ANDREWS MCMEEL ALMANAC

Today is the 248th day of 2024 and the 77th day of summer.

TODAY'S HISTORY: In 1781, 44 Spanish settlers founded El Pueblo de Nuestra Senora la Reina de los Angeles de Porciuncula, now known as Los Angeles.

In 1882, Thomas Edison flipped on the switch at the world's first commercial electrical distribution plant, powering downtown Manhattan in New York City.

In 1888, George Eastman patented the shutter technology of his roll-film camera and registered the Kodak trademark.

In 1917, the United States suffered its first World War I military fatalities in France.

TODAY'S BIRTHDAYS: Richard Wright (1908-1960), author; Paul Harvey (1918-2009), radio broadcaster; Dick York (1928-1992), actor; Tom Watson (1949- ), professional golfer; Drew Pinsky (1958- ), radio/TV host; Damon Wayans (1960- ), actor/comedian; Mike Piazza (1968- ), baseball player; Mark Ronson (1975- ), musician/songwriter/producer; Wes Bentley (1978- ), actor; Beyonce Knowles (1981- ), singer-songwriter/actress; Whitney Cummings (1982- ), actress/comedian; Kyle Mooney (1984- ), actor/comedian.

TODAY'S FACT: Graduate students Sergey Brin and Larry Page filed paperwork to incorporate Google, their 2-year-old research project, on this day in 1998.

TODAY'S SPORTS: In 1972, American swimmer Mark Spitz became the first athlete to win seven gold medals at a single Olympic Games.

TODAY'S QUOTE: "I would hurl words into this darkness and wait for an echo, and if an echo sounded, no matter how faintly, I would send other words to tell, to march, to fight, to create a sense of the hunger for life that gnaws in us all, to keep alive in our hearts a sense of the inexpressibly human." -- Richard Wright, "Black Boy"

TODAY'S NUMBER: 3.9 million -- estimated population of the city of Los Angeles in 2024.

TODAY'S MOON: Between new moon (Sept. 2) and first quarter moon (Sept. 10).

ANDREWS MCMEEL ALMANAC

Today is the 247th day of 2024 and the 76th day of summer.

TODAY'S HISTORY: In 1783, the signing of the Treaty of Paris officially ended the Revolutionary War.

In 1838, abolitionist leader and author Frederick Douglass escaped slavery in Baltimore.

In 1939, France, the United Kingdom, New Zealand and Australia declared war on Germany in response to the country's invasion of Poland.

In 2004, a three-day hostage situation at a school in Beslan, Russia, ended with a gun battle that killed more than 300 people, including 186 children.

TODAY'S BIRTHDAYS: Louis Sullivan (1856-1924), architect; Ferdinand Porsche (1875-1951), automotive engineer; Kitty Carlisle (1910-2007), actress; Alan Ladd (1913-1964), actor; Mort Walker (1923-2018), cartoonist; Eileen Brennan (1932-2013), actress; Malcolm Gladwell (1963- ), journalist/author; Charlie Sheen (1965- ), actor; Raheem Morris (1976- ), football player/coach; Jennie Finch (1980- ), softball player; Shaun White (1986- ), snowboarder/skateboarder.

TODAY'S FACT: Ferdinand Porsche, founder of the automobile company of the same name, designed the first hybrid gasoline-electric car. Known as the Lohner-Porsche Mixte hybrid, the car went into production in 1900.

TODAY'S SPORTS: In 1950, Giuseppe "Nino" Farina won the Italian Grand Prix to become the first Formula One World Drivers champion.

TODAY'S QUOTE: "About the only way you can find out about the common man, his slang, what he looked like, what he thought, is through the comic strips. It's a powerful way for young people to learn history." -- Mort Walker

TODAY'S NUMBER: 4,435 -- U.S. service members killed in battle during the Revolutionary War, according to the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.

TODAY'S MOON: Between new moon (Sept. 2) and first quarter moon (Sept. 10).

ANDREWS MCMEEL ALMANAC

Today is the 246th day of 2024 and the 75th day of summer.

TODAY'S HISTORY: In 1666, the Great Fire of London began as a small fire in a bakeshop, ending three days later after destroying more than 13,000 buildings.

In 1789, Congress created the U.S. Department of the Treasury.

In 1901, Vice President Theodore Roosevelt made his "speak softly and carry a big stick" speech on American foreign policy.

In 1963, Alabama Gov. George Wallace stationed state troopers around Tuskegee High School to prevent integration.

TODAY'S BIRTHDAYS: Romare Bearden (1911-1988), artist/author; Billy Preston (1946-2006), musician; Nathaniel "Tiny" Archibald (1948- ), basketball player; Terry Bradshaw (1948- ), football player/sportscaster; Christa McAuliffe (1948-1986), teacher/astronaut; Mark Harmon (1951- ), actor; Jimmy Connors (1952- ), tennis player; Eric Dickerson (1960- ), football player; Keanu Reeves (1964- ), actor; Lennox Lewis (1965- ), boxer; Salma Hayek (1966- ), actress.

TODAY'S FACT: The first ATM in the United States was put into service at Chemical Bank in Rockville Centre, New York, on this day in 1969.

TODAY'S SPORTS: In 1960, Wilma Rudolph ran the 100-meter dash in 11 seconds to claim the gold medal at the Summer Olympic Games in Rome. She was awarded the world record for her sprint, only to have it revoked because wind speeds were higher than allowed.

TODAY'S QUOTE: "It's fun to be hopelessly in love. It's dangerous, but it's fun." -- Keanu Reeves

TODAY'S NUMBER: 45 -- books authored by Theodore Roosevelt, including his autobiography, a biography of Oliver Cromwell and his bestselling personal memoir of the Spanish-American War, "The Rough Riders."

TODAY'S MOON: New moon (Sept. 2).