October 17th in History
1980: Mount St Helens, in Washington State USA, erupts for the third time in 24 hours
1982: The outlawing of the 'Solidarity' labour movement causes widespread strikes and demonstrations in Poland
1988: Scottish scientist James Black awarded the Nobel prize for his work on treating angina and blood pressure


October 17th birthdays
1885: Baroness Karen Blixen, Danish author
1939: Evel Knievel, Record breaker and stunt man

October 18th in History
1898: Puerto Rico formerly taken over by America, from the Spanish
1922: The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) is officially formed


October 18th birthdays
1925: Melina Mercouri, Actress who became Greek Minister of Culture
1927: George C Scott, American actor and director
1939: Lee Harvey Oswald, Presumed assassin of President J F Kennedy
1961: Wynton Marsalis, Jazz trumpeter

October 19th in History
1781: The American War of Independence ends with the surrender of Lord Cornwallis to George Washington at Yorktown, USA
1925: A US-Franco expedition to Algeria finds ancient sea shells, proving the Sahara was once partially submerged
1989: The 'Guilford Four', accused of IRA bombings, have their convictions quashed after serving 14 years in prison


October 19th birthdays
1862: Auguste Lumiere, French photographic pioneer
1926: Chuck Berry, Popular 'Rock and Roll' singer of the 50's
1931: John Le Carre, English author

October 20th in History
1714: Coronation of British King George I


October 20th birthdays
1632: Sir Christopher Wren, Mathematician and architect (St Pauls)
1822: Thomas Hughes, English author
1884: Bela Lugosi, Hungarian actor

October 21st in History
1982: Gerry Adams elected to the Northern Ireland Assembly, becoming the first Sinn Fein member to do so


October 21st birthdays
1760: Katsushka Hokusai, Japanese painter
1772: Samuel Taylor Coleridge, English poet and friend of Wordsworth
1833: Alfred Nobel, Swedish inventor of 'Dynamite'

October 22nd in History
1962: Nelson Mandella goes on trial for treason in South Africa


October 22nd birthdays
1811: Franz Liszt, Hungarian piano virtuoso and composer
1844: Sarah Bernhardt, French actress
1917: Joan Fontaine, American actress
1938: Sir Derek Jacobi, British actor
1943: Catherine Deneuve, French actress

October 23rd in History
1983: Two million people march in Western European capital cities demonstrating against the deployment of 'Cruise' and 'Pershing' missiles


October 23rd birthdays
1925: Johnny Carson, Popular American talk show host
1940: Pele, Famous Brazilian soccer player

October 24th in History
1260: French King Louis IX dedicates the Chartres cathedral, one of the most prestigious ones in the world.
1861: First transcontinental telegraph sent in the United States.
1929: "Black Thursday", one of the biggest Wall Street crash, spells out the beginning of the great American depression.
1945: United Nations are created
1961: Malta granted independence from Britain
1964: Northern Rhodesia becomes the Republic of Zambia
1964: The U.S.S.R. invades Hungary.


October 24th birthdays
1939: F. Murray Abraham, american actor.
1947: Kevin Kline, American actor
1974: The Earl of Ulster, Son of the Duke and Duchess of Gloucester

October 25th in History
1415: Henry V's 'Longbowmen' defeat French Knights at the Battle of Agincourt
1854: The infamous 'Charge of the Light Brigade' takes place at Balaklava,during the Crimean War
1951: The Conservative Party, led by Winston Churchill, wins the General Election


October 25th birthdays
1825: Johann Strauss, Austrian composer of 'Blue Danube'
1838: Georges Bizet, French composer
1881: Pablo Picasso, Spanish painter and sculptor
1936: Martin Gilbert, Winston Churchill's official biographer

October 26th in History
1989: The re-built Globe Theatre in London reopens for the first time in 350 years


October 26th birthdays
1879: Leon Trotsky, Communist leader
1942: Bob Hoskins, British actor of stage and screen