October 7th in History
1769: English explorer, Captain Cook, discovered New Zealand
1919: The Worlds oldest airline KLM is established in Holland
1949: German Democratic Republic formed


October 7th birthdays
1900: Heinrich Himmler, Feared head of the Nazi 'SS' and 'Gestapo'
1931: Rev Desmond Tutu, South african human rights campaigner
1935: Thomas Keneally, Author whose books include 'Schindlers Ark'

October 8th in History
1871: A cow overturns a lantern in a barn, causing the 'Great Fire of Chicago'


October 8th birthdays
1895: Juan Peron, Argentine general, and former President
1941: Jesse Jackson, American civic leader and clergyman
1949: Sigourney Weaver, American actress

October 9th in History
1940: Winston Churchill elected head of the Conservative party


October 9th birthdays
1835: Camille Saint-Saens, French composer
1908: Jacques Tati, French actor, screenwriter and director
1940: John Lennon, Former member of 'The Beatles'

October 10th in History
1961: The entire population of Tristan de Cunha is evacuated, following a volcanic eruption on the South Atlantic island


October 10th birthdays
1813: Giuseppe Verdi, Italian composer
1920: Thelonius Monk, Celebrated US Jazz pianist and composer
1946: Chris Tarrant, British TV show creator (who wants to be a millionaire)

October 11th in History
1919: The first ever 'inflight' meals are served on a flight from London to Paris
1980: Russian cosmonauts return to earth, after spending a record 185 days in space
1982: After 437 years, the remains of Henry VIII ship the 'Mary Rose' are raised from the seabed


October 11th birthdays
1821: Sir George Williams, Founder of the YMCA
1844: Henry John Heinz, American food manufacturer
1884: Eleanor Roosevelt, Wife of former President F.D Roosevelt
1928: Ennio Morricone, Italian composer and film scorer

October 12th in History
1986: Queen Elizabeth II became the first British monarch to visit China


October 12th birthdays
1537: King Edward VI, Successor to Henry VIII
1921: Kenneth Griffith, Writer, actor and documentary film maker

October 13th in History
1399: British king Henry IV's coronation
1964: The world's first Russian three man spacecraft returns safely to Earth
1987: Shares on the 'Wall Street' stock exchange plunge to record lows


October 13th birthdays
1921: Yves Montand, French actor and singer
1925: Margaret Thatcher, Now 'Baroness' Thatcher; former British Prime Minister
1942: Paul Simon, singer (Simon and Garfunkel)

October 14th in History
1066: Battle of Hastings
1912: An assassin shoots Theodore Roosevelt in Milwaukee. A thick coat and documents he was carrying save his life
1947: Chuck Yeager makes the first 'Supersonic' flight over Edwards Air Force Base California


October 14th birthdays
1644: William Penn, English Quaker who gave his name to Pennsylvania
1890: Dwight.D Eisenhower, Wartime General and 34th US President
1894: E.E Cummings, American poet
1928: Roger Moore, British actor

October 15th in History
1962: Amnesty International formed in London
1987: Fiji becomes a republic, after belonging to Britain since 1874
1990: Mikhail Gorbachev awarded the Nobel Peace Prize


October 15th birthdays
1881: Sir P.G Wodehouse, Novelist, creator of 'Jeeves and Wooster'
1959: The Duchess of York

October 16th in History
1555: An English protestant, Nicholas Ridley, is burned at the stake for heresy
1793: The Queen of France, Marie Antoinette, is found guilty of treason and executed by guillotine in Paris
1815: Napoleon Bonaparte exiled to St Helena, an island in the Atlantic
1984: Bishop Desmond Tutu awarded the Nobel peace prize


October 16th birthdays
1854: Oscar Wilde, Irish born novelist and playwright
1888: Eugene O'Neill, American playwright and Nobel prize winner for literature