This day in history

[October 01, 2011]  (AP)  Today is Saturday, Oct. 1, the 274th day of 2011. There are 91 days left in the year.

Today's highlight in history:

On Oct. 1, 1961, Roger Maris of the New York Yankees hit his 61st home run during a 162-game season, compared to Babe Ruth's 60 home runs during a 154-game season. (Tracy Stallard of the Boston Red Sox gave up the round-tripper; the Yankees won 1-0.)

On this date:

In 1861, during the Civil War, the Confederate navy captured the Union steamer Fanny in North Carolina's Pamlico Sound.

In 1908, Henry Ford introduced his Model T automobile to the market.

In 1910, the offices of the Los Angeles Times were destroyed by a bomb explosion and fire; 21 Times employees were killed.

In 1936, Gen. Francisco Franco was proclaimed the head of an insurgent Spanish state.

In 1940, the first section of the Pennsylvania Turnpike, 160 miles in length, was opened to the public.

In 1949, Mao Zedong proclaimed the People's Republic of China during a ceremony in Beijing. A 42-day strike by the United Steelworkers of America began over the issue of retirement benefits.

In 1964, the Free Speech Movement was launched at the University of California at Berkeley.

In 1971, Walt Disney World opened near Orlando, Fla.

In 1986, former President Jimmy Carter's presidential library and museum were dedicated in Atlanta with help from President Ronald Reagan.

In 1987, eight people were killed when an earthquake measuring magnitude 5.9 struck the Los Angeles area.

Ten years ago: New York City Mayor Rudolph Giuliani, in an impassioned speech to the United Nations, said there was no room for "neutrality" in the global fight against terrorism. The Supreme Court suspended former President Bill Clinton from practicing before the high court. A Pakistan-based militant group attacked the state legislature in Indian-ruled Kashmir, killing 38 people.

Five years ago: The Israeli army completed its withdrawal from Lebanon, clearing the way for a U.N. peacekeeping force. Brazil's leftist President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva (loo-EEZ' ee-NAH'-see-oh LOO'-luh duh SEEL'-vuh) fell short of the votes he needed to win a second term outright and was forced into a runoff, which he won by a landslide. Tiger Woods won the American Express Championship in Chandler's Cross, England. (It was his eighth victory of the year, making Woods the first player in PGA Tour history to win at least eight times in three seasons.)

One year ago: White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel, planning an ultimately successful Chicago mayoral run, relinquished his post to Pete Rouse. CNN fired anchor Rick Sanchez a day after he called Jon Stewart a bigot during a radio interview in which he also questioned whether Jews should be considered a minority. Georgy Arbatov, 87, a foreign policy adviser to Soviet presidents and the Kremlin's top America watcher, died in Moscow.

Today's birthdays: Former President Jimmy Carter is 87. Pianist Roger Williams is 87. Actress-singer Julie Andrews is 76. Actress Stella Stevens is 73. Rock musician Jerry Martini (Sly and the Family Stone) is 68. Baseball Hall-of-Famer Rod Carew is 66. Jazz musician Dave Holland is 65. Actor Stephen Collins is 64. Actress Yvette Freeman is 61. Actor Randy Quaid is 61. Rhythm-and-blues singer Howard Hewett is 56. Alt-country-rock musician Tim O'Reagan (The Jayhawks) is 53. Singer Youssou N'Dour is 52. Actor Esai Morales is 49. Retired MLB All-Star Mark McGwire is 48. Actor Christopher Titus is 47. Actress-model Cindy Margolis is 46. Rock singer-musician Kevin Griffin (Better Than Ezra) is 43. Actor Zach Galifianakis (ga-lih-fih-NA'-kihs) is 42. Singer Keith Duffy is 37. Actress Sarah Drew is 31. Actress Jurnee Smollett is 25. Actress Brie Larson is 22.

Thought for today: "Everybody favors free speech in the slack moments when no axes are being ground." -- Heywood C. Broun, American journalist (1888-1939)

[Associated Press]

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