What are the important events that happened on October 8? Here are historical events, facts, and some myths about this day.

October 8: Facts & Myths About This Day

October 8 is the 281^st day of the year 2025 in the Gregorian calendar. There are 84 days remaining until the end of this year. The day of the week is Wednesday.

Under the Julian calendar, this day is September 25, 2025 – a Wednesday. Both day of the week are the same but did you notice the difference with the Gregorian calendar?

When this day started, 29,331,360 minutes has elapsed since midnight of January 1, 1970 – the Unix epoch.

Strange as it may, if we name this day after a polygon then it will be called ‘dihectaoctacontahenagon’ day.

Libra is the zodiac sign of a person born on this day. Opal is the modern birthstone for this month. Jasper is the mystical birthstone from Tibetan origin that dates back over a thousand years.

According to the lunisolar Chinese calendar, there are 132 days remaining before the start of the next Chinese New Year.

The ancient Maya civilization believes that the end of the world will happen on December 21, 2012. There are now 4,674 days since this fabled cataclysmic event.

October 8 Historical Events

• 1860 –
  Telegraph line between Los Angeles and San Francisco opens.
• 1871 –
  Four major fires break out on the shores of Lake Michigan in Chicago, Peshtigo, Wisconsin, Holland, Michigan, and Manistee, Michigan including the Great Chicago Fire, and the much deadlier Peshtigo Fire.
• 1904 –
  Prince Albert, Saskatchewan was incorporated as a city.
• 1912 –
  First Balkan War begins: Montenegro declares war against Turkey.
• 1921 –
  KDKA in Pittsburgh’s Forbes Field conducts the first live broadcast of a football game.
• 1941 –
  World War II: In their invasion of the Soviet Union, Germany reaches the Sea of Azov with the capture of Mariupol.
• 1944 –
  World War II: The Battle of Crucifix Hill occurs on Crucifix Hill just outside Aachen. Capt. Bobbie Brown receives a Medal of Honor for his heroics in this battle.
• 1962 –
  Spiegel scandal: Der Spiegel publishes the article “Bedingt abwehrbereit” (“Conditionally prepared for defense”) about a NATO manoeuver called “Fallex 62”, which uncovered the sorry state of the Bundeswehr (Germany’s army) facing the communist threat from the east at the time. The magazine is soon accused of treason.
• 1969 –
  The opening rally of the Days of Rage occurs, organized by the Weather Underground in Chicago, Illinois.
• 2005 –
  2005 Kashmir earthquake: Thousands of people are killed by a magnitude 7.6 earthquake in parts of Pakistan, India and Afghanistan.

Who were born on October 8?

• 1910 –
  Kirk Alyn, American actor (d. 1999)
• 1918 –
  Ron Randell, film character actor (d. 2005)
• 1927 –
  César Milstein, Argentine scientist, Nobel laureate (d. 2002)
• 1932 –
  Ray Reardon, Welsh snooker player
• 1944 –
  Ed Kirkpatrick, American baseball player (d. 2010)
• 1948 –
  Benjamin Cheever, American novelist and editor
• 1959 –
  Nick Bakay, American actor
• 1976 –
  Renate Groenewold, Dutch speed skater
• 1984 –
  Domenik Hixon, American Football player
• 1985 –
  Bruno Mars, American singer-songwriter

Who died on October 8?

• 1809 –
  James Elphinston, Scottish philologist (b. 1721)
• 1928 –
  Larry Semon, comedian (b. 1889)
• 1936 –
  William Henry Stark, American business leader (b. 1851)
• 1958 –
  Ran Bosilek, Bulgarian author (b. 1886)
• 1962 –
  Solomon Linda, South African singer and composer (b. 1909)
• 1970 –
  Mitr Chaibancha, Thai film actor (b. 1934)
• 1982 –
  Fernando Lamas, Argentine actor (b. 1915)
• 2000 –
  Sheila Holland, English writer (b. 1937)
• 2007 –
  Constantine Andreou, Greek artist (b. 1917)
• 2011 –
  Al Davis, American football executive (b. 1929)