ANDREWS MCMEEL ALMANAC

Today is the 288th day of 2018 and the 24th day of autumn.

TODAY'S HISTORY: In 1917, infamous spy Mata Hari was executed by a firing squad outside Paris.

In 1990, Soviet Union leader Mikhail Gorbachev was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.

In 2003, China became the third nation (after the United States and Russia) to launch a manned space mission.

In 2005, Iraqi citizens voted to approve a new constitution.

TODAY'S BIRTHDAYS: Friedrich Nietzsche (1844-1900), philosopher; P.G. Wodehouse (1881-1975), author/humorist; Arthur Schlesinger Jr. (1917-2007), historian; Lee Iacocca (1924- ), business leader; Penny Marshall (1943- ), film director/actress; Jim Palmer (1945- ), baseball player; Sarah Ferguson (1959- ), Duchess of York; Emeril Lagasse (1959- ), chef/TV personality; Dominic West (1969- ), actor; Carlo Janka (1986- ), Olympic skier.

TODAY'S FACT: Confederate marine engineer H.L. Hunley died aboard a hand-powered submarine of his own invention when it sank during a test run on this day in 1863. The vessel was later raised and became the first submarine to sink an enemy vessel when it was used to attack the U.S.S. Housatonic in February 1864.

TODAY'S SPORTS: In 1989, Wayne Gretzky of the Los Angeles Kings tied and broke Gordie Howe's NHL career scoring record of 1,850 points with an assist and a goal against the Edmonton Oilers. He went on to score the game-winning goal in overtime.

TODAY'S QUOTE: " Unseen, in the background, Fate was quietly slipping the lead into the boxing-glove." -- P.G. Wodehouse, "Very Good, Jeeves"

TODAY'S NUMBER: 1,933 -- length (in miles) of the United States' border with Mexico, which is less than half as long as the United States-Canada border (3,987 miles, excluding Alaska).

TODAY'S MOON: Between new moon (Oct. 8) and first quarter moon (Oct. 16).

ANDREWS MCMEEL ALMANAC

Today is the 287th day of 2018 and the 23rd day of autumn.

TODAY'S HISTORY: In 1912, Theodore Roosevelt was shot in the chest and went on to deliver a campaign speech in Milwaukee.

In 1962, a U.S. reconnaissance plane photographed Soviet missile sites on the island of Cuba, setting off the Cuban Missile Crisis.

In 1964, Martin Luther King Jr. was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for his civil rights leadership.

In 1994, Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat, Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin and Israeli Foreign Minister Shimon Peres were awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for the Oslo accords.

TODAY'S BIRTHDAYS: Dwight D. Eisenhower (1890-1969), U.S. president/general; Lillian Gish (1893-1993), actress; e.e. cummings (1894-1962), poet; C. Everett Koop (1916-2013), U.S. surgeon general; Roger Moore (1927-2017), actor; Ralph Lauren (1939- ), fashion designer; Joe Girardi (1964- ), baseball player/manager; Natalie Maines (1974- ), singer-songwriter; Usher (1978- ), singer-songwriter; Mia Wasikowska (1989- ), actress.

TODAY'S FACT: Skydiver Felix Baumgartner reached a maximum speed of 843.6 mph in his record-setting 119,431-foot vertical skydiving free fall during the Red Bull Stratos project, on this day in 2012.

TODAY'S SPORTS: In 1908, the Chicago Cubs defeated the Detroit Tigers 2-0 to win their second consecutive World Series. They would not win the Series again until 2016.

TODAY'S QUOTE: "Humility must always be the portion of any man who receives acclaim earned in blood of his followers and sacrifices of his friends." -- Dwight D. Eisenhower

TODAY'S NUMBER: 7 -- Major League Baseball teams that have never won a World Series: the Colorado Rockies, Milwaukee Brewers, San Diego Padres, Seattle Mariners, Tampa Bay Rays, Texas Rangers and Washington Nationals.

TODAY'S MOON: Between new moon (Oct. 8) and first quarter moon (Oct. 16).

ANDREWS MCMEEL ALMANAC

Today is the 286th day of 2018 and the 22nd day of autumn.

TODAY'S HISTORY: In 1792, the cornerstone of the White House was ceremonially laid.

In 1845, Texas ratified a state constitution.

In 1943, Italy declared war on Germany, its former Axis ally.

In 1970, the People's Republic of China and Canada announced they would establish diplomatic relations, prompting Taiwan to break ties with Canada.

In 2010, 33 miners who had survived 69 days underground after a mining accident in Copiapo, Chile, were rescued.

TODAY'S BIRTHDAYS: Lenny Bruce (1925-1966), comedian; Margaret Thatcher (1925-2013), British prime minister; Paul Simon (1941- ), singer-songwriter; Jerry Jones (1942- ), Dallas Cowboys owner/general manager; Sammy Hagar (1947- ), singer-songwriter; Marie Osmond (1959- ), singer/actress; Ari Fleischer (1960- ), journalist; Doc Rivers (1961- ), basketball player/coach; Jerry Rice (1962- ), football player; Kate Walsh (1967- ), actress; Nancy Kerrigan (1969- ), figure skater, Sacha Baron Cohen (1971- ), comedian/actor; Paul Pierce (1977- ), basketball player.

TODAY'S FACT: The White House has 132 rooms, including three kitchens and 35 bathrooms.

TODAY'S SPORTS: In 1998, the first two weeks of the upcoming NBA season were canceled due to a labor dispute.

TODAY'S QUOTE: "I always cheer up immensely if an attack is particularly wounding because I think, well, if they attack one personally, it means they have not a single political argument left." -- Margaret Thatcher

TODAY'S NUMBER: 1.38 billion -- estimated population of the People's Republic of China, as of mid-2017.

TODAY'S MOON: Between new moon (Oct. 8) and first quarter moon (Oct. 16).