10 October Topics

October 1: Yosemite National Park – In 1890, US Congress created Yosemite National Park.
The March King – In 1880, John Philip Sousa became the leader of the United States Marine Band.
Superhighway – In 1940, the Pennsylvania Turnpike opened.
Bright Idea – In 1946, Mensa was formed.
Thrilla in Manila – In 1975, Ali and Frazier battled it out.
The World’s News – In 1843, News of the World began publication.

October 2: HMS Beagle – In 1836, Charles Darwin returned to England.
Forgiveness – In 2006, Charles Carl Roberts murdered five young girls at an Amish schoolhouse.
Queen Mary vs Curacao – In 1942, the two British ships collided.
Aw, Nuts! – In 1950, Peanuts began.
Parsley Massacre – In 1937, Rafeal Trujillo called for mass murder.
Maverick Myers – In 1980, Michael Myers was expelled from Congress.

October 3: Captain Jack – In 1873, Captain Jack was executed.
Siegfried & Roy – In 2003, Roy Horn was critically injured by one of his tigers.
Treasure House – In 1955, Captain Kangaroo premiered.
Cease and Desist – In 1712, Rob Roy MacGregor had a warrant issued for his arrest.
State of Iraq – In 1932, Iraq was granted independence from Great Britain.
Black Hawk Down – In 1838, Black Hawk died.

October 4: Russian Surprise – In 1957, Sputnik I was launched.
Larger Than Life – In 1927, Gutzon Borglum began work on Mount Rushmore.
Thrust2 – In 1983, a new land speed record was set – over 1,000 km/h.
Smarten Up – In 1876, Texas A&M began holding classes.
The Orient Express – In 1883, the Orient Express lines increased.
United States Open Championship – In 1895, the golf competition was first held.

October 5: “Send Us Work” – In 1936, the Jarrow March began.
PBS – In 1970, the Public Broadcasting Service began.
No Day – In 1582, the Gregorian calendar implied a time warp.
Black Friday – In 1945, Hollywood was rocked by rioting.
The Wake Island 98 – In 1943, 98 Americans were killed on Wake Island.
Land Grab – In 1877, the Nez Perce War ended.

October 6: Superstition – In 1945, the Cubs Curse began when a goat was kicked out of the stadium.
Bellerophone – In 1995, a new planet was discovered.
Martyrs – In 1849, the Hungarian Revolution’s martyrs were executed.
Flight 455 – In 1976, the flight ended in a fiery crash.
The Jazz Singer – In 1927, the movie debuted.
Read Any Good Books Lately? – In 1876, the American Library Association was formed.

October 7: You Can Say That Again – In 1806, carbon paper was first patented.
Cornell University – In 1868, Cornell held opening day ceremonies.
Achille Lauro – In 1985, the ship was hijacked.
Beginning – In 3761 BC, the Jewish calendar started.
Touchdown – In 1916, the most lopsided game in college football history was played.
Taking to the Skies – In 1919, KLM airlines was formed.

October 8: Mrs. O’Leary’s Cow – In 1871, the Great Chicago Fire began to burn.
Opium – In 1856, the Second Opium War began.
Signatures – In 1793, John Hancock died.
Fog – In 2001, fog was a factor in a horrific plane crash.
Perfect – In 1956, Don Larson pitched a perfect baseball game.
What’s For Dinner? – In 1935, Albert Roux was born.

October 9: Vinland – In 1000, Lief Ericson arrived in North America.
Washington – In 1888, the Washington Monument was finally opened.
Bright Lights – In 1604, a supernova was discovered.
Free – In 1820, Guayaquil declared independence from Spain.
Hangul Alphabet – In 1446, the Korean alphabet was published.
Fire at Sea – In 1913, SS Volturno caught fire while at sea.

October 10: Don’t Be Snookered – In 1865, a new type of billiard ball was patented.
Water – In 1913, Gamboa Dike was blown and the Panama Canal was opened for business.
TNT – In 1933, the first airline sabotage blows a plane out of the sky.
Mystery – In 19 AD, Germanicus Julius Caesar died mysteriously.
Good Bye – In 1973, the US Vice President resigned.
Fort Severn No More – In 1845, the US Naval Academy opened.

October 11: Raising the Mary Rose – In 1982, the Mary Rose, a sixteenth century warship, was raised from the sea.
Free, But … – In 1865, Paul Bogle led a revolt in Jamaica.
Shop Til You Drop – In 1929, J.C. Penney opened store #1252.
Land Dispute – In 1767, the Mason-Dixon survey was completed.
New Map of New Netherlands – In 1614, Dutch explorers asked for a trade monopoly in the colonies.
Suicide or Murder – In 1809, Meriwether Lewis died.

October 12: Not Enough Sense to Get Out of the Rain – In 1923, Mackintosh raincoats went on sale.
Festive October – In 1810, Ludwig I married Therese – and began the tradition of Oktoberfest.
6,000,000,000 – In 1999, there were six billion people on the planet.
Chris Landed – In 1492, Columbus landed in the New World.
Burning Down the House – In 1918, the Cloquet Fires raged across Minnesota.
Dutch Delft Destroyed – In 1654, the Delft Explosion occurred.

October 13: Service – In 1843, B’nai B’rith was founded.
Miracle of the Sun – In 1917, Our Lady of Fatima appeared to thousands.
Yellow Jackets – In 1885, Georgia Tech was founded.
Whirlpool – In 1773, Charles Messier discovered a new galaxy.
President’s Palace – In 1973, the cornerstone for the White House was laid.
Organized Time – In 1884, Greenwich was adopted as the universal meridian.

October 14: Pooh Corner – In 1926, A.A. Milne published his first Pooh story.
Bull Moose – In 1912, presidential candidate Theodore Roosevelt was shot.
Ready! Camera! Action! – In 1888, the oldest surviving movie was filmed.
Buzz – In 1912, Claude Grahame-White flew.
Cubs Win! – In 1908, the Cubs won the World Series.
Run for Freedom – In 1943, an escape from the Sobibór extermination camp was cut short.

October 15: Rostov Ripper – In 1992, Andrei Chikatilo, of Russia, was found guilty of 52 murders.
Going Postal – In 1888, a letter was received, purportedly from Jack the Ripper.
You Got Some ‘Splainin To Do – In 1951, I Love Lucy premiered.
Chance Chants – In 1764, Edward Gibbon was inspired to write his work on the fall of Rome.
Upgrade – In 1956, a new computer language was born.
Horace Hunley – Inventor – In 1863, Hunley went down with his ship.

October 16: Cardiff Giant– In 1869, a petrified giant was found near Cardiff.
Complex Numbers – In 1843, quaternions were first defined.
Planned Parenthood – In 1916, Margaret Sanger opened a clinic.
Disney – In 1923, Walt and Roy Disney signed a contract to produce the Alice Comedies.
London Beer Flood – In 1814, beer flooded London streets.
Palace of Westminster – In 1834, the palace burned.

October 17: National Geographic – In 1888, the National Geographic Society began publishing a new magazine.
Fore – In 1860, the Open Championship was first played.
War on Poverty – In 1993, the UN sponsored its first International Day for the Eradication of Poverty.
Tornado – In 1091, the London Tornado struck.
Man’s Achievement – In 1965, the New York World’s Fair closed.
Retribution – In 1660, King Charles II avenges his father’s death.

October 18: Le Bateau – In 1961, Henri Matisse’s painting was hung at the Museum of Modern Art – upside down.
Not the Essex – In 1851, Moby-Dick was published in England.
Church of the Holy Sepulchre – In 1009, the church was destroyed.
Terrorism – In 2007, a suicide bomber attacked Benazir Bhutto.
Movable Music – In 1954, the transistor radio was developed.
Flag Changing at Sitka – In 1867, the US took possession of Alaska.

October 19: Streptomycin – In 1943, Streptomycin was first isolated.
Not Soccer – Not Rugby – In 1873, the rules for American football were first codified.
Stella or A Deal You Can’t Refuse – In 1944, Marlon Brando made his Broadway debut.
Disco – In 1959, the Scotch-Club opened.
New Beginnings – In 1781, the Siege of Yorktown ended.
Allies to POWs – In 1943, the MS Sinfra sank.

October 20: Subway Vigilante – In 1987, Bernard (Bernie) Goetz was sentenced.
What Big Feet You Have – In 1967, a film of Bigfoot was taken – maybe.
Football Fiasco – In 1851, Johnny Bright was injured on the field.
Kragujevac – In 1941, the Kragujevac massacre began.
Cleveland East Ohio Gas Explosion – In 1944, a section of Cleveland was leveled.
Pirates of the Caribbean – In 1720, Calico Jack was captured.

October 21: Suicide Pilots – In 1944, the first kamikaze attack took place.
Apple Day – In 1990, the first Apple Day was held in Covent Garden, London.
USS Constitution – In 1797, the ship was launched.
Disaster – In 1966, the Aberfan disaster took place.
Rudolph Valentino – In 1921, The Sheik debuted.
Islands of the 11,000 Virgins – In 1520, the islands were discovered by Europeans.

October 22: When the World Was New – In 4004 BC, the world was created – according to the math.
Where Is He? – In 1844, Jesus Christ did not return to Earth.
Pretty Boy – In 1934, Charles Floyd was killed.
No, Thanks – In 1964, Jean-Paul Sartre was awarded the Nobel Prize.
Shipwreck – In 1707, four ships sunk off the coast of England.
Floating – In 1797, a parachute was first used successfully.

October 23: Fore – In 1930, the first miniature golf tournament was held.
Bump! Boom! – In 1958, the Springhill mining disaster struck.
Poison Gas – In 2002, the Moscow Theater Hostage Crisis began.
Schtroumpfs – In 1958, the Belgian comic strip debuted.
National Women’s Rights Convention – In 1850, the first convention was held.
Messing with the Mob – In 1935, the Palace Chophouse was the site of a shoot out.

October 24: Nedelin Catastrophe – In 1960, a Soviet Union ICBM exploded on the launchpad.
Notre Dame – In 1260, the cathedral was dedicated.
Terror Along the Beltway – In 2002, the Beltway Sniper was arrested.
Earth – In 1946, the first picture of Earth from outer space was taken.
Thar She Goes – In 1901, Annie Taylor celebrated her birthday.
Soaring – In 1911, the Wright Brothers made another historic flight.

October 25: Who Blinked? – In 1962, the Cuban Missile Crisis confrontation between Adlai Stevenson and Valerian Zorin took place.
George, George, George – In 1760, George III began his reign in England.
Nuke It – In 1955, microwave ovens became available for home use.
Fox River Grove – In 1995, a train hit a bus stopped at a red light.
St. Katherine Docks – In 1828, the London docks opened.
Primrose Path to Hell – In 1938, Archbishop Beckman condemned swing music.

October 26: Tombstone, Arizona – In 1881, the gunfight at the OK Corral took place.
Whoa! – In 1861, Pony Express service officially ended.
Cloud of Death – In 1948, Donora, Pennsylvania was shrouded in a toxic fog.
Outnumbered – In 1597, the battle of Myeongnyang was fought.
Baby Fae – In 1984, the baby was given a baboon’s heart.
Last of the Line – In 1977, Ali Maalin was diagnosed with smallpox.

October 27: Fancy Dry Goods Store – In 1858, Macy opened his first NYC store.
Underground – In 1904, the first section of the New York City subway opened.
Paris Riots – In 2005, riots broke out in Paris.
Single – In 1936, Wallis Simpson was divorced.
Sacrificial Lamb – In 1553, Michael Servetus was burned at the stake.
Amstel River – In 1275, the name of Amsterdam was first used in an official document.

October 28: Higher Education – In 1538, the first university in the New World was established.
The Two Sisters – In 1886, the Statue of Liberty was dedicated.
Volstead Act – In 1919, Prohibition passed over President Wilson’s veto.
Gateway – In 1965, the Gateway Arch was completed.
Stopping Malaria – In 1948, Paul Muller received a Nobel Prize.
Ticker Tape – In 1886, the first ticker tape parade was held.

October 29: Ali, the Greatest – In 1960, Cassius Clay, later to be known as Muhammad Ali, had his first professional fight.
Seeing Red – In 1863, the International Red Cross got its start.
You’re in the Army Now – In 1940, the first peacetime draft in the US was instituted.
Raleigh – In 1618, Sir Walter Raleigh was executed.
Serial Killer – In 1901, Jane Toppan was arrested.
Black Tuesday – In 1929, the US Stock Market crashed.

October 30: “Isn’t there … anyone?”– In 1938, the radio broadcast of The War of the Worlds led to panic in the streets.
Europe and Asia Linked – In 1973, the first Bosphorus Bridge was completed.
Rebuilding – In 2005, the rebuilt Dresden Frauenkirche was reconsecrated.
Transplant – In 1960, the first kidney transplant in the UK was performed.
Banquet of the Chestnuts – In 1501, Cesare Borgia threw a party.
Tsar Bomba – In 1961, the most powerful nuclear weapon in the world was tested.

October 31: “I’m just a patsy” – In 1959, Lee Harvey Oswald in Moscow, vowed to never return to the US.
Shooting Shooters – In 1912, the first gangster film was released by DW Griffith.
Hot, Hot, Hot – In 1923, a heat wave began in Marble Bar, Australia.
95 Theses – In 1517 Martin Luther posted his Disputation on the church door.
No Escape from Death – In 1926, Erik Weisz died.
Lincoln Highway – In 1913, the highway was formally dedicated.