What Happened in October?

The most devastating forest fire in American history swept through Northeast Wisconsin, claiming 1200+ lives. It scorched 1.2 to 1.5 million acres. The fire skipped over the waters of Green Bay to burn parts of Door and Kewaunee counties. The fire also burned 16 other towns, but the damage in Peshtigo was the worst.  Expand +

The Great Chicago Fire starts at about 9:00 p.m. in or around a small barn belonging to Patrick and Catherine O’Leary. The fire quickly spread and lasted two days. It killed about 300 people, and destroyed over 17,000 buildings, leaving 100,000 homeless. The estimated damage costs were $200 million dollars (roughly $4 billion in 2020 dollars). The real cause of the fire has never been determined by city officials. More

Joseph Glidden applies for a patent for a reinforced wire fence that placed the barbs along a wire and then twisted another wire around it to keep the barbs in place, an improvement over Michael Kelly's 1868 invention that "twisted two wires together to form a cable for barbs.  Expand +

Haiphong cyclone, Over 300,000 people perished in one of most catastrophic natural disasters in history. The cyclone smashed into the Gulf of Tonkin causing widespread destruction as tidal waves flooded the city of Haiphong in northeastern Vietnam.

The Gunfight at the O.K. Corral takes place in Tombstone, Arizona Territory, USA, involving the Earp brothers and Doc Holliday. More

The Orient Express train makes its inaugural run leaving Paris with 40 passengers for Constantinople, (as the city of Istanbul was still commonly called in the west) and ending in Giurgiu, Romania, with stops in Munich and Vienna.  Expand +

The Statue of Liberty, a gift from France to the United States, is dedicated on Liberty Island in New York Harbor. President Grover Cleveland oversaw the dedication of the Statue of Liberty in front of thousands of spectators. More

The Royal Charter for The British South Africa Company (BSAC) is granted by Queen Victoria, marking the start of British colonization activities in Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe and Zambia). 

President Benjamin Harrison signed the law that created Yosemite National Park. More

The Pledge of Allegiance is first recited by students in many U.S. public schools as part of the Columbus Day celebration.

The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, written by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, is published. A collection of 12 Sherlock Holmes short stories had been previously published in monthly installments in The Strand Magazine. Arthur Conan Doyle was a large contributor to the magazine with novels, short stories, poems and articles.

The last Spanish troops in Puerto Rico sail back to Spain and the US flag is raised in most public buildings on the island formalizing U.S. control of the former Spanish colony. A military government was established under the command of General John R. Brooke.  Expand +

The Second Boer War begins between the British Empire and the two independent Boer republics in South Africa.

USS Holland (SS-1) the first US Submersible Torpedo Boat, is commissioned by the Navy, Lt. Harry H. Caldwell in command in Newport, R.I. The USS Holland, was named for its designer John Philip Holland. It had been launched in 1898 by Crescent Shipyards, Elizabeth, N.J. More

Annie Edson Taylor becomes the first person to successfully take the plunge over Niagara Falls inside an oak barrel. She was a 63-year-old at the time. Seventy one years earlier, on October 17,1829, Sam Patch, had survived jumping down the Horseshoe Falls of the Niagara River, on the Canadian side of the border. More

Anarchist Leon Czolgosz was executed for the assassination of U.S. President William McKinley, forty five days after McKinley's death. More

The first modern World Series in baseball begins between the Boston Americans (now Red Sox) and the Pittsburgh Pirates.

The Bank of Italy opens its doors in San Francisco. Founded by Amadeo Pietro Giannini, the bank  changed its name to Bank of America on November 1,1930. It eventually merged with other institutions becoming a major banking force. More

The New York City Subway Opens. More

Facing a general strike that paralyzed the country, Tsar Nicholas II issues the October Manifesto on October 30, 1905. The declaration promised significant, albeit limited, reforms and the creation of the Duma, a legislative body; moving the government toward a Constitutional Monarchy.  Expand +