From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
October 8 is the 281st day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (282nd in leap years). There are 84 days remaining in the year.
[edit] Events
- 314 - Roman Emperor Licinius is defeated by his colleague Constantine I at the Battle of Cibalae, and loses his European territories.
- 451 - At Chalcedon, a city of Bithynia in Asia Minor, the first session of the Council of Chalcedon begins (ends on November 1).
- 1480 - Great standing on the Ugra river
- 1582 - Due to the implementation of the Gregorian calendar this day does not exist in this year in Italy, Poland, Portugal and Spain.
- 1600 - San Marino adopts its written constitution.
- 1822 - Eruption of Galunggung Volcano It is the first eruption of the Galunggung volcano.
- 1856 - The Second Opium War between several western powers and China begins with the Arrow Incident on the Pearl River.
- 1862 - American Civil War: Battle of Perryville - Union forces under General Don Carlos Buell halt the Confederate invasion of Kentucky by defeating troops led by General Braxton Bragg at Perryville, Kentucky.
- 1871 - Four major fires break out on the shores of Lake Michigan in Chicago, Peshtigo, Wisconsin, Holland, Michigan, and Manistee, Michigan. The Great Chicago Fire is the most famous of these, having left nearly 100,000 people homeless, although the Peshtigo Fire killed as many as 2,500 people making it the deadliest fire in United States history.
- 1888 - Melville Fuller is sworn in as the 8th Chief Justice of the United States.
- 1895 - Eulmi incident- Queen Min of Joseon, the last empress of Korea, is assassinated, burnt and probably raped by the Japanese in Gyeongbok Palace.
- 1912 - First Balkan War begins: Montenegro declares war against Turkey.
- 1918 - World War I - In the Argonne Forest in France, United States Corporal Alvin C. York almost single-handedly kills 25 German soldiers and captures 132.
- 1927 - In Game 4 of the 1927 Stanley Cup, Boston Bruins defenseman Billy Coutu starts a brawl, punching referee Jerry LaFlamme. As a result, Coutu becomes the first player to be suspended for life from the NHL.
- 1927 - Murderers' Row: the New York Yankees sweep the Pittsburgh Pirates to win the 1927 World Series in four games.
- 1928 - Joseph Szigeti debuted Alfredo Casella's Violin Concerto.
- 1932 - The Indian Air Force is established.
- 1939 - World War II: Germany annexes Western Poland.
- 1941 - World War II: In their invasion of the Soviet Union, Germany reaches the Sea of Azov with the capture of Mariupol.
- 1944 - The radio show, The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet debuts
- 1944 - The Battle of Crucifix Hill, a World War II battle, occurs on Crucifix Hill just outside of Aachen. Cpt. Bobbie Brown wins a medal of Honor for his heroics in this battle.
- 1952 - A three-train disaster in London kills 112 people.
- 1956 - New York Yankees baseball pitcher Don Larsen pitches the first (and only) perfect game in World Series history in Game 5 of the 1956 World Series.
- 1957 - Baseball: Walter O'Malley announces that the Dodgers are going to move from Brooklyn, New York to Los Angeles, California
- 1962 - Spiegel scandal: Der Spiegel publishes the article "Bedingt abwehrbereit" ("Conditionally prepared for defense") about a NATO manoeuver called "Fallex 62", which uncovered the sorry state of the Bundeswehr (Germany's army) facing the communist threat from the east at the time. The magazine was soon accused of treason.
- 1967 - Guerrilla leader Che Guevara and his men are captured in Bolivia.
- 1968 - Vietnam War: Operation Sealords - United States and South Vietnamese forces launch a new operation in the Mekong Delta.
- 1970 - Vietnam War: In Paris, a Communist delegation rejects US President Richard Nixon's October 7 peace proposal as "a maneuver to deceive world opinion."
- 1974 - Franklin National Bank collapses due to fraud and mismanagement; at the time it was the largest bank failure in the history of the United States.
- 1978 - Australia's Ken Warby sets the current world water speed record of 317.60mph at Blowering Dam, Australia.
- 1982 - Poland bans Solidarity.
- 1990 - Israeli-Palestinian Conflict: In Jerusalem, Israeli police kill 17 Palestinians and wound over 100 near the Dome of the Rock mosque on the Temple Mount
- 1991 - The Croatian Parliament cuts all remaining ties with Yugoslavia
- 1998 - Oslo Airport Gardermoen, Norway opens.
- 1999 - New Coligny Calendar, NCC, The beginning of a new era of the Coligny calendar, the oldest material Celtic calendar.
- 2001 - A twin engine Cessna and Scandinavian Airlines System (SAS) jetliner collide in heavy fog during takeoff from Milan, Italy killing 118.
- 2001 - U.S. President George W. Bush announces the establishment of the Office of Homeland Security, which will be headed by Tom Ridge.
- 2003 - Frederik, Crown Prince of Denmark's engagement to Australian lawyer Mary Donaldson is announced
- 2003 - Film star Arnold Schwarzenegger becomes the Governor of California. Previous Governer Gray Davis is ousted three years before the official end of his office term as a result.
- 2004 - Martha Stewart goes to jail.
- 2004 - Schapelle Corby is arrested for drug smuggling in Bali.
- 2005 - The Kashmir earthquake hits parts of northern South Asia at 03:50 UTC.
[edit] Births
- 1515 - Margaret Douglas, Countess of Lennox (d. 1578)
- 1676 - Benito Jerónimo Feijóo y Montenegro, Spanish scholar (d. 1764)
- 1713 - Yechezkel Landau, Polish rabbi and Talmudist (d. 1793)
- 1715 - Michel Benoist, French Jesuit missionary (d. 1774)
- 1720 - Jonathan Mayhew, American minister (d. 1766)
- 1747 - Jean-François Rewbell, French politician (d. 1807)
- 1765 - Harman Blennerhassett, Irish lawyer (d. 1831)
- 1789 - John Ruggles, American politician (d. 1874)
- 1818 - John Henninger Reagan, American politician (d. 1905)
- 1834 - Walter Kittredge, American musician (d. 1905)
- 1850 - Henri Louis le Chatelier, French chemist (d. 1936)
- 1863 - Edythe Chapman, American actress (d. 1948)
- 1864 - Ozias Leduc, Québécois painter (d. 1955)
- 1870 - Louis Vierne, French organist (d. 1937)
- 1877 - Hans Heysen, German-born landscape artist (d. 1968)
- 1883 - Otto Heinrich Warburg, German physician, Nobel laureate (d. 1970)
- 1887 - Huntley Gordon, Canadian actor (d. 1956)
- 1888 - Ernst Kretschmer, German psychiatrist (d. 1964)
- 1889 - C. E. Woolman, American airline founder (d. 1966)
- 1890 - Edward Rickenbacker, American pilot (d. 1973)
- 1890 - Philippe Thys, Belgian cyclist (d. 1971)
- 1895 - Juan Perón, President of Argentina (d. 1974)
- 1895 - Zog I, King of Albania (d. 1961)
- 1896 - Julien Duvivier, French film director (d. 1967)
- 1901 - Doris Allen, American psychologist (d. 2002
- 1901 - Eivind Groven, Norwegian composer (d. 1977)
- 1910 - Kirk Alyn, American actor (d. 1999)
- 1910 - Gus Hall, American union organizer (d. 2000)
- 1910 - Ray Lewis, Canadian runner (d. 2003)
- 1917 - Billy Conn, American boxer (d. 1993)
- 1917 - Walter Lord, American author (d. 2002)
- 1917 - Danny Murtaugh, American baseball player (d. 1976)
- 1917 - Rodney Robert Porter, English biochemist, Nobel laureate (d. 1985)
- 1918 - Jens Christian Skou, Danish chemist, Nobel laureate
- 1920 - Frank Herbert, American writer (d. 1986)
- 1924 - Alphons Egli, member of the Swiss Federal Council
- 1927 - Jim Elliot, American missionary (d. 1956)
- 1927 - César Milstein, Argentine scientist, Nobel laureate (d. 2002)
- 1928 - Neil Harvey, Australian cricketer
- 1928 - Bill Maynard, British actor
- 1932 - Ray Reardon, Welsh snooker player
- 1936 - Rona Barrett, American gossip columnist
- 1938 - Fred Stolle, Australian tennis player
- 1938 - Walter Gretzky, father of Wayne Gretzky
- 1939 - Paul Hogan, Australian actor
- 1940 - Fred Cash, American singer (The Impressions)
- 1941 - Jesse Jackson, American clergyman and civil rights activist
- 1943 - Chevy Chase, American comedian and actor
- 1943 - R. L. Stine, American author
- 1944 - Susan Raye, American singer
- 1946 - Jean-Jacques Beineix, French film director
- 1946 - Dennis Kucinich, American politician
- 1948 - Sarah Purcell, American television host
- 1948 - Johnny Ramone, American musician (The Ramones) (d. 2004)
- 1948 - Pedro López, Colombian serial killer
- 1949 - Sigourney Weaver, American actress
- 1950 - Robert Kool Bell, American musician (Kool & the Gang)
- 1952 - Jan Marijnissen, Dutch politician
- 1952 - Edward Zwick, American film director
- 1954 - Michael Dudikoff, American actor
- 1954 - Huub Rothengatter, Dutch racecar driver
- 1955 - Bill Elliott, American racecar driver
- 1956 - Stephanie Zimbalist, American actress
- 1956 - Jeff Lahti, American baseball player
- 1958 - Steve Coll, American journalist
- 1959 - Nick Bakay, American actor
- 1959 - Mike Morgan, American baseball player
- 1960 - François Pérusse, Quebec humorist
- 1964 - CeCe Winans, American singer
- 1965 - Ardal O'Hanlon, Irish comedian and actor
- 1965 - C-Jay Ramone, American musician (The Ramones)
- 1966 - Art Barr, American wrestler (d. 1994)
- 1968 - Leeroy Thornhill, British musician (The Prodigy)
- 1968 - Zvonimir Boban, Croatian football player
- 1969 - Julia Ann, American porn actress
- 1969 - Dylan Neal, Canadian actor
- 1970 - Matt Damon, American actor
- 1970 - Gauri Khan, wife of Indian actor Shahrukh Khan
- 1970 - Tetsuya Nomura, Japanese video-game designer
- 1970 - Soon-Yi Previn, Korean American actress
- 1972 - DJ Q-Ball, American musician (Bloodhound Gang)
- 1974 - Fredrik Modin, Swedish hockey player
- 1976 - Renate Groenewold, Dutch speed skater
- 1977 - Anne-Caroline Chausson, French mountain-bike rider
- 1979 - Kristanna Loken, American actress and model
- 1980 - Mike Mizanin, American wrestler
- 1980 - Nick Cannon, American actor
- 1981 - Raffi Torres, Canadian ice hockey player
- 1983 - Michael Fraser, Scottish football goalkeeper
- 1983 - Travis Pastrana, American motorsports competitor
- 1985 - Eiji Wentz, German-Japanese entertainer
- 1986 - Trevor Porter, Professional Homosapien
- 1987 - Griffin Frazen, American actor, Grounded for Life
- 1989 - Armand Traore, French footballer
- 1993 - Angus T. Jones, American actor
- 1996 - Kylee Russell, American actress
- 1997 - Bella Thorne, American actress and model
[edit] Deaths
- 976 - Jelena of Zadar, Croatian queen
- 1286 - John I of Dreux, Duke of Brittany (b. 1217)
- 1317 - Fushimi, Emperor of Japan (b. 1265)
- 1621 - Antoine de Montchrétien, French dramatist
- 1647 - Christian Sørensen Longomontanus, Danish astronomer (b. 1562)
- 1652 - John Greaves, English mathematician (b. 1602)
- 1656 - John George I, Elector of Saxony (b. 1585)
- 1659 - Jean de Quen, French Jesuit missionary
- 1735 - Yongzheng Emperor of China (b. 1678)
- 1754 - Henry Fielding, English author (b. 1707)
- 1772 - Jean Joseph de Mondonville, French composer (b. 1711)
- 1793 - John Hancock, American revolutionary (b. 1737)
- 1795 - Andrew Kippis, English non-conformist clergyman (b. 1725)
- 1809 - James Elphinston, Scottish philologist (b. 1721)
- 1834 - François-Adrien Boïeldieu, French composer (b. 1775)
- 1869 - Franklin Pierce, 14th President of the United States (b. 1804)
- 1886 - Austin F. Pike, American politician from New Hampshire (b. 1819)
- 1894 - Oliver Wendell Holmes, Sr., American physician (b. 1809)
- 1895 - Empress Queen Min of Joseon, the last empress of Korea, is
[edit] assassinated, burnt and probably raped by the Japanese
in Gyeongbok Palace.
- 1897 - Alexei Savrasov, Russian painter (b. 1830)
- 1928 - Larry Semon, comedian (b. 1889)
- 1931 - Sir John Monash, Australian soldier general (b. 1865)
- 1936 - William Henry Stark, American business leader (b. 1851)
- 1936 - Red Ames, American baseball player (b. 1882)
- 1942 - Sergei Chaplygin, Soviet engineer
- 1944 - Wendell Willkie, American politician (b. 1892)
- 1945 - Felix Salten, Austrian author (b. 1869)
- 1952 - Joe Adams, American baseball player (b. 1877)
- 1953 - Nigel Bruce, British actor (b. 1895)
- 1953 - Kathleen Ferrier, British contralto (b. 1912)
- 1958 - Ran Bosilek, Bulgarian author (b. 1886)
- 1967 - Clement Attlee, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom (b. 1883)
- 1970 - Mitr Chaibancha, Thai film actor (b. 1934)
- 1970 - Jean Giono, French author (b. 1895)
- 1973 - Gabriel Marcel, French philosopher (b. 1889)
- 1982 - Fernando Lamas, Argentine actor (b. 1915)
- 1982 - Philip Noel-Baker, Baron Noel-Baker, Canadian-born peace activist, Nobel laureate (b. 1889)
- 1983 - Joan Hackett, American actress (b. 1934)
- 1990 - B.J. Wilson, English musician (Procol Harum) (b. 1947)
- 1992 - Willy Brandt, Chancellor of Germany, Nobel laureate (b. 1913)
- 1997 - Bertrand Goldberg, American architect (b. 1913)
- 1999 - John McLendon, American basketball coach (b. 1915)
- 2004 - Jacques Derrida, French philosopher (b. 1930)
- 2004 - James Chace, American historian (b. 1931)
- 2006 - Mark Porter, New Zealand racing driver (b. 1975)
[edit] Holidays and observances
[edit] External links
