October 8 facts for kids

October 8 is the 281st day of the year (282nd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar; 84 days remain until the end of the year. October 8th is a day filled with many interesting events throughout history, from ancient battles and important coronations to modern scientific discoveries and cultural milestones. Many famous people were also born or passed away on this day. Let's explore some of the most notable moments and people connected to October 8th!

Historical Events

Early History (Before 1600)

• 314 – A Roman Emperor named Licinius lost his lands in Europe after being defeated by Constantine I in the Battle of Cibalae.
• 451 – The very first meeting of the Council of Chalcedon took place. This was an important gathering for the Christian Church.
• 876 – Frankish forces, led by Louis the Younger, stopped an invasion and defeated Emperor Charles II (also known as "the Bald") at the Battle of Andernach.
• 1075 – Dmitar Zvonimir was crowned King of Croatia.
• 1200 – Isabella of Angoulême became the Queen of England.
• 1322 – Mladen II Šubić of Bribir was removed from his position as the Croatian Ban after the Battle of Bliska.
• 1480 – The Great Stand on the Ugra River marked the end of Tartar rule over Moscow.
• 1573 – The Spanish siege of Alkmaar ended. This was the first victory for the Dutch in the Eighty Years' War.

From 1601 to 1900

• 1645 – Jeanne Mance opened the first hospital in North America that was run by people who were not part of a religious order. It was in Montreal.
• 1813 – The Treaty of Ried was signed between Bavaria and Austria. A treaty is an official agreement between countries.
• 1821 – The Peruvian Navy was officially created during their War of Independence.
• 1829 – Stephenson's Rocket, a famous early steam locomotive, won the Rainhill Trials, showing how fast and powerful it was.
• 1856 – The Second Opium War began between several Western countries and China, starting with an event called the Arrow Incident.
• 1862 – During the American Civil War, the Confederate army's invasion of Kentucky was stopped at the Battle of Perryville.
• 1871 – A combination of slash-and-burn farming, a long drought, and a strong cold front caused huge fires to break out. These included the Peshtigo Fire, the Great Chicago Fire, and the Great Michigan Fires.
• 1879 – In the War of the Pacific, the Chilean Navy defeated the Peruvian Navy in the Battle of Angamos.
• 1895 – Korean Empress Myeongseong was assassinated by Japanese secret agents.

Modern Times (1901–Present)

• 1912 – The First Balkan War started when Montenegro declared war on the Ottoman Empire.
• 1918 – During World War I, Corporal Alvin C. York showed incredible bravery. He captured 132 German soldiers and was awarded the Medal of Honor.
• 1921 – KDKA in Pittsburgh made history by broadcasting the first live football game from Forbes Field.
• 1939 – In World War II, Germany took over western Poland.
• 1941 – Also in World War II, German forces reached the Sea of Azov after capturing Mariupol, during the early stages of the Battle of Rostov.
• 1944 – Captain Bobbie Brown earned a Medal of Honor for his brave actions during the Battle of Crucifix Hill, near Aachen, in World War II.
• 1952 – The Harrow and Wealdstone rail crash in England tragically killed 112 people.
• 1956 – New York Yankees pitcher Don Larsen threw the only perfect game in a World Series ever. A perfect game means no opposing player reaches base.
• 1967 – Famous guerrilla leader Che Guevara and his group were captured in Bolivia.
• 1970 – Author Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn won the Nobel Prize in Literature.
• 1973 – During the Yom Kippur War, Israel lost many tanks in a failed attack on Egyptian positions.
• 1974 – The Franklin National Bank collapsed due to fraud. At the time, it was the biggest bank failure in U.S. history.
• 1978 – Australia's Ken Warby set a new world water speed record of 275.97 knots (about 511 km/h) at Blowering Dam.
• 1982 – Poland banned Solidarity, a major trade union, and all other trade unions.
• 1982 – The popular musical Cats opened on Broadway in New York City. It ran for almost 18 years!
• 1990 – During the First Intifada, Israeli police killed 17 Palestinians and injured over 100 near the Dome of the Rock.
• 1991 – Croatia and Slovenia officially separated from Yugoslavia after the Brioni Agreement ended.
• 2001 – A small plane and a Scandinavian Airlines jet crashed in heavy fog during takeoff from Milan, Italy, killing 118 people in the Linate Airport disaster.
• 2001 – U.S. President George W. Bush announced the creation of the Office of Homeland Security.
• 2005 – A powerful 7.6 magnitude earthquake in Kashmir caused a lot of damage, leaving many people dead, injured, and homeless.
• 2014 – Thomas Eric Duncan, the first person diagnosed with Ebola in the United States, passed away.
• 2016 – After Hurricane Matthew, the number of deaths rose to nearly 900.
• 2019 – Around 200 Extinction Rebellion activists blocked the gates of Leinster House, which is the parliament building in the Republic of Ireland.
• 2020 – During the Second Nagorno-Karabakh War, Azerbaijan deliberately attacked the Church of the Holy Savior Ghazanchetsots in Shusha twice.
• 2023 – The 2023 Israel–Hamas war was declared after a major attack by Hamas the day before.

Famous Birthdays

Many interesting people were born on October 8th:

Before 1900

• 319 BC – Pyrrhus of Epirus, a Greek king and general.
• 1150 – Narapatisithu, a king of Burma.
• 1551 – Giulio Caccini, an Italian composer.
• 1585 – Heinrich Schütz, a German organist and composer.
• 1753 – Princess Sophia Albertina of Sweden.
• 1807 – Harriet Taylor Mill, an English philosopher and activist.
• 1850 – Henry Louis Le Châtelier, a French chemist.
• 1872 – Mary Engle Pennington, an American chemist and refrigeration engineer.
• 1873 – Ejnar Hertzsprung, a Danish astronomer.
• 1883 – Otto Heinrich Warburg, a German physiologist who won a Nobel Prize.
• 1890 – Eddie Rickenbacker, an American soldier and pilot who received the Medal of Honor.
• 1895 – Juan Perón, a general and politician who became the President of Argentina.

After 1900

• 1901 – Mark Oliphant, an Australian physicist and politician.
• 1917 – Rodney Robert Porter, an English biochemist who won a Nobel Prize.
• 1918 – Jens Christian Skou, a Danish chemist and physiologist who won a Nobel Prize.
• 1920 – Frank Herbert, an American author, famous for Dune.
• 1927 – César Milstein, an Argentinian-English biochemist who won a Nobel Prize.
• 1928 – Didi, a famous Brazilian footballer.
• 1929 – Betty Boothroyd, the first female Speaker of the British House of Commons.
• 1930 – Faith Ringgold, an American painter and activist.
• 1939 – Paul Hogan, an Australian actor, known for Crocodile Dundee.
• 1941 – Jesse Jackson, an American minister and civil rights activist.
• 1943 – Chevy Chase, an American comedian and actor.
• 1943 – R. L. Stine, an American author, famous for the Goosebumps books.
• 1946 – Dennis Kucinich, an American politician.
• 1948 – Johnny Ramone, an American guitarist from the band The Ramones.
• 1949 – Sigourney Weaver, an American actress, known for movies like Alien.
• 1950 – Robert "Kool" Bell, an American singer and bass player from Kool & the Gang.
• 1955 – Bill Elliott, an American race car driver.
• 1955 – Darrell Hammond, an American comedian and actor.
• 1958 – Ursula von der Leyen, a German politician who is the President of the European Commission.
• 1959 – Nick Bakay, an American actor and producer.
• 1960 – Reed Hastings, an American businessman who co-founded Netflix.
• 1961 – Kim Wayans, an American actress and comedian.
• 1964 – Ian Hart, an English actor.
• 1964 – CeCe Winans, an American singer.
• 1965 – Matt Biondi, an American swimmer who won many Olympic medals.
• 1965 – Ardal O'Hanlon, an Irish comedian and actor.
• 1968 – Zvonimir Boban, a Croatian footballer.
• 1968 – Emily Procter, an American actress.
• 1970 – Matt Damon, an American actor, producer, and screenwriter.
• 1970 – Sadiq Khan, an English lawyer and the current Mayor of London.
• 1974 – Martin Henderson, a New Zealand actor.
• 1979 – Kristanna Loken, an American actress.
• 1980 – Nick Cannon, an American actor, rapper, and producer.
• 1980 – The Miz, an American wrestler and actor.
• 1985 – Bruno Mars, an American singer-songwriter and producer.
• 1987 – Aya Hirano, a Japanese voice actress and singer.
• 1993 – Angus T. Jones, an American actor.
• 1993 – Garbiñe Muguruza, a Spanish tennis player.
• 1993 – Barbara Palvin, a Hungarian model and actress.
• 1997 – Bella Thorne, an American actress.

Notable Deaths

Some well-known individuals passed away on October 8th:

Before 1900

• 705 – Abd al-Malik ibn Marwan, a Muslim caliph.
• 1317 – Emperor Fushimi of Japan.
• 1354 – Cola di Rienzo, a Roman politician.
• 1469 – Filippo Lippi, a famous Italian artist.
• 1594 – Ishikawa Goemon, a legendary ninja and thief from Japan.
• 1735 – Yongzheng Emperor of China.
• 1754 – Henry Fielding, an English novelist and playwright.
• 1793 – John Hancock, an American merchant and politician, known for his large signature on the Declaration of Independence.
• 1821 – Juan O'Donojú, the last Spanish ruler of Mexico.
• 1869 – Franklin Pierce, the 14th President of the United States.

After 1900

• 1931 – John Monash, an Australian general and engineer.
• 1936 – Premchand, an Indian author.
• 1944 – Wendell Willkie, an American politician.
• 1953 – Nigel Bruce, a British actor.
• 1967 – Clement Attlee, a former Prime Minister of the United Kingdom.
• 1970 – Jean Giono, a French author.
• 1979 – Jayaprakash Narayan, an Indian politician.
• 1982 – Philip Noel-Baker, Baron Noel-Baker, an English politician who won the Nobel Peace Prize.
• 1992 – Willy Brandt, a German politician who was a Chancellor of Germany and won the Nobel Peace Prize.
• 2011 – Al Davis, an American football coach and manager.
• 2015 – Jim Diamond, a Scottish singer-songwriter.
• 2020 – Whitey Ford, a famous American professional baseball pitcher.

Holidays and Celebrations

October 8th is a day for several special observances:

• World Space Week (which runs from October 4th to 10th)
• Air Force Day in India
• Arbor Day in Namibia, a day to plant trees
• Children's Day in Iran
• Navy Day in Peru
• International Lesbian Day
• National Fluffernutter Day, celebrating a sweet sandwich!

See also

In Spanish: 8 de octubre para niños