Today is Thursday, October 1, the 274th day of 2009. There are 91 days left in the year.
331 B.C. _ Alexander the Great of Macedon defeats Persian army at Gaugamela
1661 _ Yachting begins in England; King Charles II beats his brother James
1791 _ First session of the new French legislative assembly
1869 _ First postcards are issued (Vienna)
1936 _ Gen Francisco Franco establishes the state of Spain
1949 _ People's Republic of China proclaimed by Mao Tse-tung (National Day)
1949 _ Republic of China (Taiwan) forms on the island of Formosa
1958 _ Inauguration of NASA
1977 _ Brazilian soccer great Pele' retires with 1,281 goals in 1,363 games
1989 _ Thousands of East Germans flee to West Germany