Today in History
Today in History
Today is Sunday, Oct. 1, the 274th day of 2017. There are 91 days left in the year.
Today's Highlight in History:
On Oct. 1, 1957, the motto "In God We Trust" began appearing on U.S. paper currency.
On this date:
In 1890, Congress passed the McKinley Tariff Act, which raised tariffs to a record level.
In 1908, Henry Ford introduced his Model T automobile to the market.
In 1932, Babe Ruth of the New York Yankees made his supposed called shot, hitting a home run against Chicago's Charlie Root in the fifth inning of Game 3 of the World Series, won by the New York Yankees 7-5 at Wrigley Field.
In 1939, Winston Churchill described Russia as "a riddle wrapped in a mystery inside an enigma" during a radio address on the invasion of Poland by Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union.
In 1940, the first section of the Pennsylvania Turnpike opened to the public, stretching 160 miles from Carlisle to Irwin.
In 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.)
In 1962, Johnny Carson debuted as host of NBC's "Tonight Show," beginning a nearly 30-year run.
In 1964, the Free Speech Movement began at the University of California, Berkeley. Japan's first high-speed "bullet train," the Tokaido Shinkansen, went into operation between Tokyo and Osaka.
In 1971, Walt Disney World opened near Orlando, Florida.
In 1982, Sony began selling the first commercial compact disc player, the CDP-101, in Japan.
In 1987, eight people were killed when an earthquake measuring magnitude 5.9 struck the Los Angeles area.
In 1994, National Hockey League team owners began a 103-day lockout of their players.
Ten years ago: Russian President Vladimir Putin, in a surprise announcement, opened the door to becoming the country's prime minister. Olympic gold-medal discus thrower Al Oerter died in Fort Myers, Florida, at age 71.
Five years ago: Syrian Foreign Minister Walid al-Moallem, addressing the U.N. General Assembly, accused the U.S. and its allies of stoking "terrorism" in his country. "Family Guy" creator Seth MacFarlane was named host of the 2013 Academy Awards.
One year ago: The New York Times reported that Donald Trump had reported losses of more than $900 million on his 1995 income tax returns that experts said could have allowed him to forgo paying federal income taxes for nearly two decades; Hillary Clinton's campaign seized upon the report as evidence of "the colossal nature of Donald Trump's past business failures and just how long he may have avoided paying any federal income taxes whatsoever."
Today's Birthdays: Former President Jimmy Carter is 93. Actress-singer Julie Andrews is 82. Actress Stella Stevens is 79. Rock musician Jerry Martini (Sly and the Family Stone) is 74. Baseball Hall-of-Famer Rod Carew is 72. Jazz musician Dave Holland is 71. Actress Yvette Freeman is 67. Actor Randy Quaid is 67. Rhythm-and-blues singer Howard Hewett is 62. British Prime Minister Theresa May is 61. Alt-country-rock musician Tim O'Reagan (The Jayhawks) is 59. Singer Youssou N'Dour is 58. Actor Esai Morales is 55. Retired MLB All-Star Mark McGwire is 54. Actor Christopher Titus is 53. Actress-model Cindy Margolis is 52. Producer John Ridley is 52. Rock singer-musician Kevin Griffin (Better Than Ezra) is 49. Actor Zach Galifianakis (ga-lih-fih-NA'-kihs) is 48. Singer Keith Duffy is 43. Actress Kate Aselton is 39. Actress Sarah Drew is 37. Actor-comedian Beck Bennett is 33. Actress Jurnee Smollett-Bell is 31. Actress Brie Larson is 28.
Thought for Today: "Anything one man can imagine, other men can make real." - Jules Verne, French author (1828-1905).