October 31st

On this day – 31st October 1984 – The assassination of India’s first female prime minister

Indira Gandhi, the daughter of India’s first prime minister, was elected as the Prime minister in 1966. She was a ruthless politician who worked towards centralizing the powers in India. She was re-elected in 1980 and it was during this term she was assassinated. Two of her Sikh bodyguard assassinated her on the 31st of October 1984 as a response to the assault on the Golden Temple. The assassination led to anti-Sikh riots where around 2800 Sikhs in India were murdered. The two assassins who killed Gandhi were hanged in 1989, while the murders of the Sikhs have yet to be properly prosecuted.

October 30th

On this day–30th October 1938– the famous “The War of the Worlds” radio-drama was played

The play was based on the book H. G Wells novel with the same title and Orson Welles was the director and narrator. The show was about the invasion of the US by alien and it started with a row of news bulletin to suggest the invasion. The radio-drama became famous because it allegedly caused mass panic, which have later been disputed because of its rather low amount of listeners. It did, however, create a huge news media coverage. Problems was also created for the radio-station on the eve of the show due to large crowds and police requesting the show to be interrupted. Orson Wells also received over 2000 letters in the aftermath of the radio-drama, and it helped to future his career. 

Happy Halloween to all our readers, don't panic!

Orson Welles explaining that no one knew that the broadcast would cause chaos  

October 29th

On this day - 29th of October 1923 - The Turkish republic was established

Turkey was established after the fall of the Ottoman Empire. Ottomans covered, at one point, parts of Northern-Africa, South East Europe, Western Asia, Caucasus and Horn of Africa. The Ottoman Empire declined during the 19th century, and as a last effort to gain back lost territories allied the Ottoman empire themselves with Germany during World War 1. British, French and Italian forces occupied Constantinople, Ottomans Capital, during the war. This, and the aftermath of the war contributed to the establishment of a Turkish national movement. In 1922 won this movement, and Mustafa Kemal, the Turkish war of Independence. On the 1st of November 1922 was the Sultanate abolished ending the 623 years long regime of the Ottoman Empire. This made the Ottoman Empire into history’s ninth longest lasting empire. On the 29th of October 1923 was Turkey established as a republic. Mustafa Kemal, also known as Atatürk, became Turkey’s first president and Ankara became Turkey’s new capital. The 28th to the 29th October is today celebrated in Turkey as Republic day.

Ataturk in the middle in the backrow

October 28th

On this day - 28th October 1962 - Ended the Cuban Missile Crises 

The cuban missile crises lasted from the 16th to the 28th of October and was one of the most intense issues during the cold war. It was the closest the cold war came to become a warm, and potential nuclear, conflict. The reason for the conflict was the Soviet Unions deployment of ballistic missiles on Cuba after US failed "Bay of Pigs Invasion" of Cuba. After this followed a series of minor conflicts, including the US dropping of "Depth Charges" on a nuclear armed Soviet submarine and a military blockage by the US. On the 28th was finally an agreement between Kennedy and Khrushchev reached and agreed on by both sides.
The Soviet Union agreed to dismantle their offensive weapons on Cuba in exchange for an U.S official declaration to never invade Cuba without direct provocation. The US also agreed, in secretly, to dismantle U.S built Jupiter missiles in Turkey and Italy. As a result of the conflict was a hotline between Moscow and Washington established. The conflict became an embarrassment for Khrushchev, who fell from power only two years later.

J.F. Kennedy signing the proclamation authorizing the naval quarantine of Cuba

October 27th

On this day - October 27th 1992 - was the US marine, Allen Schindler, murdered for being gay

Allen R. Schindler, who worked as a radioman in the US navy, was brutally killed in a public toilet in Japan. He had at least four fatal injuries and his penis was cut. His family was only able to identify Schindler due to a tattoo on his arm, because his body was unrecognisable. Schindler had previous to the murder complained to his commanding officer about anti-gay harassment on the assault ship he worked on. Schindler har decided to leave the navy, be his superiors had insisted he remained on the ship until his separation-process was finished. His murderer, airman apprentice Helvey, was sentenced to lifetime in prison. The murdered sparked a debate about gays in the US military culminating in the "Don't ask, don't tell" bill. This bill prohibit military personell from discriminating against or harassing against closet homosexuals and it prohibit openly gay, lesbian and bisexual persons from military service.

Allen R. Schindler died at the young age of 22 due to other peoples hatred. While his death caused a shift for the Navy LGBT rights still remains an issue until this day.

No clause for gays 

October 26th

On this day - 26th October 1977 - Was smallpox eradicated 

The somali Ali Maow Maalin is the last human to have been naturally infected with (Variola Minor) smallpox. He contracted the disease on October 26th 1977. He survived, and the world health organisation declared the virus as officially eradicated two years later. Smallpox is believed to first have developed among humans around 10.000 BC. By the end of the 18th century died around 400.000 europeans annually. The eradication of this disease is considered one of the vaccination programs greatest success and 26th or October is by WHO considered the anniversary of the eradication of smallpox. 

Smallpox Vaccine

October 25th

On this day – October 25th 1760 – became George III king of UK 

George III was king of UK and Ireland until his death in 1820. His reign was longer than any UK monarch before him and only Victoria and Elisabeth II has ruled longer than him . George was then the king both during the Napoleon war and the American war of independence. George III struggled in his later years with dementia and rheumatics and by 1810 he was virtually blind. The Prince of Wales was the Regent from 1811 until George III death in 1820.  George III was succeeded by George IV who only ruled for the next 10 years.

October 24th

On this day - 24th of October 1945 - Vidkun Quisling was executed 

Quisling is mostly known for being the head of state during the German occupation of Norway. Quisling also met Hitler several times both before and after the ware broke out. Quisling announced over the radio that his political party, "Nasjonal Samling"(Norwegian national nazi-party) had seized power and that he was to be prime minister. His role as the prime-minister only lasted one week, since neither the Germans nor the Norwegians approved of him. Quisling got a second shot at political power in 1942 when he was appointed Minister President of Norway. Quisling had to, however, share his power with the German Reichskommissar Josef Terboven. Quisling was not a well liked man, he was not even liked by the Germans or even his own political party. After the war Quisling turned himself over to the police and his trial was set the 20th of August where he was found guilty of treason among other charges. On the 10th of September he was convicted and sentenced to death by firing squad. His last words were "I'm convicted unfairly and I die innocent." His legacy is that his name Quisling is a synonym with traitor and collaborationist.

Quisling og Terboven

October 23rd

On this day – 23rd October 1850 – was the first National Women’s Rights Convention held 

This convention was held in Massachusetts on the 23-24 October 1850. The Convention was held to increase the visibility of women’s rights in the US and both male and females participated. A majority of the 900 participants were, however, men. The convention was thereafter held every year. The 23d also mark the day for a huge suffrage march in New York City in 1915. By that time had women’s rights increased compared to the Convention in 1850, but women were still lacking the right to vote in the US. Over 25.000 women marched up on Fifth Avenue which made it to the largest held in the city. People were, however, skeptical and New York Times ran an article arguing that “granted the suffrage, they would demand all the rights that implies. It is not possible to think of women as soldiers and sailors, police patrolmen, or firemen”. It would take another five years before the right to vote was given to women in the US.

The Suffrage Parade 1912 

October 22nd

On this day – 22nd October 1797 – The first recorded parachute jump 

The first recorded parachute jump was done by the Frenchman André-Jacques Garnerin over Paris in 1797. His parachute was based on an umbrella like shape (about 7m wide) and in silk. The first jump was from a height of one thousand meters (3200 feet). In October 1799 was the first recorded parachute jump by a women also successfully conducted. This was done by Jeanne Garnerin, André-Jacques, wife. Garnerin travelled around Europe to show off his balloons and parachutes until his death in 1823.

October 21st

On this day – 21st October 1805 – The battle of Trafalgar was fought 

The battle of Trafalgar, which was fought 210 year ago today, was a naval engagement between France and Spain on one side against the UK on the other side. The naval engagement was a part of the longer lasting Napoleonic war going on at the time. France/Spain lost 22 vessels in the conflict, while UK lost none, which caused this to be the most decisive naval battle during the whole war. Lord Nelson, the British flag officer died in the battle from a gunshot. His last words were “God and my country” and he became one of UKs most prominent war heroes at the time. His body was preserved in a barrel of brandy on the travels back to UK so that he could receive a hero’s funeral. Trafalgar square in London is today dedicated to Lord Nelson. The UK continued to be the world dominant naval power until the Second World War.

October 21st - Future day

This day is Back to the Future day!

In the Science Fiction classic Back to the future, Marty McFly and Dr Emmet "Doc" Brow traveled to this day in history. While flying cars and self-tying shoelaces have not been invented Lexus has announced the hover-board. If you have not seen this classic celebrate this day by watching an awesome piece of science fiction history.

October 20th

On this day – 20th October 1973 – Sydney Opera House Opened 

Queen Elizabeth II (The British Queen) opened the iconic building in Australia on the 20th of October in 1973. The Danish Architect Jørn Utzon designed the building after winning a competition that was held in 1957. The building of the factory started in 1959, but the building was only completed in 1973 at a cost of $102 million. This was 1457% over the estimated building costs, and it also took 10 years longer than anticipated to finish the building. The first concert to be hold was Beethoven’s symphony number 9. The architect, Utzon, was not invented to the opening ceremony. The building hosts a range of venues and it has over 1500 performances every year, and is today considered one of the most iconic buildings in Australia.

October 19th

On this day – 19th October 1950 – China joined the Korean War 

Korea was divided in two after the Second World War and the defeat of Japan. The northern part of Korea had been liberated by the Soviet Union, while the southern parts had been liberated by the US. Each of the two liberating nations set up a governments in “their” part of the country, and thus a north and south Korea was created. In the summer of 1950 attacked North Korea the south with a goal of reunification. A UN led force got involved on the southern side. China supported North Korea, but they chose to not get directly involved in the war until the 19th of October 1950 when Chinese forces secretly crossed the Yalu River. The Southern forces had pressed the forces from the North up close to the Chinese border and China did not want to have an American friendly government close to their own borders. The Chinese participation turned the war around for the northern forces. After over three years was a ceasefire agreed to by all participating countries and no real change in the relationship between North and South Korea have happened since.

October 18th

On this day – 18th October 1851 – Was the novel about Moby-Dick published 

The novel written by Herman Melville was first published under the title “The Whale”.  Moby-Dick is a white whale who destroyed the narrator of the novels ship and the novel gives a realistic description of whale-hunting. The novel was first published in London on the 18th of October in 1851, but it was a commercial failure. The book was published in the US in November the same year, but at the time of Melville death was the book out of publishing. It have in modern time gained popularity and it is today recognized as one of the Great Novels. 

“As for me, I am tormented with an everlasting itch for things remote. I love to sail forbidden seas, and land on barbarous coasts.”

October 17th

On this day – 17th of October – 1814 died 8 people of drowning in a beer-flood

The London Beer-Flood happened on the 17th of October when a storage tank (vats) holding 610.000 Litre of beer ruptured. This led to a domino effect, and more vats ruptured and over 1400.000 Litres of beer over-flooded the area. At least 8 people drown or died from injuries sustained in the flood, and the people taking to the streets to drink didn’t make the rescue work any easier. The disaster was later taken to court, but it was ruled to be an act by God. The porter-producing brewery who had the accident continued to operate until 1921.

October 16th

On this day – 16th of October 1923 – The Walt Disney Company was founded 

Walt and his brother Roy founded the Walt Disney Company 93 years ago today. The company was first named the Disney Brothers Cartoon Studio. Mickey Mouse, the companies star character was invented by Disney in 1928. The original name was Mortimer mouse, but Disney’s wife disliked the name and it was changed to Mickey. In 1937 had Snow White and the 7 dwarfs it’s premier. This was Disneys first full feature animated movie. The Disney Company is today the world second largest media conglomerate in the world and operate in everything from movies and TV to theme parks. They own ABC broadcasting, the Disney Channel, ESPN and AMC family, and they own and license 14 theme parks all around the world. Disney’s newest investment is the rights to the Star Wars. Walt Disney died in December 1966 and Roy took over as CEO. He died in 1971 and the company was left to Walts son-in-law, among other.

October 15th

On this day – 15th of October 1990 - Mikhail Gorbachev got the Nobel Peace Prize 

Mikhail Gorbachev, who got the Nobel Peace Prize, was the last leader of the former Soviet Union. Gorbachev got the Peace Prize for his effort to end the Cold War. His polices that lead to this was called glasnost (openness) and perestroika (restructuring). The removal of the constitutional role of the communist party lead to the end for the Soviet Union. Gorbachev has also gotten the Otto Hahn Medal peace medal in 1989 and the Harvey prize in 1992. 

October 14th

On this day – 14th of October – 1943 revolted the Jewish prisoners in one of the extermination camps 

The concentration camp, Sobibór was a camp in Poland where around 200.000 prisoners were executed during the war. On the revolt on the 14th of October 1943 tried around 600 of the prisoners to escape from the camp. The escape had been planned by a Jewish-Polish underground group who had heard rumors about German plans for the closing of the camp. In most cases, when camps were closed down were several of the prisoners brutally killed and this was something the prisoners fared. On the night of the 14th of October attacked the prisoners. 11 of the guards were killed in the revolt. Around half the prisoners succeeded in escaping to the forest, but most was recaptured later. An estimated 58 prisoners survived and successfully escaped the camp during the revolt. Shortly after the revolt was the cam demolished and trees were planted to hid its previous existence.

October 13th

On this day – 13th of October 1958 – Paddington bear, the children’s book figure was first introduced 

Paddington bear is a children’s book, which was written by Michael Bond who worked as a camera operator at BBC. The first book, A Bear Called Paddington, was published on the 13th of October 1958. The bear is named after Paddington station in London, because Bond was inspired to write the books after spotting a lone stuffed teddy bear close to the station. The first stuffed Paddington was sold in 1972. The books have been translated to 30 languages and over 30 million copies have been sold worldwide. 

October 12th

On this day – 12th of October – 1810 was the first Oktoberfest held 

The first Oktoberfest was held in Munich in 1810 to celebrate the marriage between Crown prince Ludwig and Princess Therese. The citizens of Munich was invited to participate in the celebrations, and thus the Oktoberfest was born. It has been celebrated almost every year since, only being cancelled of reasons such as cholera epidemics and wars. Today the fest is celebrate all around the world, but the celebration in Munich is still the most famous. Large quantities of beer is today consumed (over 7 million litres in 2013). The celebrations are often just referred to as Theresienwiese or Wiesen after the area the celebrations are held in, which is the same area as the celebration were held in 1810 as well.

October 11th

On this day – 11th of October – 1975 was Saturday Night Live first aired 

The variety show was titled NBCs Saturday Night when it first aired on October 11th 1975. The show is still running today and with over 700 episode aired is this show the longest running network TV program in the US. The show was an instant hit and the participant became instantly famous. Bill Murray is one of the many people who became famous after participating. Germany, Spain, South Korea and Japan is some of the many countries to have created national versions of the show.

October 10th

On this day – 10th of October – 1933 was the first commercial airplane destroyed by sabotage

The plane, a boing 247 from United Airlines, exploded mid-air on the 10th of October in 1933. The flight had four passengers, three crew members and were flying from New Jersey to California when it exploded. The reason for the explosion was an on board explosive device. Nitroglycerine was probably the explosive agent. This product was commonly used in dynamite at the time. No one was charged for the sabotage, and the reason behind it is still not known.

October 9th

On this day - the 9th of October 1986 - The Phantom of the Opera opened 

The musical the Phantom of the Opera opened in London´s west end in 1986 and on Broadway in 1988. The musical is the longest running on Broadway and has over 11 000 performances. The music is written by Andrew Loyd Webber and the lyrics by Charles Hart. In late 2004 a feature movie with Gerard Butler as the Phantom was released. The Phantom of the Opera has been translated and produced in over 28 countries. While the original show was not even nominated for a Tony award the Broadway production was awarded 7 awards in 1988, among them best musical.

October 8th

On this day – 8th of October – 2001 was the US department of Homeland security established 

The United States department of homeland security was created by President Bush as a response to the terrorist attacks on September 11th. The departments job is to protect homeland USA against threats such as terrorists, man-made accidents and natural catastrophes. In 2003 was also border enforcement agencies put under this department. Their mission is “a safer and more secure America” and they have a planned budget for 2016 of 41.2 billion US dollar (27.0128508 billion British pounds)

October 7th

On this day – 7th of October 1919– The world’s oldest airline still operating under the same name was established 

KLM, Koninklijke Luchtvaart Maatschappij N.V, was established in the Netherlands in 1919. The firm was one of the world’s first commercial airlines. Their first flight was in May 1920 from London to Amsterdam. The total number of transported passenger in 1020 was 440. The firm merged with Air France in 2004, but both airlines continues to operate under their original names.

October 6th

On this day - 6th of October 1927 - The first "talkies" movie was released 

The Jazz Singer was the first full feature movie where sound was synchronised with the movie. Up until then all full feature movies where silent and it marked the start of the end of the silent movies. The movie used the Vitaphone soundsystem that stored the sound separate from the movie. The sound was stored on phonograph records. Vitaphone was used in movies up until the 1960s. Some of the critics saw the potential in the new technology while others also remarked that the dialog was not as lifelike as real life. All in all the movies received mostly good reviews

October 5th

On this day – 5th of October – 1962 released Beatles their first single

Beatles first single was titled “Love me do / P.S I love you” (A and B side). It was released in UK on the fifth of October 1962 and on the 27th of April 1964 in the US. The song, Love me do, reached number 17 on the UK hit lists.  Two years later, in 1964, hit the song number 1 on the lists in the US. The song was written by John Lennon and Paul McCartney before Beatles was established and recorded on three different occasions before it was finally published. The B-side, P.S I love you, was composed by Paul McCartney. Both Ringo Star and Andy White contributed on the songs, although on different versions as drummers or maracas.

October 4th

On this day – 4th of October – 1957 was Sputnik 1 launched

Sputnik 1 was the first artificial earth satellite. It was launched by the Soviet Union and it contributed to the “space race” between US and the Soviet Union. The satellite used 96.2 minutes to orbit the earth, and it sent signals back to the earth for 21 days until the transmitter batteries ran out. The satellite lasted until 4th of January 1958, when it burned up. It contributed with valuable information for scientists but it also contributed the launch of the Space oriented period of the cold war.

October 3rd

On this day – 3rd of October – 1990 was Germany reunited

After the Second World War was Germany divided into four pieces, and Berlin was divided in the same way. One piece was under American control, another one was under French control, the third was under British control, while the eastern part was under Soviet Russia control. The three western parts were reunited early one, while the division between east and west Germany continued. In 1990 was this division finally ended, Germany was reunited and a new constitution was created. The 3rd of October is therefore celebrated as the unification day in Germany today.

October 2nd

On this day – 2nd of October 1959 - The first Twilight Zone aired 

The Twilight Zone first ran for five seasons from 1959 to 1964 on CBS. This Science Fiction show was independent episodes depicting paranormal, futuristic or else wise unusual events. The Show is known for its surprising endings and moral of the episode. The show featured known actors but also younger less known actors such as Leonard Nimoy, William Shatner, Burt Reynolds and George Takei. The show was revived two times first in 1985 for two seasons and a final episode and in 2002 for one season.

October 1st

On this day – 1st of October – 1908 was the first Ford T-model put on the market 

Henry Ford and the Ford motor Company developed the T-model, one of the most sold cars ever. The car was in production between 1908 and 1927 and it was the first affordable car, thus brining the automobile to the American middle class. The reason the car was affordable, was because it was produced on the assembly line and the car cost only $825 in 1909. Only one model of the car was produced and in the middle of the 1920s was the car only produced in black as well. Ford allegedly said "Any customer can have a car painted any colour that he wants so long as it is black."