Today is the 274th day of 2015 and the ninth day of autumn.

TODAY'S HISTORY: In 1890, an act of Congress established Yosemite National Park in California.

In 1949, Chinese Communist Party Chairman Mao Zedong declared the People's Republic of China at a ceremony in Beijing.

In 1971, Walt Disney World opened to the public in Orlando, Florida.

In 1975, Muhammad Ali defeated Joe Frazier in the "Thrilla in Manila" boxing match in the Philippines.

In 1982, compact discs debuted for sale in Japan.

TODAY'S BIRTHDAYS: Helio Gracie (1913-2009), martial artist; Walter Matthau (1920-2000), actor; Jimmy Carter (1924- ), 39th U.S. president; William Rehnquist (1924-2005), United States chief justice; Tom Bosley (1927-2010), actor; Richard Harris (1930-2002), actor; Julie Andrews (1935- ), actress; Rod Carew (1945- ), baseball player; Tim O'Brien (1946- ), author; Randy Quaid (1950- ), actor; Esai Morales (1962- ), actor; Mark McGwire (1963- ), baseball player; Zach Galifianakis (1969- ), actor/comedian.

TODAY'S FACT: In 1957, the first paper currency bearing the U.S. motto "In God we trust" entered circulation.

TODAY'S SPORTS: In 1961, Roger Maris hit his 61st home run of the season, breaking the single-season record that had been held by Babe Ruth since 1927.

TODAY'S QUOTE: "We are a strong nation, and we will maintain strength so sufficient that it need not be proven in combat -- a quiet strength based not merely on the size of an arsenal, but on the nobility of ideas." -- Jimmy Carter

TODAY'S NUMBER: $3.50 -- adult ticket price at Walt Disney World's Magic Kingdom the day it opened in 1971. The one-day ticket price (age 10 and up) in 2015 is $105.

TODAY'S MOON: Between full moon (Sept. 27) and last quarter moon (Oct. 4).

Today is the 273rd day of 2015 and the eighth day of autumn.

TODAY'S HISTORY: In 1935, the Boulder Dam (later renamed the Hoover Dam) was dedicated.

In 1947, Game 1 between the Brooklyn Dodgers and the New York Yankees was the first World Series game broadcast on television.

In 1955, actor James Dean was killed in a car accident near Shandon, California, at age 24.

In 2005, a Danish newspaper published controversial cartoons about the Islamic prophet Muhammad, sparking protests and riots around the world.

TODAY'S BIRTHDAYS: Hans Geiger (1882-1945), physicist; Deborah Kerr (1921-2007), actress; Truman Capote (1924-1984), author; Elie Wiesel (1928- ), author/activist; Angie Dickinson (1931- ), actress; Johnny Mathis (1935- ), singer-songwriter; Barry Williams (1954- ), actor; Fran Drescher (1957- ), actress; Tony Hale (1970- ), actor; Jenna Elfman (1971- ), actress; Jose Lima (1972-2010), baseball player; Marion Cotillard (1975- ), actress; Martina Hingis (1980- ), tennis player; T-Pain (1985- ), rapper/producer.

TODAY'S FACT: When the Boulder Canyon dam project was christened the Hoover Dam (after then-President Herbert Hoover) in 1930, the name was met with derision, as many blamed the Depression on Hoover's policies. The dam was renamed Boulder Dam at its dedication in 1935. President Harry Truman signed a resolution restoring the name Hoover Dam in 1947.

TODAY'S SPORTS: In 1927, Babe Ruth broke his own record for home runs in a season by hitting his 60th, setting a record that stood for 34 years.

TODAY'S QUOTE: "I swore never to be silent whenever and wherever human beings endure suffering and humiliation. We must always take sides. Neutrality helps the oppressor, never the victim. Silence encourages the tormentor, never the tormented." -- Elie Wiesel

TODAY'S NUMBER: 209 -- total weeks Martina Hingis was the top-ranked women's tennis player, beginning in 1997.

TODAY'S MOON: Between full moon (Sept. 27) and last quarter moon (Oct. 4).

Today is the 272nd day of 2015 and the seventh day of autumn.

TODAY'S HISTORY: In 1789, the U.S. Department of War established a regular army, maintaining several hundred troops.

In 1916, The New York Times reported that John D. Rockefeller, the head of Standard Oil, was almost certainly a billionaire, the world's first.

In 1966, the Chevrolet Camaro debuted for sale in U.S. dealerships.

In 1988, NASA launched STS-26, the 26th Space Shuttle mission and the first since the Challenger disaster of Jan. 28, 1986.

TODAY'S BIRTHDAYS: Miguel de Cervantes (1547-1616), writer; Caravaggio (1571-1610), painter; Enrico Fermi (1901-1954), nuclear physicist; Greer Garson (1904-1996), actress; Gene Autry (1907-1998), singer/actor; Jerry Lee Lewis (1935- ), singer-songwriter; Madeline Kahn (1942-1999), actress; Ian McShane (1942- ), actor; Lech Walesa (1943- ), labor leader/politician; Bryant Gumbel (1948- ), TV journalist; Ann Bancroft (1955- ), author/explorer; Russell Peters (1970- ), actor/comedian; Kevin Durant (1988- ), basketball player.

TODAY'S FACT: Miguel de Cervantes' "Don Quixote" is widely considered to be the first modern novel. It was initially published in two volumes in 1605 and 1615.

TODAY'S SPORTS: In 1951, NBC broadcast a college football game between Duke University and the University of Pittsburgh. It was the first live sporting event to be televised nationwide.

TODAY'S QUOTE: "It is not the hand but the understanding of a man that may be said to write." -- Miguel de Cervantes, "Don Quixote"

TODAY'S NUMBER: 777.68 -- points lost by the Dow Jones Industrial Average on this day in 2008, following the bankruptcies of the financial services companies Lehman Brothers and Washington Mutual. It was the largest single-day point drop in history.

TODAY'S MOON: Between full moon (Sept. 27) and last quarter moon (Oct. 4).