This Day In History: October 30, 1944 Most people are familiar with the tragic story of Anne Frank, the young Jewish girl forced into hiding with her family when her older sister Margo received a call-up notice from the Central Office for Jewish Emigration to report to a labor camp in 1942. At the time, the family was living in […]

This Day In History: October 29, 1901 Jane Toppan was born Honora Kelley, daughter of Irish immigrants by the names of Peter and Bridget Kelley. Unfortunately for her, when she was just a few years old, her mother died of tuberculosis, leaving her in the care of her alcoholic and allegedly abusive father. Accounts are conflicting as to whether Peter […]

This Day In History: October 27, 1659 Although the Puritans partially came to America to escape religious persecution, there was an abundance of it to be found in the Massachusetts Bay Colony… except it was them doling it out this time. On the receiving end were the Quakers- members of the Religious Society of Friends, a group that the Puritan […]

This Day In History: October 23, 1091 Tornadoes aren’t the first thing to leap to mind when picturing Merry Olde England, but a whopper of a twister tore through London on October 23, 1091. It is thought to be the largest known tornado in the UK, as well as the earliest – at least that we know about. From contemporary […]

This Day In History: October 22, 1934 One of America’s most colorful folk bandits was Charles Arthur Floyd, also known as “Choc” Floyd or “Pretty Boy.” Hailing from Oklahoma, he became one of the country’s most notorious criminals, immortalized by Woody Guthrie and in John Steinbeck’s novel Grapes of Wrath. More of a Robin Hood figure to most than a […]

This Day In History: October 20, 1882 Be’la Ferenc Dezso Blasko, aka Bela Lugosi, was born on October 20, 1882, in Lugos, Hungary. At the outbreak of World War I, he volunteered for service and was commissioned as an infantry lieutenant. During the war, he was seriously wounded three times, with the treatment of his injuries facilitating a morphine addiction […]

This Day In History: October 19, 1985 In the early 1980s, video rental stores were small-time operations that offered a very limited selection of titles. At a time when buying pre-recorded VHS movies was prohibitively expensive for many people, renting them was the perfect solution for the dedicated movie fan or couch potato. (See: The Origin and Trademarking of “Couch Potato”) […]

This Day In History: October 16, 1931 Winnie “Ruth” Judd was the 26-year-old wife of a physician who spent much of his time away from home, including leaving Ruth in Phoenix while he was off in L.A. To kill time, Ruth kept company with 44-year-old “Happy Jack” Halloran, an influential – and also married – businessman. According to a Phoenix […]

This Day In History: October 14, 1977 On the early evening of October 14, 1977, legendary entertainer Bing Crosby died of a massive heart attack after doing what he loved best – playing 18 holes of golf. Bing was in Madrid, Spain playing on the La Moraleja Golf course at the time of his death. He defeated two Spanish golf […]

This Day In History: October 13, 1975 If the kids today think Kanye West invented behaving badly at awards ceremonies when he interrupted Taylor Swift’s acceptance speech at the 2009 VMAs – they are sadly mistaken. At the Country Music Awards held on October 13, 1975, Charlie Rich, the reigning CMA “Entertainer of the Year,” caused quite the ruckus announcing […]

This Day In History: October 12, 1915 Edith Cavell was born on December 4, 1865, in Norwich, Norfolk, England. After returning to England from a stint as a governess in Brussels, Edith took up nursing after caring for her seriously ill father. She held several positions at home before being offered a job as head matron of the Berkendael Medical […]

On October 9, 1967, controversial Marxist revolutionary Ernesto “Che” Guevara was executed by members of the Bolivian army. Although he was active as a revolutionary for only a relatively short time, Guevara has become one of the most recognizable figures of the 20th century. Ernesto R. Guevara de la Serna was born in Rosario, Argentina, on June 14, 1928 (though […]

This Day In History: October 7, 1914 On Oct. 7, 1914, a wedding took place in Boston, MA that would change the course of American history. The couple would have nine children – philanthropists, congressmen, senators, war heroes, and a United States president. Yet the family they created would endure great sorrow in spite of their exalted status. Rose Elizabeth […]

This Day In History: October 6, 1927 “Wait a minute, wait a minute, you ain’t heard nothin’ yet!” – Al Jolson in “The Jazz Singer” When the film “The Jazz Singer” was released on October 6, 1927, it was the end of one era and the dawn of another. While not a “talkie” in the true sense, it sounded the […]

This Day In History: October 5, 1969 Monty Python’s Flying Circus made its television debut on October 5, 1969, at 11 pm, after most Britons had gone to bed. The episode was entitled “Whither Canada?”, yet there wasn’t a single mention of Canada during the entire program. It should have been immediately apparent if you were looking for logic or […]