Major Events
- 1480 Great Stand on the Ugra river: Standoff between forces of Akhmat Khan, Khan of the Great Horde and Ivan III, Grand Prince of all Rus. Ends with a Tatar-Mongol retreat, leading to the disintegration of the Horde.
- 1769 Captain James Cook lands in New Zealand for the first time, near present-day Gisborne at Poverty Bay on the East Coast of the North Island. A misunderstanding, possibly over a ceremonial challenge causes the English to shoot and kill Ngāti Oneone leader, Te Maro. [1]
- 1856 The Second Opium War or second Anglo-Chinese War: begins with the Arrow Incident on the Pearl River
- 1915 Battle of Loos on WWI Western Front ends, German forces contain British attack (85,000 casualties)
- 1917 Leon Trotsky named chairman of the Petrograd Soviet as Bolsheviks gain control
- 1945 Microwave oven patented by US inventor Percy Spencer
- 2001 US President George W. Bush announces the establishment of the Office of Homeland Security
- More October 8 Events
Oct 8 in Film & TV
- 1927 "The Second Hundred Years" silent short film released starring Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy - 1st Laurel and Hardy film with them appearing as a team
Oct 8 in Music
- 1971 John Lennon releases his megahit single "Imagine"
Oct 8 in Sport
- 1818 Jack Broughton designed padded gloves first used in a competitive boxing match between 2 unnamed English boxers at Aix-la-Chapelle in France
Did You Know?
Kenyan Wangari Maathai is the first African woman to receive the Nobel Peace Prize for "her contribution to sustainable development, democracy and peace"
Juan Perón
Frank Herbert
R. L. Stine
Sadiq Khan
Fred Stolle
Sigourney Weaver
Matt Damon
Nick Cannon
Bella Thorne
Johnny Ramone
Bruno Mars
Laurence Doherty
Billy Conn
Bill Elliott
Matt Biondi
Fun Fact About October 8
Forest fire destroys Peshtigo, Wisconsin, killing between 1,200 and 2,500 people, making it then the deadliest wildfire in recorded history
Famous Weddings
- 1824 Salt Lake City founder Brigham Young (23) weds first wife Miriam Angeline Works (18) in Port Byron, New York
- 1842 Princess Sophia weds her cousin duke Charles Saksen-Weimar-Eisenach
- 1846 Prime Minister of Canada Charles Tupper (25) weds Frances Amelia Morse (20) in Amherst, Nova Scotia
Famous Divorces
- 2010 American musician Ben Harper (40) divorces American actress Laura Dern (43) due to irreconcilable differences after 5 years of marriage
More October 8 Weddings
John Hancock
Franklin Pierce
Clement Attlee
Willy Brandt
Al Davis
Whitey FordArticles, Photos and Quiz
The Great Stand on the Ugra River
On one side of the Ugra River stood the Mongol Golden Horde, on the other, Ivan III, Grand Prince of the rising Muscovy Principality. At stake, everything.
October 8, 1480
Great Chicago Fire
A depiction of the Great Chicago Fire which lasted from October 8 to October 10, 1871
October 8, 1871
Sgt. Alvin York Kills 25 German Soldiers
Painting of Sergeant Alvin York firing at the German soldiers in France
October 8, 1918
