ANDREWS MCMEEL ALMANAC

Today is the 286th day of 2020 and the 21st day of autumn.

TODAY'S HISTORY: In 1492, explorer Christopher Columbus' expedition made landfall in the Bahamas.

In 1892, the Pledge of Allegiance was recited by students in public schools for the first time, in celebration of the 400th anniversary of Columbus' voyage.

In 1945, the Allied Control Council in Germany decreed that the Nazi political party be dissolved.

In 2000, a suicide bomb attack on the USS Cole in Yemen killed 17 sailors and wounded 39.

TODAY'S BIRTHDAYS: Dick Gregory (1932-2017), comedian/author; Tony Kubek (1935- ), broadcaster/baseball player; Luciano Pavarotti (1935-2007), opera singer; Sam Moore (1935- ), singer-songwriter; Chris Wallace (1947- ), TV journalist; Hugh Jackman (1968- ), actor; Kirk Cameron (1970- ), actor; Marion Jones (1975- ), track and field athlete; Bode Miller (1977- ), Olympic skier; Josh Hutcherson (1992- ), actor.

TODAY'S FACT: The United Nations Population Fund estimated that the world's population reached 7 billion at the end of October 2011, but according to U.S. Census Bureau demographers, that number was not reached until four months later.

TODAY'S SPORTS: In 2003, Michael Schumacher won his sixth Formula One Drivers' championship, breaking a record held for 47 years by Juan Manuel Fangio.

TODAY'S QUOTE: "It has nothing to do with whether I'm the best or whether I'm a rock and roller or whether I'm a blues singer or whether I'm none of those things. I'm part of history." -- Sam Moore

TODAY'S NUMBER: 42 -- the Answer to the Ultimate Question of Life, the Universe and Everything, according to Douglas Adams' comedy science fiction novel "The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy," published on this day in 1979.

TODAY'S MOON: Between last quarter moon (Oct. 9) and new moon (Oct. 16).

ANDREWS MCMEEL ALMANAC

Today is the 285th day of 2020 and the 20th day of autumn.

TODAY'S HISTORY: In 1779, Polish nobleman Casimir Pulaski died from wounds he suffered while fighting for American independence in the Revolutionary War.

In 1890, the Daughters of the American Revolution formed.

In 1975, "Saturday Night Live" debuted on NBC.

In 2002, former president Jimmy Carter was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.

TODAY'S BIRTHDAYS: Eleanor Roosevelt (1884-1962), first lady/writer/diplomat; Elmore Leonard (1925-2013), novelist; Daryl Hall (1946- ), singer-songwriter; Steve Young (1961- ), football player; Joan Cusack (1962- ), actress; Artie Lange (1967- ), comedian; Jane Krakowski (1968- ), actress; Justin Lin (1971- ), film director; Emily Deschanel (1976- ), actress; Matt Bomer (1977- ), actor; Terrell Suggs (1982- ), football player; Michelle Trachtenberg (1985- ), actress; Michelle Wie (1989- ), golfer; Cardi B (1992- ), rapper.

TODAY'S FACT: In 1910, Theodore Roosevelt became the first president (he was a former president at the time) to fly in an airplane, at Kinloch Field in St. Louis. He rode as a passenger for a four-minute flight in a plane built by the Wright Brothers.

TODAY'S SPORTS: In 1890, John Owen ran the first recorded 100-yard dash that broke 10 seconds.

TODAY'S QUOTE: "Beautiful young people are accidents of nature, but beautiful old people are works of art." – Eleanor Roosevelt

TODAY'S NUMBER: 17 -- age of Anthony Michael Hall when he was hired as a cast member of "Saturday Night Live" in 1985, making him the show's youngest cast member ever.

TODAY'S MOON: Between last quarter moon (Oct. 9) and new moon (Oct. 16).

ANDREWS MCMEEL ALMANAC

Today is the 284th day of 2020 and the 19th day of autumn.

TODAY'S HISTORY: In 1845, the U.S. Naval Academy (then known as the U.S. Naval School) opened in Annapolis, Maryland.

In 1957, the core of a nuclear reactor caught fire in Cumbria, England.

In 1973, Spiro Agnew resigned the vice presidency after being charged with tax evasion.

In 2002, the U.S. House of Representatives voted to give President George W. Bush authority to use military force in Iraq.

TODAY'S BIRTHDAYS: Giuseppe Verdi (1813-1901), composer; Helen Hayes (1900-1993), actress; Thelonious Monk (1917-1982), jazz pianist/composer; Harold Pinter (1930-2008), director/playwright; Ben Vereen (1946- ), actor/singer/dancer; Nora Roberts (1950- ), author; David Lee Roth (1954- ), singer-songwriter; Michael Giacchino (1967- ), composer; Brett Favre (1969- ), football player; Dale Earnhardt Jr. (1974- ), race car driver; Aimee Teegarden (1989- ), actress.

TODAY'S FACT: The London Bridge that had spanned the River Thames in London since 1831 was disassembled in 1967 and reconstructed in Lake Havasu City, Arizona. It opened there on this day in 1971.

TODAY'S SPORTS: In 1920, the Cleveland Indians' Bill Wambsganss and Elmer Smith performed the first unassisted triple play and hit the first grand slam, respectively, in World Series history, in Game 5 against the New York Yankees.

TODAY'S QUOTE: "When people come and see my show, I try to infuse into them that they can walk away feeling like their lives are a victory." -- Ben Vereen

TODAY'S NUMBER: 361,311 -- shareholders in the Green Bay Packers in 2020. It is the only publicly owned NFL franchise.

TODAY'S MOON: Between last quarter moon (Oct. 9) and new moon (Oct. 16).