This day in history

► Today is Saturday, Oct. 1, the 274th day of 2011. There are 91 days left in the year. ► Today’s birthdays: Former President Jimmy Carter is 87. Pianist Roger Williams is 87. Actress 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 is 42. Singer Keith Duffy is 37. Actress Sarah Drew is 31. Actress Jurnee Smollett is 25. Actress Brie Larson is 22. ► 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, General Francisco Franco was proclaimed the head of an insurgent Spanish state. ► 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 retirement benefits. ► In 1961, Roger Maris of the New York Yankees hit his new single-season record 61st home run, off Tracy Stallard of the Red Sox; the Yankees won 1-0. ► In 1971, Walt Disney World opened near Orlando, Fla. ► In 1987, eight people were killed when an earthquake measuring magnitude 5.9 struck the Los Angeles area. ► In 2001, 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.