THIS MONTH IN HISTORY october
Noah Webster
Mahatma Gandhi
Pablo Picasso
O
ctober is jam-packed with
month
long
observances,
cultural celebrations, events
and holidays. The following are
historical events that took place in the
month of October.
October 4, 1582 - The Gregorian
Calendar took effect in Catholic
countries as Pope Gregory XIII issued
a decree stating the day following
Thursday, October 4, 1582, would be
Friday, October 15, 1582, correcting a
10-day error accumulated by the Julian
Calendar. Britain and the American
colonies adopted the Gregorian
calendar in 1752.
American teacher and journalist, Noah
Webster was born on October 16,
1758 in West Hartford, Connecticut.
His name became synonymous with
“dictionary” after he compiled the first
American dictionaries of the English
language.
October 16, 1793 - Queen Marie
Antoinette was beheaded during
the Reign of Terror following the
French Revolution. She was the wife of
King Louis XVI and had become the
symbol of the people’s hatred for the
old regime due to her extravagance
and frivolity. According to legend, she
responded, “Let them eat cake,” when
told poor people had no bread.
Indian political and spiritual leader
Mohandas (Mahatma) Gandhi was
60 | Sep - Oct 2015 |
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BILL GATES
Martin Luther
King Jr
born on October 2, 1869 in Porbandar,
India. He achieved worldwide fame
for his devout lifestyle and nonviolent
resistance, which ended British rule
over India. He was assassinated by a
religious fanatic in the garden of his
home in New Delhi on January 30,
1948.
On October 22, 1879, Thomas
Edison successfully tested an electric
incandescent lamp with a carbonized
filament at his laboratory. It remained
lit for over 13.5 hours.
Artist Pablo Picasso was born on
October 25, 1881 in Malaga, Spain.
He was an experimental painter and
also became a fine sculptor, engraver
and ceramist.
The first “talkie” opened in New
York on October 6, 1927, heralding
the ascendance of “talkies” and
the decline of silent films. The Jazz
Singer, starring Al Jolson was the first
full-length feature film using spoken
dialogue.
The United Nations was founded on
October 24, 1945.
On October 1, 1949, the People’s
Republic of China was founded with
Mao Zedong as Chairman.
Microsoft founder Bill Gates was born
in Seattle, Washington on October
28, 1955. In 1975, he co-founded
After The Bell
Microsoft with Paul Allen, designing
software for IBM computers. By
1980, Microsoft became the leading
software company for IBM compatible
computers. Gates became a billionaire
by age 31 and remains one of the
world’s wealthiest individuals.
On October 9, 1962, the Republic of
Uganda achieved independence after
nearly 70 years of British rule.
On October 14, 1964, Civil Rights
leader Martin Luther King, Jr.,
became the youngest recipient of the
Nobel Peace Prize.
On October 31, 1984
- Indian
Prime Minister Indira Gandhi was
assassinated by three Sikh members
of her bodyguard while walking in the
garden of her New Delhi home. She
is the second-longest-serving Prime
Minister of India and the only woman
to hold the office.
After 45 years of Cold War division,
East and West Germany were reunited
on October 3, 1990, as the Federal
Republic of Germany. October 3 is
recognised as Germany Unity Day and
is celebrated as a public holiday.
*October is observed as Breast Cancer
Awareness Month in America, Canada
and a few other countries.
Source: The History Place, Wikipedia