NEA DATEBOOK

Today is the 270th day of 2021 and the sixth day of autumn.

TODAY’S HISTORY: In 1908, the first Model T automobile left the Ford factory in Detroit.

In 1954, “Tonight Starring Steve Allen,” the late-night talk show that eventually became “The Tonight Show,” premiered on NBC.

In 1962, Rachel Carson’s environmental science book “Silent Spring” was published.

In 1964, the Warren Commission report was released, stating that Lee Harvey Oswald had acted alone in assassinating President John F. Kennedy.

TODAY’S BIRTHDAYS: Thomas Nast (1840-1902), cartoonist; Jim Thompson (1906-1977), author; Jayne Meadows (19192015), actress; Arthur Penn (1922-2010), filmmaker; Earl Rudolph “Bud” Powell (1924-1966), jazz pianist; Wilford Brimley (1934-2020), actor; Dick Schaap (19342001), sportscaster; Meat Loaf (1947- ), singer-songwriter; Shaun Cassidy (1958- ), singer/actor; Marc Maron (1963- ), actor/ comedian; Gwyneth Paltrow (1972- ), actress; Lil Wayne (1982- ), rapper; Avril Lavigne (1984- ), singer.

TODAY’S FACT: In 1777, Lancaster, Pennsylvania, served as the U.S. capital for one day, as the Continental Congress met there in the wake of the British capture of Philadelphia.

TODAY’S SPORTS: In 1998, Mark McGwire hit his 69th and 70th home runs in the last game of his record-setting season. McGwire admitted to steroid use in 2010.

TODAY’S QUOTE: “There are thirtytwo ways to write a story, and I’ve used every one, but there is only one plot: Things are not as they seem.” — Jim Thompson

TODAY’S NUMBER: 8 — inches of annual precipitation in the coastal regions of Antarctica. The inland portion of Antarctica receives even less, qualifying the continent as a desert.

TODAY’S MOON: Between full moon (Sept. 20) and last quarter moon (Sept. 28).