October 8 is the 281st day of the year (282nd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. There are 84 days remaining until the end of the year.
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).
- 1075 - Dmitar Zvonimir is crowned king of Croatia.
- 1480 - Great standing on the Ugra river, a standoff between the forces of Akhmat Khan, Khan of the Great Horde, and the Grand Duke Ivan III of Russia, which resulted in the retreat of the Tataro-Mongols and eventual disintegration of the Horde.
- 1582 - Because of 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.
- 1821 - The government of general José de San Martín establishes the Peruvian Navy.
- 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.
- 1879 - War of the Pacific: the Chilean Navy defeats the Peruvian Navy in the Battle of Angamos, Peruvian Admiral Miguel Grau is killed in the encounter.
- 1895 - Eulmi incident- Queen Min of Joseon, the last empress of Korea, is assassinated and her corpse burnt 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.
- 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 Battle of Crucifix Hill, a World War II battle, occurs on Crucifix Hill just outside of Aachen. Capt. Bobbie Brown receives a Medal of Honor for his heroics in this battle.
- 1952 - Harrow and Wealdstone rail crash kills 112 people.
- 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.
- 1969 - The opening rally of the Days of Rage occurs, organized by the Weather Underground in Chicago, Illinois.
- 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."
- 1973 - Yom Kippur War: Gabi Amir's armored brigade attacks Egyptian occupied positions on the Israeli side of the Suez Canal, in hope of driving them away. The attack fails, and over 150 Israeli tanks are destroyed.
- 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 Gardermoen airport opening after the close down of Fornebu.
- 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.
- 2005 - The Kashmir earthquake hits parts of northern South Asia at 03:50 UTC.
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)
- 1789 - William John Swainson, English naturalist and artist (d. 1855)
- 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)
- 1883 - Dick Burnett, American musician (d. 1977)
- 1884 - Walther von Reichenau, German military officer (d. 1942)
- 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)
- 1897 - Rouben Mamoulian, Armenian-American film director (d. 1987)
- 1901 - Eivind Groven, Norwegian composer (d. 1977)
- 1910 - Kirk Alyn, American actor (d. 1999)
- 1910 - Gus Hall, American union organizer and head of the U.S. Communist Party (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 - Ron Randell, film character actor (d.2005)
- 1918 - Jens Christian Skou, Danish chemist, Nobel laureate
- 1919 - Kiichi Miyazawa, 78th Prime Minister of Japan (d. 2007)
- 1920 - Frank Herbert, American writer (d. 1986)
- 1921 - Abraham Sarmiento, Filipino Supreme Court jurist
- 1922 - Nils Liedholm, Swedish football midfielder and coach (d. 2007)
- 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
- 1929 - Valdir Pereira, Brazilian footballer (d. 2001)
- 1930 - Tōru Takemitsu, Japanese composer (d. 1996)
- 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
- 1939 - Harvey Pekar, American author
- 1939 - Lynne Stewart, American civil liberties lawyer
- 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
- 1947 - Emiel Puttemans, Belgian athlete
- 1948 - Benjamin Cheever, American novelist and editor
- 1948 - Sarah Purcell, American television host
- 1948 - Johnny Ramone, American musician (The Ramones) (d. 2004)
- 1948 - Pedro López, Colombian serial killer
- 1948 - Claude Jade, French actress (d. 2006)
- 1949 - Sigourney Weaver, American actress
- 1950 - Robert Kool Bell, American musician (Kool & the Gang)
- 1951 - Jack O'Connell, American politician
- 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
- 1955 - Lonnie Pitchford, American blues musician
- 1956 - Stephanie Zimbalist, American actress
- 1956 - Jeff Lahti, American baseball player
- 1957 - Antonio Cabrini, Italian footballer
- 1957 - Joe Castiglione, American college athletic director
- 1958 - Steve Coll, American journalist
- 1959 - Nick Bakay, American actor
- 1959 - Mike Morgan, American baseball player
- 1960 - Lorenzo Milá, Spanish newscaster
- 1960 - François Pérusse, Quebec humorist
- 1960 - Reed Hastings, American businessman and entrepreneur
- 1961 - Ted Kooshian, American jazz pianist
- 1962 - Bruno Thiry, Belgian rally driver
- 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)
- 1967 - Yvonne Reyes, Venezuelan actress
- 1968 - Ali Benarbia, former Algerian footballer
- 1968 - Zvonimir Boban, Croatian football player
- 1968 - Emily Procter, American actress
- 1968 - Karyn Parsons, American actress
- 1968 - Leeroy Thornhill, British musician (The Prodigy)
- 1969 - Julia Ann, American pornographic actress
- 1969 - Jeremy Davies, American actor
- 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 - Stanislav Varga, Slovakian footballer
- 1974 - Fredrik Modin, Swedish hockey player
- 1974 - DJ Q-Ball, American musician (Bloodhound Gang)
- 1974 - Koji Murofushi, Japanese hammer thrower
- 1976 - Galo Blanco, Spanish tennis player
- 1976 - Renate Groenewold, Dutch speed skater
- 1977 - Anne-Caroline Chausson, French mountain-bike rider
- 1977 - Erna Siikavirta, Finnish musician (Deathlike Silence)
- 1978 - Mick O'Driscoll, Irish rugby player
- 1978 - Antonino D'Agostino, Italian football player
- 1979 - Kristanna Loken, American actress
- 1979 - Paul Burchill, English professional wrestler
- 1979 - Gregori Chad Petree, American musician (Shiny Toy Guns)
- 1980 - Mike Mizanin, American wrestler
- 1980 - Nick Cannon, American actor
- 1981 - Raffi Torres, Canadian ice hockey player
- 1981 - Ruby (Egyptian Singer), Egyptian singer
- 1983 - Michael Fraser, Scottish football goalkeeper
- 1983 - Travis Pastrana, American motorsports competitor
- 1985 - Eiji Wentz, German-Japanese entertainer
- 1987 - Aya Hirano, Japanese Seiyuu
- 1993 - Angus T. Jones, American actor (Two and a Half Men)
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)
- 1847 - Rose Scott, Social Reformer
- 1869 - Franklin Pierce, 14th President of the United States (b. 1804)
- 1879 - Miguel Grau Seminario, Peruvian Admiral (b. 1834)
- 1886 - Austin F. Pike, American politician from New Hampshire (b. 1819)
- 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)
- 1962 - Solomon Linda, South African singer and composer
- 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)
- 1977 - Giorgos Papasideris, Greek country singer , composer , lyricist (b. 1902 )
- 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)
- 1985 - Malcolm Ross, American balloonist and atmospheric physicist (b. 1919)
- 1990 - B.J. Wilson, English musician (Procol Harum) (b. 1947)
- 1992 - Willy Brandt, Chancellor of Germany, Nobel laureate (b. 1913)
- 1995 - Christopher Keene, American conductor (b. 1946)
- 1997 - Bertrand Goldberg, American architect (b. 1913)
- 1999 - John McLendon, American basketball coach (b. 1915)
- 2002 - Jacques Richard, French Canadian ice hockey player (b. 1952)
- 2004 - Jacques Derrida, French philosopher (b. 1930)
- 2004 - James Chace, American historian (b. 1931)
- 2005 - Alekos Alexandrakis, Greek actor (b. 1928)
- 2006 - Mark Porter, New Zealand racing driver (b. 1975)
Holidays and observances
External links
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