ANDREWS MCMEEL ALMANAC

Today is the 273rd day of 2017 and the ninth day of autumn.

TODAY'S HISTORY: In 1935, the Boulder Dam (later renamed the Hoover Dam) was dedicated.

In 1947, Game 1 between the Brooklyn Dodgers and the New York Yankees was the first World Series game broadcast on television.

In 1955, actor James Dean was killed in a car accident near Shandon, California, at age 24.

In 2005, a Danish newspaper published controversial cartoons about the Islamic prophet Muhammad, sparking protests and riots around the world.

TODAY'S BIRTHDAYS: Hans Geiger (1882-1945), physicist; Deborah Kerr (1921-2007), actress; Truman Capote (1924-1984), author; Elie Wiesel (1928-2016), author/activist; Angie Dickinson (1931- ), actress; Johnny Mathis (1935- ), singer-songwriter; Barry Williams (1954- ), actor; Fran Drescher (1957- ), actress; Tony Hale (1970- ), actor; Jenna Elfman (1971- ), actress; Marion Cotillard (1975- ), actress; Martina Hingis (1980- ), tennis player; T-Pain (1985- ), rapper/producer.

TODAY'S FACT: James Dean starred in just three films. Best known for his iconic role in "Rebel Without a Cause," Dean was posthumously nominated for the Academy Award for best actor in a leading role for "East of Eden" in 1956 and "Giant" in 1957.

TODAY'S SPORTS: In 1927, Babe Ruth broke his own record for home runs in a season by hitting his 60th, setting a record that stood for 34 years.

TODAY'S QUOTE: "When a person doesn't have gratitude, something is missing in his or her humanity. A person can almost be defined by his or her attitude toward gratitude." -- Elie Wiesel

TODAY'S NUMBER: 209 -- total weeks Martina Hingis was the top-ranked women's tennis player, beginning in 1997.

TODAY'S MOON: Between first quarter moon (Sept. 27) and full moon (Oct. 5).

ANDREWS MCMEEL ALMANAC

Today is the 272nd day of 2017 and the eighth day of autumn.

TODAY'S HISTORY: In 1789, the U.S. Department of War established a regular army, maintaining several hundred troops.

In 1916, The New York Times reported that John D. Rockefeller, the head of Standard Oil, was almost certainly a billionaire, the world's first.

In 1966, the Chevrolet Camaro debuted for sale in U.S. dealerships.

In 1988, NASA launched STS-26, the 26th Space Shuttle mission and the first since the Challenger disaster of Jan. 28, 1986.

TODAY'S BIRTHDAYS: Miguel de Cervantes (1547-1616), writer; Caravaggio (1571-1610), painter; Enrico Fermi (1901-1954), nuclear physicist; Greer Garson (1904-1996), actress; Gene Autry (1907-1998), singer/actor; Jerry Lee Lewis (1935- ), singer-songwriter; Madeline Kahn (1942-1999), actress; Ian McShane (1942- ), actor; Lech Walesa (1943- ), labor leader/politician; Bryant Gumbel (1948- ), TV journalist; Ann Bancroft (1955- ), author/explorer; Russell Peters (1970- ), actor/comedian; Kevin Durant (1988- ), basketball player.

TODAY'S FACT: Miguel de Cervantes' "Don Quixote" is widely considered to be the first modern novel. It was initially published in two volumes in 1605 and 1615.

TODAY'S SPORTS: In 1951, NBC broadcast a college football game between Duke University and the University of Pittsburgh. It was the first live sporting event to be televised nationwide.

TODAY'S QUOTE: "I think we all strive to push ourselves, to overcome our struggles. And when we do, we get to know ourselves better." -- Ann Bancroft

TODAY'S NUMBER: 777.68 -- points lost by the Dow Jones Industrial Average on this day in 2008, following the bankruptcies of the financial services companies Lehman Brothers and Washington Mutual. It was the largest single-day point drop in history.

TODAY'S MOON: Between first quarter moon (Sept. 27) and full moon (Oct. 5).

ANDREWS MCMEEL ALMANAC

Today is the 271st day of 2017 and the seventh day of autumn.

TODAY'S HISTORY: In 1066, William the Conqueror, Duke of Normandy, invaded England.

In 1924, the first aerial circumnavigation of the world, conducted by a team of aviators from the U.S. Army Air Service, ended in Seattle, Washington, after 175 days.

In 2000, the Food and Drug Administration approved the use of the pregnancy-terminating drug RU-486 after a 12-year controversy.

In 2008, the space transportation company SpaceX launched Falcon 1, the first private spacecraft, into orbit.

TODAY'S BIRTHDAYS: Kate Douglas Wiggin (1856-1923), author; Ed Sullivan (1901-1974), TV personality; Max Schmeling (1905-2005), boxer; Al Capp (1909-1979), cartoonist; Marcello Mastroianni (1924-1996), actor; Brigitte Bardot (1934- ), actress; Ben E. King (1938-2015), singer-songwriter; Janeane Garofalo (1964- ), comedian/actress; Mira Sorvino (1967- ), actress; Naomi Watts (1968- ), actress; Fedor Emelianenko (1976- ), mixed martial artist; Hilary Duff (1987- ), singer/actress.

TODAY'S FACT: William the Conqueror rose to power despite early controversy that he was an illegitimate child. He was also known as "William the Bastard" before his conquest of England.

TODAY'S SPORTS: In 1941, Ted Williams hit 6-for-8 in a doubleheader to finish the season with a batting average over .400 (.406), a feat no player since has accomplished.

TODAY'S QUOTE: "There are certain narrow, unimaginative and autocratic old people who seem to call out the most mischievous and sometimes the worst traits in children." -- Kate Douglas Wiggin, "Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm"

TODAY'S NUMBER: 6,000 -- employees of SpaceX in September 2017. The company was founded by Elon Musk in 2002 and employed 160 people in November 2005.

TODAY'S MOON: Between first quarter moon (Sept. 27) and full moon (Oct. 5).