The Almanac

Today is Saturday, Oct. 1, the 274th day of 2005 with 91 to follow.

The moon is waning. The morning stars are Mars and Saturn. The evening stars are Mercury, Jupiter, Uranus, Neptune, Venus and Pluto.

Those born on this date are under the sign of Libra. They include Navy Capt. James Lawrence, hero of the War of 1812, in 1781; novelist Faith Baldwin in 1893; pianist Vladimir Horowitz in 1904; Jimmy Carter, 39th president of the United States, in 1924 (age 81); U.S. Supreme Court Chief Justice William H. Rehnquist, also in 1924; former major league batting champion Rod Carew in 1945 (age 60); actors Walter Matthau in 1920, James Whitmore in 1921 (age 84), Tom Bosley in 1927 (age 78), George Peppard in 1928, Laurence Harvey in 1928, Richard Harris in 1930, Julie Andrews in 1935 (age 70), Stella Stevens in 1936 (age 69), Stephen Collins in 1947 (age 58), and Randy Quaid in 1950 (age 55); and former baseball star Mark McGwire in 1963 (age 42).

On this date in history:

In 1903, the first World Series opened in Boston. The Boston Pilgrims of the American League defeated the Pittsburgh Pirates of the National League in the eighth game of a best-of-nine series.

In 1908, Henry Ford introduced the Model-T automobile.

In 1949, Mao Zedong and other communist leaders formally proclaimed establishment of the People's Republic of China.

In 1974, former Attorney General John Mitchell and four other Nixon administration officials went on trial on Watergate cover-up charges.

In 1991, the United States suspended economic aid to Haiti and refused to recognize the military junta that ousted President Jean-Bertrand Aristide.

In 1992, Dallas billionaire Ross Perot formally announced his independent candidacy for the presidency.

Also in 1992, a missile accidentally fired by the U.S.S. Saratoga struck a Turkish destroyer in the Aegean Sea, killing nine Turkish sailors.

In 1994, the National Hockey League did not open its 1994-95 season as scheduled because owners and players could not agree on a new contract.

In 1995, 10 Muslims were convicted of conspiring to conduct a terrorist campaign in the New York City area aimed at forcing the United States to drop its support of Egypt and Israel.

In 1996, U.S. President Bill Clinton, Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu and Palestinian President Yasser Arafat met for two days in Washington but without any major progress toward peace.

Also in 1996, a lawsuit filed by Reform Party candidate Ross Perot, seeking to be allowed into the presidential debates, was dismissed by a federal judge.

In 2000, Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak said peace talks were "on the shelf" and Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat called for an emergency Arab summit as renewed violence between Israelis and Palestinians continued.

In 2001, New York City Mayor Rudolph Giuliani, addressing the U.N. General Assembly, urged delegates not to remain neutral and to choose civilization over terrorism.

Also in 2001, about 40 people were killed when a militant Muslim group attacked the legislative assembly building in the Indian province of Jammu and Kashmir.

In 2003, a soon-to-be-released report said hostility to the United States "has reached shocking levels" among Muslims and Arabs.

Also in 2003, conservative talk show host Rush Limbaugh resigned as an ESPN sports commentator amid controversy over his statement that Donovan McNabb, an African-American quarterback, got credit he didn't deserve because of his race.

In 2004, the U.S. Army said it killed 109 Sunni insurgents in a major offensive with Iraqi national guards against the city of Samarrai.

A thought for the day: the dying words of American naval hero Capt. James Lawrence -- "Don't give up the ship" -- became an honored naval motto.