Today in History

Today is Tuesday, Oct. 1, the 274th day of 2019. There are 91 days left in the year.

Today's Highlight in History:

On Oct. 1, 2017, a gunman opened fire from a room at the Mandalay Bay casino hotel in Las Vegas on a crowd of 22,000 country music fans at a concert below, leaving 58 people dead and more than 800 injured in the deadliest mass shooting in modern U.S. history; the gunman, 64-year-old Stephen Craig Paddock, killed himself before officers arrived.

On this date:

In 1885, special delivery mail service began in the United States.

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

In 1955, the situation comedy "The Honeymooners," starring Jackie Gleason, Art Carney, Audrey Meadows and Joyce Randolph, premiered on CBS-TV.

In 1957, the motto "In God We Trust" began appearing on U.S. paper currency.

In 1962, Johnny Carson debuted as host of NBC's "Tonight Show," beginning a nearly 30-year run.

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.

In 1996, a federal grand jury indicted Unabomber suspect Theodore Kaczynski in the 1994 mail bomb slaying of advertising executive Thomas Mosser. (Kaczynski was later sentenced to four life terms plus 30 years.) The federal minimum wage rose 50 cents to four dollars, 75 cents an hour.

Ten years ago: The U.S. and five other world powers held high-stakes talks with Iran in Geneva to demand a freeze of its nuclear activities; President Barack Obama, in Washington, called the discussions "a constructive beginning." David Letterman publicly acknowledged having had sexual relationships with some female staffers as "48 Hours Mystery" producer Joe Halderman was charged in a blackmail plot against the CBS "Late Show" host. (Halderman later pleaded guilty to attempted grand larceny and served four months in jail.)

Five years ago: Secret Service Director Julia Pierson abruptly resigned in the face of multiple revelations of security breaches, bumbling in her agency and rapidly eroding confidence that the president and his family were being kept safe. (Pierson was succeeded by Joseph Clancy.) In a striking public rebuke, the Obama administration warned Israel that plans for a controversial new housing project in east Jerusalem would distance Israel from "even its closest allies" and raise questions about its commitment to seeking peace with Palestinians.

One year ago: The marquees on the Las Vegas Strip dimmed their lights for three minutes as officials slowly read the names of 58 people who were killed in a mass shooting a year earlier. Officials in Indonesia began burying hundreds of victims of a devastating earthquake and tsunami in a mass grave. For the first time in major league history, tie-breaking games were needed to decide two division titles; the Milwaukee Brewers beat the Chicago Cubs 3-1 to capture the National League Central Division, and the Los Angeles Dodgers beat the Colorado Rockies 5-2 for the Western Division crown.

Today's Birthdays: Former President Jimmy Carter is 95. Actress-singer Julie Andrews is 84. Actress Stella Stevens is 81. Rock musician Jerry Martini (Sly and the Family Stone) is 76. Baseball Hall-of-Famer Rod Carew is 74. Jazz musician Dave Holland is 73. Actress Yvette Freeman is 69. Actor Randy Quaid is 69. Rhythm-and-blues singer Howard Hewett is 64. Former British Prime Minister Theresa May is 63. Alt-country-rock musician Tim O'Reagan (The Jayhawks) is 61. Singer Youssou N'Dour is 60. Actor Esai Morales is 57. Retired MLB All-Star Mark McGwire is 56. Actor Christopher Titus is 55. Actress-model Cindy Margolis is 54. Producer John Ridley is 54. Rock singer-musician Kevin Griffin (Better Than Ezra) is 51. Actor Zach Galifianakis is 50. Singer Keith Duffy is 45. Actress Sherri Saum is 45. Actress Kate Aselton is 41. Actress Sarah Drew is 39. Actress Carly Hughes is 37. Actor-comedian Beck Bennett is 35. Actress Jurnee Smollett-Bell is 33. Actress Brie Larson is 30. Singer/songwriter Jade Bird is 22. Actress Priah Ferguson is 13. Actor Jack Stanton is 11.

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