On This Day October 15th

 OTD

October 15th is the 288th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar; 77 days remain until the end of the year.

 

Events

1582 – Adoption of the Gregorian calendar begins, eventually leading to near-universal adoption.

1783 – The Montgolfier brothers' hot air balloon makes the first human ascent, piloted by Jean-François Pilâtre de Rozier.

1793 – Queen Marie Antoinette of France is tried and convicted of treason.

1815 – Napoleon begins his exile on Saint Helena in the South Atlantic Ocean.

1878 – The Edison Electric Light Company begins operation.

1888 – The "From Hell" letter allegedly sent by Jack the Ripper is received by investigators.

1939 – The New York Municipal Airport (later renamed LaGuardia Airport) is dedicated.

1956 – FORTRAN, the first modern computer language, is first shared with the coding community.

1989 – Wayne Gretzky becomes the all-time leading points scorer in the NHL.

2001 – NASA's Galileo spacecraft passes within 180 km of Jupiter's moon Lo.

 

Birthdays

70 BC – Virgil, Roman poet (d. 19 BC)

1789 – William Christopher Zeise, Danish chemist who prepared Zeise's salt, one of the first organometallic compounds (d. 1847)

1829 – Asaph Hall, American astronomer and academic (d. 1907)

1858 – John L. Sullivan, American boxer, actor, and journalist (d. 1918)

1884 – Archibald Hoxsey, American pilot (d. 1910)

1917 – Arthur M. Schlesinger Jr., American historian and critic (d. 2007)

1924 – Lee Iacocca, American businessman and author (d. 2019)

1959 – Emeril Lagasse, American chef and author

1988 – Mesut Özil, German footballer

 

Holiday Spotlight

Navratri

Navratri is a Hindu holiday celebrating the deity Durga for eliminating Mahishasura, the demon. Due to his dedication to the supreme Lord Brahma, Mahushasura was gifted with immortality. Even though this meant he couldn’t be killed, a condition to this blessing existed that the only one able to defeat the demon would be a female.

Confident in his strength, Mahishasura was assured that no woman would ever be more potent than him or enough to kill him. With time, Mahishasura and his army became unstoppable, terrorizing people, and no gods could defeat him.

Three of the most powerful gods — Lord Shiva, Lord Vishnu, and Lord Brahma came together to create a woman who would be powerful enough to destroy Mahishasura once and for all. This woman was the goddess, Durga.

Equipped with weapons, Durga met the demon for a battle. The fight lasted ten days, by the end of which Durga finally defeated Mahishasura.

 

Others Include

Blind Americans Equality Day

Breast Health Day

Global Handwashing Day

I Love Lucy Day

International Day of Rural Women

My Mom is a Student Day

National Aesthetician Day

National Grouch Day

National Latino AIDS Awareness Day

National Pregnancy and Infant Loss Awareness Day

National Pug Day

National Sunday School Teacher Appreciation Day

Sewing Lovers Day

White Cane Safety Day

World Toy Camera Day

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