There are a number of events that occurred on October 8 and made it to the books of history. Read on to find out!
- 1817 – The great fire of Chicago destroyed most of Chicago’s business district.
- 1919 – World’s first transcontinental air race happened.
- 1945 – US President Harry Truman announced the atomic bomb secret shared with Britain and Canada.
- 1945 – Microwave oven was patented.
- 1948 – World’s first internal pacemaker implanted.
- 1952 – Three Trains crash at Harrow in North London, with over 80 people dead and many more injured.
- 1956 – The first perfect game in Major League Baseball World Series.
- 1959 – Conservatives won the British general election.
- 1971 – John Lennon released his megahit single “Imagine”.
- 1974 – Franklin National Bank collapsed due to fraud and mismanagement.
- 1980 – Bob Marley collapsed in Central Park while jogging, after playing two shows at the Madison Square Garden.
- 1982 – Poland banned all labor unions.
- 1985 – Singer Little Richard was seriously injured in a car accident.
- 1985 – American singer-songwriter, producer, and actor Bruno Mars was born.
- 1991 – President Bush made a decision on easing the federal banking rules to help soften the problems with the nation’s tight credit conditions.
- 1998 – Oslo Gardermoen airport opened after the close down of Fornebu.
- 2001 – US President George W. Bush announced the establishment of the Office of Homeland Security.
- 2004 – Kenyan Wangari Maathai became the first African woman to receive the Nobel Peace Prize for “her contribution to sustainable development, democracy and peace”.
- 2015 – Actress and singer Selena Gomez revealed to have Lupus.
- 2020 – American poet Louise Glück was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature.