On This Day October 8th

 OTD

October 8th is the 281st day of the year in the Gregorian calendar; 84 days remain until the end of the year.

 

Events

1480 – The Great Stand on the Ugra River puts an end to Tartar rule over Moscow

1645 – Jeanne Mance opens the first lay hospital in North America in Montreal.

1829 – Stephenson's Rocket wins the Rainhill Trials.

1871 – Slash-and-burn land management, months of drought, and the passage of a robust cold front caused the Peshtigo Fire, the Great Chicago Fire, and the Great Michigan Fires to break out.

1918 – World War I: Corporal Alvin C. York kills 28 German soldiers and captures 132, for which he was awarded the Medal of Honor.

1956 – The New York Yankees’ Don Larsen pitches the only perfect game in a World Series.

1967 – Guerrilla leader Che Guevara and his men are captured in Bolivia.

1982 – Poland bans Solidarity and all other trade unions.

2001 – U.S. President George W. Bush announces the establishment of the Office of Homeland Security.

 

Birthdays

1585 – Heinrich Schütz, German organist and composer (d. 1672)

1847 – Rose Scott, Australian activist (d. 1925)

1850 – Henry Louis Le Châtelier, French chemist and academic (d. 1936)

1882 – Harry McClintock, American singer-songwriter and poet (d. 1957)

1890 – Eddie Rickenbacker, American soldier and pilot, Medal of Honor recipient (d. 1973)

1895 – Juan Perón, Argentinian general and politician, 29th President of Argentina (d. 1974)

1913 – Robert R. Gilruth, American pilot and engineer (d. 2000)

1928 – Didi, Brazilian footballer and manager (d. 2001)

1939 – Paul Hogan, Australian actor, producer, and screenwriter

1941 – Jesse Jackson, American minister and activist

1943 – R. L. Stine, American author, screenwriter, and producer

1948 – Johnny Ramone, American guitarist, and songwriter (d. 2004)

1955 – Bill Elliott, American race car driver

1960 – Reed Hastings, American businessman, co-founded Netflix

1970 – Matt Damon, American actor, producer, and screenwriter

1985 – Bruno Mars, American singer-songwriter, producer, and actor

 

Holidays and Observances

White Sunday

Although there are various theories concerning the origins of White Sunday, it is widely assumed that it was popularized by Christian missionaries who landed in Samoa in the 19th century. However, the first White Sunday was marked in June 1898, when the London Missionary Society agreed to establish a particular Sunday for children during its annual conference in June of that year.

A few years later, at the International Sunday School Conference in Rome in February 1909, it was decided to name the third Sunday of October the International Children’s Sunday. Thus, the Samoan White Sunday was moved from June to the third Sunday of October. This chosen day didn’t last long, and it was finally moved to the second Sunday of October to coincide with Mother’s Day and Father’s Day, which were on the second Sundays of May and August, respectively.

White Sunday is an intriguing Samoan event since different versions of its inception in Samoa differ. While some believe it is a Christian adoption of an indigenous pre-colonial-contact festival of specific planting and harvesting seasons, others believe it was intended to remember the 1918 influenza pandemic, which killed almost a fifth of the Samoan population, many of whom were children.

White Sunday was expanded from Samoa to become a national holiday in six other countries 1998. These were the United States, Hawaii, New Zealand, Australia, and American Samoa. Today, all Christian churches in Samoa observe and celebrate White Sunday. On White Sunday, most children are baptized in specific congregations across Samoa.

 

 

Others Include

Alvin C. York Day

American Touch Tag Day

Clergy (or Pastor) Appreciation Day - October 8, 2023 (Second Sunday in October

Father-Daughter Day - October 8, 2023 (Second Sunday in October)

Honduras: Discovery of America Day

Indian Air Force Day

International Lesbian Day

National Children's Day

National Fluffernutter Day

National G.O.E. (Growth, Overcome, Empower) Day - October 8, 2023

National Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Day

National Pierogi Day

National Salmon Day

World Octopus Day

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