Our Amazing World - October
National Batik Day is celebrated in Indonesia this month. Find out more below.
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Since we're in Indonesia to begin this month's adventure, let's add a little local music to the experience.
Click the link to the left to set the gamelan playing, then read on. What will we discover in October? Note: Unforunately, this link contains ads which interrupt the wonderful mood created. You may prefer to skip them. If you notice an inappropriate ad though, please let me know via the blog page and I will find a different source. You will be helping to protect others. Terima kasih! |
Did you know?
October was the 8th month of the Roman year, and its name literally means 'eighth month'. This was in the days when there were only ten months in the year. In English, words such as octopus, octave, octagon and October all come from the Latin word for eight.
October was the 8th month of the Roman year, and its name literally means 'eighth month'. This was in the days when there were only ten months in the year. In English, words such as octopus, octave, octagon and October all come from the Latin word for eight.
October 1 - 7
1 October XXXX - Today is the International Day of Older Persons.
Also on this day ... 1 October 1885 – Lord Shaftesbury, the great reformer who made it illegal for young children to work in mines and factories, died on this day in 1885. The poor people of London turned out in mass for his funeral. One man in rags paid him this tribute – “Our Earl’s gone! God A’mighty knows he loved us, and we loved him. We shan’t see his likes again …” 1 October 1949 - After two and a half years of civil war in China, Mao Tse-tung proclaimed that the country was a Communist Republic, on this day in 1949. 1 October 1908 – The Model T Ford went on sale in the United States on this day in 1908. The Model T was the first car with a left-hand drive. 1 October 1935 – Julie Andrews, star of The Sound of Music and Mary Poppins was born today in Walton-on-Thames. and on the ... The 1st Monday of October - It is World Habitat Day. 'The United Nations has designated the first Monday of October of every year as World Habitat Day. The purpose of World Habitat Day is to think about, and reflect on, the condition of our towns and cities, and on the basic right of all people to adequate shelter. It is also intended to remind the world that we all have the power and the responsibility to shape the future of our cities and towns. |
What a great opportunity to get to know an older person in your life a little better. (Warning: you may need to practise your decorum, some people may think of themselves as an older person, but may not like you identifying them as such. How will you work around this and show your respect?) Got someone in mind? Why not give that person a call or write them a letter? Ask them about their week, find out what their life was like when they were your age, or just tell them how much you admire them. A little love helps the world go around.
Speaking of older people, ever wondered who the oldest living person is/was? Check out this wikipedia list of verified supercentenarians. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_the_verified_oldest_people Ooh, that gives me an idea. What if there really was a 'Super' older person? That could make a really fun comic. What powers would they have? Excuse me, while I grab a pencil and some paper. Feel like doing the same? You can share your masterpieces via the blog page. From respect for older people, to respect for younger people ... Lord Shaftesbury was hailed as a hero for getting British children out of factories and giving them a chance at a childhood. Yet in many countries around the world, child labour still exists. Do a little research and find out more. Talk about it with your teacher or parents. Should it be banned everywhere? What age is too young? How could we better support families that need the extra income? It's not an easy topic, but it's an important one. What do you think? So, what is communism? Heard of it, but not quite sure? If you have a Britannica Kids account, you may find this article useful. If not, it could be an interesting topic to explore with your teacher. Found a useful article or video on this topic? Recommend it to others via the blog page. I wonder ... do more countries drive on the left-hand side of the road, or the right? Why aren't all countries the same? If there are left-hand drive cars, and right-hand drive cars, are there centre-drive cars? Do a little research. See what you discover. Love the Sound of Music? Scroll down to sing Do Re Mi along with Julie and the gang, or watch her as Mary Poppins singing about everyone's favourite spelling word. The theme for World Habitat Day in 2018 is Municipal Solid Waste Management. What's that? Well, I wouldn't be lying if I told you it's a load of rubbish. It's all about the waste we produce and what we do with it. In densely-packed urban areas, it can be a matter of life and death. Why not take the opportunity to think about your contribution? Create an action plan of things you could do this year to help reduce your waste. Talk about it with your family and friends. Write your plan down and stick it on the fridge. Live by it. Looking for more inspiration? Try this video on the practical steps being taken in Vietnam by a group of enterprising women. |
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2 October XXXX - Today is National Batik Day in Indonesia.
2 October 1901 – Britain’s very first submarine, the Holland I, was launched today in 1901. 2 October 1187 – The Muslim army of the legendary warrior Saladin captured Jerusalem from its Christian rulers. This event sparked off the Crusades. 2 October 1909 – Crowds at Twickenham (now the home of English rugby) saw the first rugby match played there today in 1909, the game was decades old by this time. 2 October 1950 – Sting, the rock singer who formerly performed with the Police, was born today in 1950. 2 October 1452 – King Richard III, who is reputed to have murdered the princes in the Tower of London, was born today in Fotheringay Castle. 2 October 1869 – Mahatma Gandhi, the peaceful protestor who won India’s independence was born today in 1869. 2 October 1890 – Groucho Marx was born in New York on this day in 1890. His real name was Julius. |
What is batik? Do a little online search and see what you discover. Interested in creating a batik design of your own? There are plenty of online videos and guides you can try. There's even a how-to by Martha Stewart you could take a look at, if you'd prefer something less traditional.
Don't have dies or paints? Why not experiment with creating your own hidden art by drawing in wax (any old candle will do) then asking a friend to shade the page in pencil. Simple and fun. Mmm? That makes me think. I wonder when the first ever submarine was created. Imagine how brave you'd have to be to use it, or how confident you'd have to be in its design. Why not take the opportunity today to do a little research into the history of submarines, check out this Science Channel video on the first submarine used in combat, or create your own submarine from recycled materials? Can you design one that submerges and rises at your command? So, what were The Crusades? This article from History For Kids gives a short summary of hundreds of years of conflict. Picturing brave knights in shining armour? Well, history is often a little more complicated ... and interesting. Interested in learning more about rugby. Check out this article on the history of the game. Know how to play? Why not teach your class how to play touch 'footy' this week? Reading about how rugby originated reminded me of another popular playground game, sometimes called Force 'em Back, that I used to enjoy at school too. If you'd like to give it a go, you'll find the Bamboo Learners version of the rules below. Old School rules! Did singing along with Julie Andrews yesterday get you feeling musical? You may enjoy this clip of one of Sting's (and The Police's) greatest hits. Some more horrible history :( Prefer to focus on all the good in the world? Check out the next birthday. Gandhi has inspired millions, maybe billions, of people through his wise words and actions. Take a look at some of his more famous insights here. Which feel true to you? Are there any you disagree with? Can you explain why? What words of wisdom would you like to pass onto others if you had the chance? Let's finish today with a chuckle. It's Groucho's birthday. You'll find plenty of clips of his slapstick humour online with a quick search. Which is your favourite? |
3 October 1906 – On this day, the Morse signal SOS was first adopted as the official international distress signal in Berlin. The SOS signal, standing for Save Our Souls gradually replaced the older CQD distress code.
3 October – Today is another recognised as a Dismal Day in medieval England. It was believed to be unlucky. There are 24 of these days in each year – two per month. 3 October 1952 – The first British atom bomb was detonated off the north-west coast of Australia on this day in 1952. The test at the uninhabited Monte Bello Islands was watched by scientists and members of the armed forces. |
What's this CQD stuff? Never head of it? Find out more here.
Hmm. That's got me thinking about acronyms in general. What other acronyms do you know? Try making a list then see if you can identify what each letter stands for. Did you know words like scuba and laser are also acronyms? Do you know what words they represent? More interested in Morse? Try the translator below. Record a secret message for a friend or loved one. Time for us to focus on gratitude again. Prove the medieval superstition wrong – keep a diary of all the good things that happen to you today, from the sun coming up to a goodnight kiss from a loved one, what do you have to be thankful for? Feel like a holiday with a difference? Check out the Monte Bello Islands. Just don't stay for more than an hour, it's deadly. Wait .. what? |
4 October XXXX - Today is the beginning of World Space Week
4 October 1957 – The Space Age began on this day in 1957 with the launch of Sputnik I by Russia. Sputnik I, a 22 inch ball that transmitted radio signals, was the first human-made object to be sent into orbit. 4 October 1850 – Today marks the anniversary of the Bowler Hat. The round-topped hat, much loved by city gents, was created in London by John Bowler, the hat-maker. Interestingly, it was the hat most worn in the American West, not the cowboy hat nor sombrero, and is still commonly worn by women in Bolivia. 4 October 1895 – Buster Keaton, the silent-film comedian who did his own stunts, falling off trains and hanging by a thread over waterfalls, was born today in 1895. Charlton Heston, the film star of Ben Hur, was also born today in 1924. 4 October 1669 – Rembrandt, one of the world’s most famed artists, passed away on this day in the year 1669. |
Are you a teacher looking for some cool ways to celebrate World Space Week in class? Try the link to the left.
Are you a student on your own space quest? You may enjoy exploring some of the NASA education resources on their Youtube channel. Click on the pic below to jump in. Check out a replica and learn more about Sputnik 1 here. Time for a Google Earth adventure. Where is Bolivia? What do you know about the country or the people? Before you do a little research, write down all you know, then as you learn, take a few notes. Later in the year you will be able to look back and reflect on all you've discovered. Ready to learn more? Here's a link to the CIA World Fact Book. Want to see Buster in action, in a time before computerised special effects? Check him out here. Find out more about Rembrandt and take a closer look at some of his more famous artworks. Which is your favourite? I found the story behind the Anatomy Lesson of Dr. Nicolaes Tulp really interesting. |
5 October - Today is the International Day of Teachers
5 October 1969 – Today saw the first broadcast of a new line of television comedy – Monty Python’s Flying Circus began transmission at 11pm this night. 5 October 1793 – On this day during the French Revolution, the Revolutionary Calendar was decreed in Paris. There were to be 12 months of 30 days each, with 5 additional days to make up the year. Depressingly, 5 of the months were named after bad weather. Luckily for everyone, the idea never really caught on. 5 October 1954 – Sir Bob Geldof, who was awarded a knighthood for his work in raising money and awareness of ‘the plight of those in the Third World’ through the Band Aid and Live Aid initiatives, was born today. |
Teachers can be found in all walks of life, both in the classroom and beyond. Why not take the opportunity today to write a letter of appreciation to a teacher who has made a difference in your life? Your letter may just make a difference in theirs.
One of Monty Python's most famous sketches was all about a dead parrot. The way poor Polly is treated may not be for everyone, but if you are interested you can watch a clip by clicking the green text. Mmm, that's got me thinking. In the sketch they refer to palindromes. What's a palindrome? Take a few moments to find out, then try to create a list of as many palindomes as you can. Can you create one of your own that is made up of two or more words? Ever had a hard time trying to remember how many days in each month of the year? Do you use a rhyme or your knuckles to help jog your memory? Click the pic below if you'd like to learn more. Still curious? Why are things so complicated anyway? Think you can do better? If you could redesign the calendar, what would it look like? Give it a try. What do people mean when they refer to the 'Third World'? I thought Earth was the third world (from the sun anyway). Why do many people consider the term derogatory now? What does derogatory mean? Find out more using the links above. |
6 October 1536 – William Tyndale was executed in Antwerp. His crime? He had translated the Bible into English and had copies smuggled into Britain. His final words were a prayer that Henry VIII would allow the Bible to be legally translated.
6 October 1914 – Thor Heyerdahl, was born. He proved his theories about human migration with two voyages. In 1947, he sailed a balsa raft, the Kon Tiki, from Peru to the South Pacific Tuamoto Islands. In 1970, he sailed Ra II, a papyrus boat, from Africa to Barbados |
So what language or languages was the bible written in? Why not find out, then challenge yourself to learn a few words or sounds? Can you imagine translating hundreds of pages of biblical story? What would the challenges be?
Find out more about Thor and his boats. Can you imagine sailing in those things, in heaving seas, across huge expanses of ocean? To put his voyages into perspective, try searching for his origin and destination points on Google Earth. Amazing! Yet according to his theories, he wasn't the first person to have made the trip. I think my ancestors may have been braver than me. What about you? |
7 October 1930 – 44 passengers passed away when the world’s largest airship, the British R101, crashed into a French hillside and exploded in a ball of flame. The airship had been drenched by rain, which weighed it down, making it difficult to steer.
7 October 1913 – The world’s first car assembly line went into operation on this day in 1913. The Ford production line in Michigan saw one new car built every 3 hours, totalling 250 000 a year. 7 October 1959 – The human race had its first-ever glimpse of the far side of the moon on this day in 1959. The stunning pictures were beamed to Earth from the Soviet probe Luna III, which had gone into orbit around the moon. |
To protect our younger learners we've decided against adding a link here, but if you are older and interested, there is a detailed video by engineerguy on Youtube called "Britain's Giant Airship R.101" which tells this story in more details.
History.com suggests this actually occurred on December 1. Click on the link to find out more, and follow the tags to see the Model T in action. Old school cool! Would you like to own one? What do you think they would have been like to drive? I wonder why two different sources list two different dates for this event. How do you think that might happen? Do you think this might happen with other important dates in history? Ever wondered what the back of the "Man in the Moon's" head looks like? No, didn't think so. Curious now though? Check it out below. |
The back of the man in the moon's head.
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The Model T Ford - Old School Cool
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October 8 - 14
8 October 1871 – The Great Fire of Chicago broke out, lasting for 4 days. By the time the fire had died down 95 000 people were left on the streets without a home or possessions.
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What a devastating story! That reminds me. Maybe it's time to talk to my family about our fire safety plan at home. Do you have one too?
Interested in learning more about fire safety? Check out the games and advice from real life fire fighters here. |
9 October 1963 – Disaster struck the 870-foot high Vaiont Dam in the Italian Alps. A landslip on a hillside overlooking the lake plunged 260 million cubic metres of earth into the water, causing a massive wave to travel across the lake. The water spilt over the top of the dam, sending a 600-foot wall of water crashing down the valley beyond. Alpine villages along the valley were washed off the map.
9 October 1967 – British motorists were stopped by police for the first time and asked to blow into a little plastic bag. The first breathalysers had arrived. 9 October 1940 – John Lennon, Beatle and musician in his own right, was born in Liverpool. 9 October 1967 – Che Guevara, the Bolivian revolutionary, was shot and killed by Bolivian troops on this day in 1967. |
Breathalysers detect alcohol on someone's breath. I wonder what else can be detected through breath. Check out the future here. Wait, what? Dogs can smell happiness and human emotion? That deserves some more investigating of its own. Interested? Try this article from New Scientist. 'Che' is hero to many and a villain to many others. For a quick insight and a few pics, start with this article from Kiddle. To explore more information with your teacher, including a few gruesome details, click on his image below for a link to Encyclopedia Britannica. |
10 October - World Mental Health Day
10 October 1897 – On this day, Felix Hoffman, a German chemist, succeeded in inventing aspirin in a laboratory. He was trying to find a pain-reliever for his poor old dad, who suffered from rheumatism. Aspirin went on to become one of the world’s best-selling medicines. 10 October 1913 – The Panama canal was opened on this day in 1913. A massive blast of dynamite, detonated by President Roosevelt pressing a button on his desk in the White House, cleared the final obstacle between the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. 10 October 1985 – Actors Yul Brynner (star of the Magnificent Seven and other famous films) and Orson Welles (director and star of Citizen Kane) passed away on exactly the same day in 1985. |
Happiness is a huge part of mental health, so why not seize the opportunity to make someone happy today? Let someone know you care, or perform three random acts of kindness to spread the love. What can you do to make someone's day better?
A man, a plan, a canal: Panama. Where is Panama, and why was a President of the USA opening a canal? Time for a Google Earth adventure. Bonus points if you can work out what is special about the first line of today's entry. Need a clue? Check October 5. |
11 October - International Day of the Girl
11 October 1982 – The Mary Rose, Henry VIII’s flagship, was gently lifted out of the Solent mud, 437 years after she capsized and sank. The ship had sunk as the king watched on from the shore. She was too heavily laden. 11 October 1399 – Henry IV, who had just been proclaimed king, created 40 new knights this evening in the Tower of London. The Order of the Bath (a form of knighthood) dates from this event. 11 October 1727 – George II was crowned on this day in 1727. George was the last British king to lead his soldiers into battle. 11 October 1844 – Henry Heinz, the food magnate and creative marketing genius, who garnered attention for suggesting he had 57 varieties of product, was born today in 1844. |
Talk to your teacher about how you might mark the occasion in your class.
Interested in learning more about the Mary Rose and her ill-fated crew? This BBC documentary gives a detailed view, but be warned, the program's final conclusion is missing. What do you think happened? Knight of the Bath? Sounds like that one day a week my dog goes missing. Did Heinz ever really have 57 varieties? If not, why suggest so? Read the story at the Smithsonian here. Would you be convinced? Try an experiment. Next time you go to the supermarket, do a quick count of how many brands of sauce or beans etc are on the shelf, then work out what fraction you’ve tried. Think about why you haven’t tried the others. Is it price? Presentation (the sticker design, bottle shape, colours etc)? Or, something else? If you were going to start up your own company what would you do to get people to purchase your product over another? Why not test it out? Challenge others in your class to create packaging for an identical product, then set up an anonymous testing booth. Ask other students in your school to vote for which product they would be most likely to buy. Study the votes to look at the most popular options. Have they got something in common? What is it? Can you create any guidelines for someone interested in starting up their own business selling that product? |
12 October 1915 – Edith Cavell, a British nurse, was executed by German soldiers on this day in 1915. Edith’s crime had been helping British and French soldiers to escape across the Belgian-Dutch border during WWI. Her last words … “I must have no hatred or bitterness towards anyone.”
12 October 1216 – King John lost the Crown Jewels in the estuary of the River Ouse. He was crossing marshes at low tide in the mist, when the wagons carrying the treasure got lost and were swept out to sea by the rapidly-returning tide. John died a few days later. |
a) Imagine you are the one to re-discover the Crown Jewels. Tell your story. b) Or, follow this link to explore the story of Archimedes and the Gold Crown. Can you replicate the experiment, using your maths skills to explore the volume or density of irregular objects in your room. I wonder, how could you work out your own volume? |
13 October 1925 – Margaret Thatcher, Britain’s first woman Prime Minister, was born in a grocer’s shop in Grantham on this day.
13 October 1941 – Paul Simon, the American singer and songwriter, originally part of Simon and Garfunkel was born. Simon is not only famous for his songs Mrs Robinson and Bridge Over Troubled Water, but also for his solo material – including the legendary 1986 album, Graceland. |
Learn more about other female world leaders and they countries they've governed over here.
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14 October 1066 – William the Conqueror defeated King Harold II of England to win the Battle of Hastings. William, originally Duke of Normandy, then became King of England.
14 October 1947 – Chuck Yaeger, a US Air Force pilot, broke the sound barrier. He was hurtling at 670 mph in a Bell X1 rocket plane flying over Edwards Air Force Base, California. Yeager had broken two ribs in a moonlight horse ride two days earlier, but he cleverly concealed his injury to stop him being scrubbed from the historic flight. 14 October 1970 – The 50p coin became part of British coinage on this day in 1970. It was Britain’s first decimal coin. 14 October 1927 – Roger Moore, film actor famous for playing James Bond amongst other roles, was born on this day. |
Sound has a speed? What does it mean to break the sound 'barrier'? What happens when you do? Time to do a little research. Want to see the speed of sound for yourself? You can. All you need is a balloon, a pin, a stopwatch and a long flat section of ground - 400m or more works well. The rest - well, you'll figure it out. Below you'll find a picture of a British 50p coin and an Australian 50c coin. What shape are they? Can you name them? Come to think of it, how many shapes can you name? Start with a triangle and work your way up. How far can you reach? |
October 15 - 21
15 October 1917 – The female spy, Mata Hari was executed in France. She had discovered masses of French wartime secrets from her military boyfriends, and then passed them on to the Germans. Mata Hari was originally a Dutch dancer.
15 October 1820 – Florence Nightingale, who reformed standards in hospitals and became known as ‘the lady with the lamp’ from her work among the wounded during the Crimean War, was born in (and named after) Florence. 15 October 1881 – PG Wodehouse, English author, and the creator of Jeeves, the typical English butler, was born on this day. 16th - National Dictionary Day (US) in celebration of polyglot and dictionary creator Noah Webster. 16th - World Food Day 16 October 1978 – Cardinal Karol Wojtyla of Poland was chosen to become Pope John Paul II on this day. He was the first non-Italian to be chosen as pope since 1542. 16 October 1846 – Today marked the first use of anaesthetic during an operation. William Morton used ether to put a patient to sleep while a tumour was removed from the patient’s neck. The operation took place at Massachusetts General Hospital in America. Before this time, patients simply had to lie still during operations. 16 October 1854 – Oscar Wilde, the 19th century wit who wrote the play The Importance of Being Earnest, was born in Dublin. 16 October 1793 – Marie Antoinette, Queen of France, was guillotined on this day. 17th - International Day of the Eradication of Poverty 17 October 1915 – Arthur Miller, the American playwright who wrote Death of a Salesman, and who married Marilyn Monroe, was born. 17 October 1849 – The Polish composer and virtuoso pianist, Frederic Chopin, passed away in Paris today in 1849. 18 October 1967 – The Soviet probe Venus IV became the first craft to achieve a soft landing on another planet, on this day in 1967. It sank slowly through Venus’s thick atmosphere using a special parachute, and revealed that surface temperatures climb as high as 280 degrees Celsius and the atmosphere is almost entirely carbon dioxide. 18 October 1956 – Martina Navratilova, six times winner of the Wimbledon’s singles title in tennis, was born in Prague. 18 October 1939 – Lee Harvey Oswald, the man who shot US President John F Kennedy, was born on this day. 18 October 1865 – Lord Palmerston, the Prime Minister who was fond of sending British gunboats when Britons were threatened overseas, passed away today in 1865. His last words were “Die, my dear doctor? That’s the last thing I shall do!” 19 October 1812 – Napoleon and the French army began their retreat from Moscow. Harried by Russian soldiers and the bitter Russian winter, the retreat became a disaster for Napoleon. This day marked the beginning of the end for him. 19 October 1807 – Sir Humphrey Davy, the English scientist, announced his discovery of a new metal, sodium (Na). As the sixth most abundant element in the Earth's crust, sodium compounds are commonly found dissolved in the oceans, in minerals, and even in our bodies, though pure sodium is not found naturally on earth - it is a highly reactive metal. 20th - World Statistics Day 20 October 1973 – The Sydney Opera House was opened today by Queen Elizabeth II. 20 October 1922 – Lieutenant Harold Harris became the first man to avoid death by using a parachute. 20 October 1632 – Sir Christopher Wren was born on this day. Wren was the architect who designed the present St Paul’s Cathedral in London after the old building was gutted in London’s Great Fire of 1666. 21 October 1805 – The Battle of Trafalgar was fought between the British and the French in 1805. At 12 noon, the battle began, the French ships soon began to surrender. At 1:15 pm, Admiral Lord Nelson, on board the Victory, was mortally wounded in the shoulder by a French sniper and was taken below decks. British national rejoicing at the victory, was mixed with mourning for Nelson’s death. 21 October 1772 – Samuel Taylor Coleridge, the romantic poet famous for his poem, The Rime of the Ancient Mariner, was born on this day. 21 October 1833 – Alfred Nobel, inventor of dynamite and founder of the Nobel prizes, was born. |
Stay tuned. Related activities coming soon.
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October 22 - 28
22 October 1797 – The world’s first parachute drop was made on this day in 1797. Andre-Jacques Garnerin hopped out of a balloon at 6000 feet, yanked open the chute and … lived!
22 October - Today is another recognised as a Dismal Day in medieval England. It was believed to be unlucky. 22 October – Chicago police got their man today in 1931. Al ‘Scarface’ Capone was the most powerful Chicago gangster, responsible for the St Valentine’s Massacre of 1929. On this day he was gaoled for 11 years – for tax dodging. The police couldn’t make any more serious charges against him stick. America’s most notorious criminal was sent to its most notorious prison – Alcatraz. 22 October 1811 – Franz Liszt, the composer and pianist, was born in Hungary. When only 11 years old, Beethoven admired his style of playing. |
Stay tuned. Related activities coming soon.
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23 October 4004 BC – At 9am, on this date, God created the world … at least, that was the rough estimate according to the 17th-century Bishop James Ussher.
23 October 1988 – A dog in Buenos Aires caused three deaths as it fell from a 13th-floor balcony on this day in 1988. The dog inflicted a fatal blow as it landed on one woman. Another woman in the crowd that had gathered to watch was knocked over by a passing bus. A man who saw both deaths then had a heart attack. The dog walked away unharmed ... 23 October 1707 – The first parliament of Great Britain (excluding Ireland) sat in Westminster. The new parliament incorporated Scotland for the first time. 23 October 1942 – General Montgomery defeated Field Marshall Rommel in the Battle of El Alamein, WWII. The famous tank battle occurred in the desert of Egypt. 23 October 1940 – Pele, the Brazilian footballer, was born on this day. |
24 October 1929 – This date is remembered as Black Thursday on New York’s Wall Street. 13 million shares changed hands as the market crashed causing panic throughout the financial world. The Wall Street crash heralded the world-wide Depression era during the early 1930s.
24 October 1901 – Ann Edson Taylor climbed into a barrel padded with thick cushions. The barrel was sealed and pushed into the river just above Niagara Falls. Ann survived the plunge to tell reporters that she had done it to keep up with her mortgage repayments. 24 October 1513 – Clergymen who committed murder in England were no longer excused from punishment, from this day in 1513. 24 October 1601 – Tycho Brahe, the Danish astronomer who wore a metal nose to replace the one he lost in a duel, passed away on this date. 24 October 1893 – Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky, composer of The Nutcracker Suite and Swan Lake, also passed away today in 1893. |
25 October 1415 – The Battle of Agincourt was fought between the English and French on this day. Many French soldiers fell down and could not get up again because of their heavy armour. The English archers who helped defeat them were bare-footed.
25 October 1854 – This date marks the famous Charge of the Light Brigade at the Battle of Balaclava. Lord Cardigan was ordered to charge the Russian guns with his horse-mounted cavalry. The 670 horsemen obeyed even though the order was clearly ridiculous. Only 198 returned. 25 October 1881 – Pablo Picasso, arguably the greatest artist of the 20th century, was born in Spain on this day. 25 October 1825 – Johann Strauss, composer of The Blue Danube waltz, was born on this day. 25 October 1400 – Geoffrey Chaucer, who wrote the Canterbury Tales, passed away on this day. |
26 October 1860 – Victor Emmanuel was proclaimed the first King of Italy today in 1860.
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27 October 1939 – John Cleese, comedy actor of Monty Python and Fawlty Towers fame, was born on this day.
27 October 1728 – Captain James Cook, who went on to explore the Pacific Ocean in his ship Endeavour, and especially Australia’s east coast, was born in Yorkshire today. 27 October 1811 – Isaac Singer, the inventor of the sewing machine, was born in New York. 27 October 1914 – Dylan Thomas, the Welsh poet, was born today in Swansea. 27 October 1846 – Richard Turner, the first tee-totaller passed away on this day in 1846. |
28 October 1886 – The Statue of Liberty was unveiled in New York Harbour. The statue was a gift to America from the people of France. Built in France, it had to be floated across the Pacific.
28 October 1492 – Christopher Columbus reached Cuba on this day. He was sure that he had reached the coast of Asia, not realising that America and the Pacific Ocean were in the way. 28 October 901 – Alfred the Great, one of the best-loved Kings of England, died on this day in 901. King Alfred’s crown was unique among English crowns. It had two bells attached to it. |
October 29 - 31
29 October 1618 – Sir Walter Raleigh, the Elizabethan explorer who introduced tobacco to Britain, was beheaded on this date in history. Sir Walter had been imprisoned in the Tower of London since Queen Elizabeth I had died, but he was let out for a last expedition to the Orinoco River in search of gold. The expedition failed abysmally, and he didn’t live much longer.
29 October 1656 – Edmund Halley, the astronomer who successfully predicted the return of the comet later named after him, was born on this day in history. 29 October 1897 – Paul Josef Goebbels, Hitler’s propaganda minister was born on this day. 29 October 1901 – J Kemp Starley, the inventor of the safety bicycle (which is still in use) passed away on this day. His cycle replaced the penny-farthing and other models. 30 October 1911 – The last Chinese Emperor, aged 5, surrendered absolute power in China on this day in history. His declaration ended three centuries of rule by the Manchu dynasty. China transitioned to Communism from this time. 30 October 1821 – Fyodor Dostoyevsky, the Russian novelist was born on this day. 31 October is Hallowe’en, meaning the Eve of All Hallows. This is the last day of the old Celtic Year, when supernatural spirits were believed to be flying around. They know this day as Samian Eve. Superstitions about spooky happenings on this day date back thousands of years. 31 October 1517 – Martin Luther, nailed his 95 theses (arguments against church abuses) to the door of the Castle Church in Wittenberg. This action started off the Protestant Reformation. 31 October 1926 – Harry Houdini, the American escapologist, passed away today in 1926. Harry prided himself on being able to take a punch in the stomach. He invited a visitor to his dressing room to punch him, but the visitor hit him before he was ready. He died of a burst appendix. 31 October 1941 – Walt Disney’s film Dumbo, was released on this day. 31 October 1795 – John Keats, the romantic poet, was born today. |
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Note: Many of the facts on this page have been adapted from those found in a book called 'On this day in History - by Simon Mayo'. It was published in the UK for a British audience, which is why you may notice a cultural perspective to the information presented. As this page grows over the months ahead, we hope to be able to introduce more global viewpoints and discover inventors, innovators, artists and influencers from around the world. Perhaps you know of a cultural hero you think others may be interested in learning about. If so, we'd love to hear from you via the 'Share' page. For now ... bring on November.