Today is Saturday, October 4, 2025, the 277th day of the year, with 88 days remaining.

On this day in history:

·         1957: The Space Age began when the Soviet Union launched Sputnik 1, the world’s first artificial satellite, into orbit.

·         1777: General George Washington’s forces attacked the British at Germantown, Pennsylvania, suffering heavy casualties and retreating.

·         1927: Sculptor Gutzon Borglum started work on what would become the Mount Rushmore National Memorial.

·         1965: Pope Paul VI became the first pope to visit the Western Hemisphere, addressing the U.N. General Assembly.

·         1970: Rock singer Janis Joplin was found dead in her Hollywood hotel room at age 27.

·         2001: A Russian airliner from Israel to Siberia was accidentally shot down by a Ukrainian missile over the Black Sea, killing all 78 aboard.

·         2002: John Walker Lindh, the “American Taliban,” was sentenced to 20 years in prison after pleading for forgiveness; he was released in May 2019.

·         2004: SpaceShipOne reached the edge of space for the second time in five days, winning the $10 million Ansari X Prize for commercial space travel.

Notable birthdays today: Baseball Hall of Fame manager Tony La Russa turns 81; actors Susan Sarandon 79, Armand Assante 76, Christoph Waltz 69, Liev Schreiber 58, Abraham Benrubi 56, Alicia Silverstone 49, Caitríona Balfe 46, Rachael Leigh Cook 46, and Dakota Johnson 36; singer Jon Secada 64; NBA star Derrick Rose 37; and actress Melissa Benoist 37.