Amazing October –Events and Random Facts

October got its name from the Latin word “octo”, which means eight. This is odd for us considering October is our tenth month. But, it was the eighth month in the ancient Roman Calendar.

Famous People Born in October: Julie Andrews (the 1^st), Anne Rice (the 4^th), Desmond Tutu (the 7^th), Simon Cowell (the 7^th), Matt Damon (the 8^th), John Lennon (the 9^th), Friedrich Nietzsche (the 15^th), Kim Kardashian (the 21^st), Hillary Clinton (the 26^th) and Bill Gates (the 28^th).

Octoberfest is one of the most famous celebrations in October, but most of it is actually held in September (September 17th through October 3^rd). The original/most famous Octoberfest is held in Munich Germany with over 6,000,000 in attendance. The biggest Octoberfest in America is held in Cincinnati with 500,000 attendees.

Famous Events that occurred in October: Ford introduced the Model-T (October 2, 1908), “Cats” premiers on Broadway (October 7, 1982), “I love Lucy” premiered on CBS (October 15, 1951), Marie Antoinette beheaded (October 16, 1739), Thomas Edison invents the first working electric light (October 21, 1879), twenty-five thousand women march in New York City demanding the right to vote (October 23, 1915), The Statue of Liberty dedicated (October 28, 1886).

The first nonstop flight across the Pacific (from Sabishiro, Japan to Wenatchee, Washington) occurred on October 5, 1932. It took 41 hours and 13 minutes. We promise if you book with us it will take significantly less time. On October 10, 1959 Pan American Airways announced the first passenger service circling the globe.

Most cultures have celebrations either honoring the dead, or celebrations meant to scare off the evil dead. In the West these tend to occur in fall. It is believed that the dying back of plants and hibernation of animals turned peoples’ minds towards death. The most famous Western celebrations are Halloween on October 31^st, and Dia de los Muertos which occurs between October 31^st and November 2^nd. In the East most of these celebrations occur in the summer. A few of the best known Eastern celebrations are Teng Chieh in China, the Obon Festival in Japan and the Chusok festival in Korea.