventually canceled.

TODAY'S QUOTE: "Let a man get once fairly possessed of any peculiar notion, whether it be on religion, political economy, morals, politics, arts or anything else, and he sees little beside his beloved principle, which he is at all times ready to advance, defend, demonstrate or expatiate on." -- James Fenimore Cooper, "Oak Openings"

TODAY'S NUMBER: 2 -- top speed (in miles per hour) of the Mark I, the first tank used in battle, deployed for first time by the British during the Battle of the Somme on this day in 1916.

TODAY'S MOON: Between last quarter moon (Sept. 12) and new moon (Sept. 19).

ANDREWS MCMEEL ALMANAC

Today is the 257th day of 2017 and the 87th day of summer.

TODAY'S HISTORY: In 1812, the Fire of Moscow broke out as Russian troops left the city and the French Grande Armee entered.

In 1814, Francis Scott Key wrote "Defence of Fort McHenry," the poem that provided the lyrics for "The Star-Spangled Banner."

In 1901, President William McKinley died of wounds received on Sept. 6 from an assassin's bullet, and Vice President Theodore Roosevelt was sworn in as his successor.

In 1994, Major League Baseball commissioner Bud Selig announced the cancellation of the remainder of the season after a 34-day player strike.

TODAY'S BIRTHDAYS: Clayton Moore (1914-1999), actor; Mario Benedetti (1920-2009), journalist/author; Zoe Caldwell (1933- ), actress; Walter Koenig (1936- ), actor/director/producer; Larry Brown (1940- ), basketball coach; Sam Neill (1947- ), actor; Melissa Leo (1960- ), actress; Faith Ford (1964- ), actress; Andrew Lincoln (1973- ), actor; Nas (1973- ), rapper; Katie Lee (1981- ), chef/TV personality; Amy Winehouse (1983-2011), singer.

TODAY'S FACT: Elizabeth Ann Seton became the first American-born Catholic saint when she was canonized by Pope Paul VI on this day in 1975.

TODAY'S SPORTS: In 1987, the Toronto Blue Jays hit a major-league record 10 home runs in a single game.

TODAY'S QUOTE: "Don't give up, please don't give way / Even if the cold burns / Even if fear bites / Even if the sun sets / And the wind goes silent / There is still fire in your soul / There is still life in your dreams." -- Mario Benedetti, "Don't Give Up"

TODAY'S NUMBER: 14 -- member states of the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC), including six in the Middle East, six in Africa and two in South America. OPEC was founded on this day in 1960.

TODAY'S MOON: Between last quarter moon (Sept. 12) and new moon (Sept. 19).