Today in History

Thanks for checking out our historical facts! If you have any suggestions or comments email us!

October 5th

  • In 1582 since the Gregorian calendar started, this day doesn't exist in Italy-Poland-Portugal-Spain.
  • In 1895 the 1st individual time trial for racing cyclists is held on a 50-mile course near London.
  • In 1905 Wilbur Wright flies Wright Flyer III 24 miles in 39 minutes, a world record then.

October 6th

  • In 1683 German immigrants found Germantown, marking the 1st major immigration of Germans to America.
  • In 1723 Benjamin Franklin arrives in Philadelphia at the age of 17.
  • In 1876 the American Library Association was founded.

October 7th

  • In 1826 the Granite Railway begins operations as the first chartered railway in the U.S.
  • In 1862 Royal Columbian Hospital opens as the 1st in the Canadian province of British Columbia.
  • In 1868 Cornell University's initial student enrollment is 412, the highest at any U.S. university.

October 8th

  • In 1860 the telegraph line between Los Angeles and San Francisco opens.
  • In 1921 KDKA in Pittsburgh's Forbes Field conducts the first live broadcast of a football game.
  • In 1956 New York Yankees's Don Larsen pitched the only perfect game in a World Series.

October 9th

  • In 1446 the hangul alphabet is published in Korea.
  • In 1604 there is the Supernova 1604, the most recent supernova to be observed in the Milky Way.
  • In 1701 Yale University is chartered in Old Saybrook, Connecticut.

October 10th

  • In 1845 In Annapolis, Maryland, the US Naval Academy opens with 50 students and 7 professors.
  • In 1846 Triton, the largest moon of Neptune, is discovered by English astronomer William Lassell.
  • In 1964 the opening ceremony of the Olympics in Tokyo is broadcast live in the 1st Olympic telecast.

October 11th

  • In 1811 the Juliana begins operation as the first steam-powered ferry (service between NYC and NJ).
  • In 1852 the University of Sydney, Australia's oldest university, is inaugurated in Sydney.
  • In 1910 Roosevelt becomes the 1st U.S. president to fly in an airplane. He flew for four minutes.

October 12th

  • In 1492 Christopher Columbus's expedition reaches the Bahamas but he believes he reached the Indies.
  • In 1792 there is the first celebration of Columbus Day in the USA (held in New York City).
  • In 1799 Jeanne Labrosse was the 1st woman to jump from a balloon with a parachute, from 900 meters.

Unless otherwise stated, all facts are sourced from wikipedia.org
and are licensed under Creative Commons Attribution Share-Alike