October 8

October 8 in recent years

2024 (Tuesday)

2023 (Sunday)

2022 (Saturday)

2021 (Friday)

2020 (Thursday)

2019 (Tuesday)

2018 (Monday)

2017 (Sunday)

2016 (Saturday)

2015 (Thursday)

October 8 is the 281st day of the year (282nd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar; 84 days remain until the end of the year.

Events

Pre-1600

• 316 – Constantine I defeats Roman Emperor Licinius, who loses his European territories.
• 451 – The first session of the Council of Chalcedon begins.
• 876 – Frankish forces led by Louis the Younger prevent a West Frankish invasion and defeat emperor Charles II ("the Bald").
• 1075 – Dmitar Zvonimir is crowned King of Croatia.
• 1200 – Isabella of Angoulême is crowned Queen consort of England.
• 1322 – Mladen II Šubić of Bribir is deposed as the Croatian Ban after the Battle of Bliska.
• 1480 – The Great Stand on the Ugra River puts an end to Tatar rule over Moscow
• 1573 – End of the Spanish siege of Alkmaar, the first Dutch victory in the Eighty Years' War.

1601–1900

• 1645 – Jeanne Mance opens the first lay hospital of North America in Montreal.
• 1813 – The Treaty of Ried is signed between Bavaria and Austria.
• 1821 – The Peruvian Navy is established during the War of Independence.
• 1829 – Stephenson's Rocket wins the Rainhill Trials.
• 1856 – The Second Opium War between several western powers and China begins with the Arrow Incident.
• 1862 – American Civil War: The Confederate invasion of Kentucky is halted at the Battle of Perryville.
• 1871 – Slash-and-burn land management, months of drought, and the passage of a strong cold front cause the Peshtigo Fire, the Great Chicago Fire and the Great Michigan Fires to break out.
• 1879 – War of the Pacific: The Chilean Navy defeats the Peruvian Navy in the Battle of Angamos.
• 1895 – Korean Empress Myeongseong is assassinated by Japanese infiltrators.

1901–present

• 1912 – The First Balkan War begins when Montenegro declares war against the Ottoman Empire.
• 1918 – World War I: Corporal Alvin C. York kills 28 German soldiers and captures 132 for which he was awarded the Medal of Honor.
• 1921 – KDKA in Pittsburgh's Forbes Field conducts the first live broadcast of a football game.
• 1939 – World War II: Germany annexes western Poland.
• 1941 – World War II: During the preliminaries of the Battle of Rostov, German forces reach the Sea of Azov with the capture of Mariupol.
• 1943 – World War II: Around 30 civilians are executed by Friedrich Schubert's paramilitary group in Kallikratis, Crete.
• 1944 – World War II: Captain Bobbie Brown earns a Medal of Honor for his actions during the Battle of Crucifix Hill, just outside Aachen.
• 1952 – The Harrow and Wealdstone rail crash kills 112 people.
• 1956 – The New York Yankees's Don Larsen pitches the only perfect game in a World Series.
• 1962 – Der Spiegel publishes an article disclosing the sorry state of the Bundeswehr, and is soon accused of treason.
• 1967 – Guerrilla leader Che Guevara and his men are captured in Bolivia.
• 1969 – The opening rally of the Days of Rage occurs, organized by the Weather Underground in Chicago.
• 1970 – Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn wins the Nobel Prize in literature.
• 1973 – Yom Kippur War: Israel loses more than 150 tanks in a failed attack on Egyptian-occupied positions.
• 1973 – Spyros Markezinis begins his 48-day term as prime minister in an abortive attempt to lead Greece to parliamentary rule.
• 1974 – Franklin National Bank collapses due to fraud and mismanagement; at the time it is the largest bank failure in the history of the United States.
• 1978 – Australia's Ken Warby sets the current world water speed record of 275.97 knots at Blowering Dam, Australia.
• 1982 – Poland bans Solidarity and all other trade unions.
• 1982 – After its London premiere, Cats opens on Broadway and runs for nearly 18 years before closing on September 10, 2000.
• 1990 – First Intifada: Israeli police kill 17 Palestinians and wound over 100 near the Dome of the Rock.
• 1991 – Upon the expiration of the Brioni Agreement, Croatia and Slovenia sever all official relations with Yugoslavia.
• 2001 – A twin engine Cessna and a Scandinavian Airlines System jetliner collide in heavy fog during takeoff from Milan, Italy, killing 118 people.
• 2001 – U.S. President George W. Bush announces the establishment of the Office of Homeland Security.
• 2005 – The 7.6 M_w  Kashmir earthquake leaves 86,000–87,351 people dead, 69,000–75,266 injured, and 2.8 million homeless.
• 2014 – Thomas Eric Duncan, the first person in the United States to be diagnosed with Ebola, dies.
• 2016 – In the wake of Hurricane Matthew, the death toll rises to nearly 900.
• 2019 – About 200 Extinction Rebellion activists block the gates of Leinster House (parliament) in the Republic of Ireland.
• 2020 – Second Nagorno-Karabakh War: Azerbaijan twice deliberately targeted the Church of the Holy Savior Ghazanchetsots of Shusha.
• 2023 – The 2023 Israel–Hamas war is declared following the Hamas attack the day prior

Births

Pre-1600

• 319 BC – Pyrrhus of Epirus (d. 272 BC)
• 1150 – Narapatisithu, king of Burma (d. 1211)
• 1515 – Margaret Douglas, daughter of Archibald Douglas (d. 1578)
• 1551 – Giulio Caccini, Italian composer (d. 1618)
• 1553 – Jacques Auguste de Thou, French historian (d. 1617)
• 1585 – Heinrich Schütz, German organist and composer (d. 1672)

1601–1900

• 1609 – John Clarke, English physician (d. 1676)
• 1676 – Benito Jerónimo Feijóo y Montenegro, Spanish monk and scholar (d. 1764)
• 1713 – Yechezkel Landau, Polish rabbi and author (d. 1793)
• 1715 – Michel Benoist, French scientist and missionary (d. 1774)
• 1747 – Jean-François Rewbell, French lawyer and politician (d. 1807)
• 1753 – Princess Sophia Albertina of Sweden (d. 1829)
• 1765 – Harman Blennerhassett, English-Irish lawyer and politician (d. 1831)
• 1789 – John Ruggles, American lawyer and politician (d. 1874)
• 1789 – William John Swainson, English-New Zealand ornithologist and entomologist (d. 1855)
• 1807 – Harriet Taylor Mill, English philosopher and activist (d. 1858)
• 1818 – John Henninger Reagan, American judge and politician, 3rd Confederate States Secretary of the Treasury (d. 1905)
• 1834 – Walter Kittredge, American violinist and composer (d. 1905)
• 1845 – Salomon Kalischer, German pianist, composer, and physicist (d. 1924)
• 1847 – Rose Scott, Australian activist (d. 1925)
• 1848 – Pierre De Geyter, Belgian composer (d. 1932)
• 1850 – Henry Louis Le Châtelier, French chemist and academic (d. 1936)
• 1860 – John D. Batten, British painter, printmaker and illustrator (d. 1932)
• 1863 – Edythe Chapman, American actress (d. 1948)
• 1864 – Ozias Leduc, Canadian painter and educator (d. 1955)
• 1870 – Louis Vierne, French organist and composer (d. 1937)
• 1872 – Mary Engle Pennington, American bacteriological chemist and refrigeration engineer (d. 1952)
• 1873 – Ejnar Hertzsprung, Danish chemist and astronomer (d. 1967)
• 1873 – Alexey Shchusev, Russian architect and academic, designed Lenin's Mausoleum (d. 1949)
• 1875 – Laurence Doherty, English tennis player and golfer (d. 1919)
• 1876 – Frederick Montague, 1st Baron Amwell, English lieutenant and politician (d. 1966)
• 1877 – Hans Heysen, German-Australian painter (d. 1968)
• 1879 – Huntley Gordon, Canadian-American actor (d. 1956)
• 1882 – Harry McClintock, American singer-songwriter and poet (d. 1957)
• 1883 – Dick Burnett, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (d. 1977)
• 1883 – Otto Heinrich Warburg, German physiologist and physician, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1970)
• 1884 – Walther von Reichenau, German field marshal (d. 1942)
• 1887 – Ping Bodie, American baseball player (d. 1961)
• 1887 – Donie Bush, American baseball player, manager, and team owner (d. 1972)
• 1888 – Ernst Kretschmer, German psychiatrist and author (d. 1964)
• 1889 – R. Fraser Armstrong, Canadian engineer (d. 1983)
• 1889 – Collett E. Woolman, American businessman, co-founded Delta Air Lines (d. 1966)
• 1890 – Snuffy Browne, Barbadian cricketer (d. 1964)
• 1890 – Eddie Rickenbacker, American soldier and pilot, Medal of Honor recipient (d. 1973)
• 1890 – Philippe Thys, Belgian cyclist (d. 1971)
• 1892 – Marina Tsvetaeva, Russian poet and author (d. 1941)
• 1893 – Clarence Williams, American pianist and composer (d. 1965)
• 1895 – Zog I of Albania (d. 1961)
• 1895 – Juan Perón, Argentinian general and politician, 29th President of Argentina (d. 1974)
• 1896 – Julien Duvivier, French director, producer, and screenwriter (d. 1967)
• 1897 – Rouben Mamoulian, Georgian-American director and screenwriter (d. 1987)
• 1897 – Marcel Herrand, French actor (d. 1953)

1901–present

• 1901 – Eivind Groven, Norwegian composer and theorist (d. 1977)
• 1901 – Mark Oliphant, Australian physicist, humanitarian and politician, Governor of South Australia (d. 2000)
• 1903 – Georgy Geshev, Bulgarian chess player (d. 1937)
• 1904 – Yves Giraud-Cabantous, French race car driver (d. 1973)
• 1907 – Richard Sharpe Shaver, American author and illustrator (d. 1975)
• 1908 – Ezekias Papaioannou, Greek-Cypriot politician (d. 1988)
• 1910 – Kirk Alyn, American actor (d. 1999)
• 1910 – Paulette Dubost, French actress (d. 2011)
• 1910 – Gus Hall, American soldier and politician (d. 2000)
• 1910 – Helmut Kallmeyer, German chemist and soldier (d. 2006)
• 1910 – Ray Lewis, Canadian runner (d. 2003)
• 1913 – Robert R. Gilruth, American pilot and engineer (d. 2000)
• 1913 – Marios Makrionitis, Roman Catholic Archbishop of Athens (d. 1959)
• 1917 – Billy Conn, American boxer (d. 1993)
• 1917 – Walter Lord, American historian and author (d. 2002)
• 1917 – Danny Murtaugh, American baseball player, coach, and manager (d. 1976)
• 1917 – Rodney Robert Porter, English biochemist and physiologist, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1985)
• 1918 – Halfdan Hegtun, Norwegian radio host and politician (d. 2012)
• 1918 – Jens Christian Skou, Danish chemist and physiologist, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 2018)
• 1919 – Jack McGrath, American race car driver (d. 1955)
• 1919 – Kiichi Miyazawa, Japanese politician, 78th Prime Minister of Japan (d. 2007)
• 1920 – Frank Herbert, American journalist, photographer, and author (d. 1986)
• 1921 – Abraham Sarmiento, Filipino lawyer and jurist (d. 2010)
• 1922 – Nils Liedholm, Swedish footballer, coach, and manager (d. 2007)
• 1922 – Herbert B. Leonard, American production manager and producer (d. 2006)
• 1924 – Alphons Egli, Swiss lawyer and politician, 77th President of the Swiss Confederation (d. 2016)
• 1924 – Aloísio Lorscheider, Brazilian cardinal (d. 2007)
• 1924 – Thirunalloor Karunakaran, Indian poet and scholar (d. 2006)
• 1924 – John Nelder, English mathematician and statistician (d. 2010)
• 1925 – Álvaro Magaña, Salvadoran economist and politician, President of El Salvador (d. 2001)
• 1926 – Raaj Kumar, Indian police officer and actor (d. 1996)
• 1927 – Jim Elliot, American missionary and translator (d. 1956)
• 1927 – César Milstein, Argentinian-English biochemist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 2002)
• 1928 – Didi, Brazilian footballer and manager (d. 2001)
• 1928 – M. Russell Ballard, American lieutenant and religious leader (d. 2023)
• 1928 – Neil Harvey, Australian cricketer
• 1928 – Bill Maynard, English actor (d. 2018)
• 1929 – Betty Boothroyd, English politician, British Speaker of the House of Commons (d. 2023)
• 1930 – Pepper Adams, American saxophonist and composer (d. 1986)
• 1930 – Alasdair Milne, Indian-English director and producer (d. 2013)
• 1930 – Faith Ringgold, American painter and activist (d. 2024)
• 1930 – Toru Takemitsu, Japanese composer and theorist (d. 1996)
• 1931 – Bill Brown, Scottish footballer (d. 2004)
• 1932 – Ray Reardon, Welsh snooker player and police officer (d. 2024)
• 1934 – Kader Asmal, South African academic and politician (d. 2011)
• 1934 – Gerry Hitchens, English footballer and manager (d. 1983)
• 1934 – James Holshouser, American lawyer and politician, 68th Governor of North Carolina (d. 2013)
• 1935 – Albert Roux, French-English chef (d. 2021)
• 1936 – Rona Barrett, American journalist and businesswoman
• 1937 – Merle Park, British ballerina and educator
• 1937 – Paul Schell, American lawyer and politician, 50th Mayor of Seattle (d. 2014)
• 1938 – William Corlett, English author and playwright (d. 2005)
• 1938 – Walter Gretzky, Canadian ice hockey coach and author (d. 2021)
• 1938 – Bronislovas Lubys, Lithuanian businessman and politician, Prime Minister of Lithuania (d. 2011)
• 1938 – Fred Stolle, Australian-American tennis player and sportscaster
• 1939 – Paul Hogan, Australian actor, producer, and screenwriter
• 1939 – Elvīra Ozoliņa, Latvian javelin thrower
• 1939 – Harvey Pekar, American author and critic (d. 2010)
• 1939 – Lynne Stewart, American lawyer and criminal (d. 2017)
• 1940 – Fred Cash, American singer
• 1941 – George Bellamy, English singer, guitarist, and producer
• 1941 – Jesse Jackson, American minister and activist
• 1941 – Shane Stevens, American author (d. 2007)
• 1942 – Stanley Bates, English actor and screenwriter
• 1943 – Chevy Chase, American comedian, actor, and screenwriter
• 1943 – R. L. Stine, American author, screenwriter, and producer
• 1944 – Ed Kirkpatrick, American baseball player (d. 2010)
• 1944 – Susan Raye, American singer
• 1946 – Hanan Ashrawi, Palestinian scholar, activist, and politician
• 1946 – Jean-Jacques Beineix, French director and producer (d. 2022)
• 1946 – Dennis Kucinich, American journalist and politician, 53rd Mayor of Cleveland
• 1946 – Bel Mooney, English journalist and author
• 1946 – Jon Ekerold, South African motorcycle racer
• 1947 – Richard Morris, English archaeologist, historian, and author
• 1947 – Emiel Puttemans, Belgian runner
• 1947 – Stephen Shore, American photographer and educator
• 1947 – Bill Zorn, folk musician
• 1947 – Hansa Yogendra, Indian yoga guru
• 1948 – Benjamin Cheever, American journalist and author
• 1948 – Claude Jade, French actress (d. 2006)
• 1948 – Johnny Ramone, American guitarist and songwriter (d. 2004)
• 1949 – Hamish Stuart, Scottish singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer
• 1949 – Sigourney Weaver, American actress and producer
• 1950 – Robert "Kool" Bell, American singer-songwriter and bass player
• 1950 – Blake Morrison, English poet, author, and academic
• 1951 – Jack O'Connell, American educator and politician
• 1951 – Timo Salonen, Finnish race car driver
• 1951 – Shannon C. Stimson, American philosopher, historian, and theorist
• 1951 – Adrian Palmer, 4th Baron Palmer, British aristocrat and landowner (d. 2023)
• 1952 – Takis Koroneos, Greek basketball player and coach
• 1952 – Jan Marijnissen, Dutch journalist and politician
• 1952 – Edward Zwick, American director, producer, and screenwriter
• 1953 – Robert Saxton, English composer and educator
• 1954 – Michael Dudikoff, American actor
• 1954 – Huub Rothengatter, Dutch race car driver and manager
• 1955 – Bill Elliott, American race car driver
• 1955 – Alain Ferté, French race car driver
• 1955 – Darrell Hammond, American comedian and actor
• 1955 – Paul Lennon, Australian politician, 42nd Premier of Tasmania
• 1955 – Lonnie Pitchford, American singer and guitarist (d. 1998)
• 1956 – Jeff Lahti, American baseball player
• 1956 – Janice E. Voss, American engineer and astronaut (d. 2012)
• 1956 – Stephanie Zimbalist, American actress
• 1957 – Antonio Cabrini, Italian footballer and manager
• 1958 – Steve Coll, American journalist and author
• 1958 – Bret Lott, American journalist, author, and academic
• 1958 – Ruffin McNeill, American football player and coach
• 1958 – Ursula von der Leyen, Belgian-German physician and politician, Defense Minister of Germany, President of the European Commission
• 1959 – Tommy Armour III, American golfer
• 1959 – Nick Bakay, American actor, producer, and screenwriter
• 1959 – Gavin Friday, Irish singer-songwriter, actor, and producer
• 1959 – Erik Gundersen, Danish motorcycle racer
• 1959 – Peter Horrocks, English journalist and producer
• 1959 – Mike Morgan, American baseball player and coach
• 1959 – Carlos I. Noriega, Peruvian-American colonel and astronaut
• 1960 – Andrea Anastasi, Italian volleyball player and coach
• 1960 – Bryndís Hlöðversdóttir, Icelandic politician
• 1960 – Reed Hastings, American businessman, co-founded Netflix
• 1960 – Rano Karno, Indonesian actor and politician
• 1960 – Ralf Minge, German footballer and manager
• 1960 – François Pérusse, Canadian singer-songwriter and comedian
• 1960 – Mike Teague, English rugby player
• 1961 – Steven Bernstein, American trumpet player and composer
• 1961 – Jon Stevens, New Zealand-Australian singer-songwriter
• 1961 – Simon Burke, Australian actor and producer
• 1961 – Ted Kooshian, American pianist and composer
• 1961 – Kim Wayans, American actress and comedian
• 1962 – Richard Lintern, British actor
• 1962 – Bruno Thiry, Belgian race car driver
• 1962 – Chen Xiaoxia, Chinese diver
• 1963 – Steve Perry, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
• 1964 – Jakob Arjouni, German author (d. 2013)
• 1964 – Ian Hart, English actor
• 1964 – CeCe Winans, American singer-songwriter
• 1965 – Matt Biondi, American swimmer and coach
• 1965 – Ardal O'Hanlon, Irish comedian, actor, and screenwriter
• 1965 – Harri Koskela, Finnish wrestler
• 1965 – C. J. Ramone, American singer-songwriter and bass player
• 1966 – Art Barr, American wrestler (d. 1994)
• 1966 – Karyn Parsons, American actress and producer
• 1967 – Yvonne Reyes, Venezuelan television host and actress
• 1967 – Teddy Riley, American singer-songwriter and producer
• 1968 – Ali Benarbia, Algerian footballer
• 1968 – Zvonimir Boban, Croatian footballer and sportscaster
• 1968 – Emily Procter, American actress
• 1968 – CL Smooth, American rapper and producer
• 1968 – Leeroy Thornhill, English keyboard player and DJ
• 1969 – Dylan Neal, Canadian-American actor, producer, and screenwriter
• 1970 – Mathieu Ngudjolo Chui, Congolese colonel
• 1970 – Matt Damon, American actor, producer, and screenwriter
• 1970 – Anne-Marie Duff, English actress
• 1970 – Sadiq Khan, English lawyer and politician, Minister of State for Transport, Mayor of London
• 1970 – Sisaundra Lewis, American singer-songwriter and producer
• 1970 – Tetsuya Nomura, Japanese video game designer and director
• 1971 – Marc Ellis, New Zealand rugby player and television host
• 1971 – David Gauke, English lawyer and politician
• 1971 – Pınar Selek, Turkish sociologist, author, and academic
• 1971 – Monty Williams, American basketball player and coach
• 1972 – Terry Balsamo, American guitarist and songwriter
• 1972 – Stanislav Varga, Slovak footballer and manager
• 1973 – Jim Fairchild, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
• 1973 – Kari Korhonen, Finnish cartoonist
• 1974 – Kevyn Adams, American ice hockey player and coach
• 1974 – Martin Henderson, New Zealand actor
• 1974 – Fredrik Modin, Swedish ice hockey player
• 1974 – Koji Murofushi, Japanese hammer thrower
• 1976 – Karina Bacchi, Brazilian model and actress
• 1976 – Jinnih Beels, Belgian politician
• 1976 – Galo Blanco, Spanish tennis player and coach
• 1976 – Renate Groenewold, Dutch speed skater and cyclist
• 1977 – Anne-Caroline Chausson, French cyclist
• 1977 – Jamie Marchi, American voice actress, director, and screenwriter
• 1977 – Erna Siikavirta, Finnish singer-songwriter and keyboard player
• 1978 – Antonino D'Agostino, Italian footballer
• 1978 – Mick O'Driscoll, Irish rugby player and coach
• 1979 – Paul Burchill, English wrestler
• 1979 – Kristanna Loken, American actress
• 1979 – Gregori Chad Petree, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
• 1980 – Nick Cannon, American actor, rapper, and producer
• 1980 – Branislav Mezei, Slovak ice hockey player
• 1980 – The Miz, American wrestler, actor, and television personality
• 1980 – J. R. Ramirez, Cuban-American actor
• 1981 – Vladimir Kisenkov, Russian footballer
• 1981 – Raffi Torres, Canadian ice hockey player
• 1982 – Phil Mustard, English cricketer
• 1982 – Miloš Pavlović, Serbian race car driver
• 1982 – Annemiek van Vleuten, Dutch cyclist
• 1983 – Mario Cassano, Italian footballer
• 1983 – Michael Fraser, Scottish footballer
• 1983 – Mihkel Kukk, Estonian javelin thrower
• 1983 – Abhishek Nayar, Indian cricketer
• 1983 – Travis Pastrana, American motorcycle racer
• 1984 – Domenik Hixon, American football player
• 1985 – Elliphant, Swedish singer-songwriter and rapper
• 1985 – Bruno Mars, American singer-songwriter, producer, and actor
• 1985 – Eiji Wentz, Japanese singer-songwriter
• 1986 – Louis Dodds, English footballer
• 1986 – Michele Sepe, Italian rugby player
• 1986 – Camilla Herrem, Norwegian handball player
• 1987 – Frankie Brown, Scottish footballer
• 1987 – Aya Hirano, Japanese voice actress and singer
• 1987 – Hassan Maatouk, Lebanese footballer
• 1987 – Taylor Price, American football player
• 1989 – Sione Lousi, New Zealand rugby league player
• 1989 – Mahmut Temür, Turkish footballer
• 1989 – Armand Traoré, French footballer
• 1990 – Rachel Klamer, Zimbabwean-Dutch triathlete
• 1991 – Jordan McLean, Australian rugby league player
• 1992 – Chelsea Gray, American basketball player
• 1992 – Maria João Koehler, Portuguese tennis player
• 1992 – Lidziya Marozava, Belarusian tennis player
• 1992 – Terran Petteway, American basketball player
• 1993 – Angus T. Jones, American actor
• 1993 – Garbiñe Muguruza, Spanish tennis player
• 1993 – Barbara Palvin, Hungarian model and actress
• 1993 – Molly Quinn, American actress and producer
• 1993 – Saucy Santana, American rapper
• 1993 – Bubba Wallace, American race car driver
• 1995 – Grayson Allen, American basketball player
• 1995 – G Herbo, American rapper
• 1996 – Devontae Cacok, American basketball player
• 1996 – Timo Meier, Swiss ice hockey player
• 1996 – Sara Sorribes Tormo, Spanish tennis player
• 1996 – Sara Takanashi, Japanese ski jumper
• 1997 – Fernanda Contreras Gómez, Mexican tennis player
• 1997 – Bella Thorne, American actress
• 1999 – Putthipong Assaratanakul, Thai actor and singer
• 1999 – Camila Rossi, Brazilian rhythmic gymnast
• 2002 – Brian Thomas Jr., American football player
• 2002 – Qinwen Zheng, Chinese tennis player
• 2003 – Ángela Aguilar, Mexican-American singer

Deaths

Pre-1600

• 705 – Abd al-Malik ibn Marwan, Umayyad caliph (b. 646)
• 923 – Pilgrim I, archbishop of Salzburg
• 951 – Xiao Sagezhi, Chinese Khitan empress
• 976 – Helen of Zadar, queen consort of the Kingdom of Croatia
• 1281 – Princess Constance of Greater Poland (b. c.1245)
• 1286 – John I, Duke of Brittany (b. 1217)
• 1317 – Emperor Fushimi of Japan (b. 1265)
• 1354 – Cola di Rienzo, Roman tribune (b. c.1313)
• 1361 – John Beauchamp, 3rd Baron Beauchamp
• 1436 – Jacqueline, Countess of Hainaut (b. 1401)
• 1469 – Filippo Lippi, artist (b. 1406)
• 1559 – Marina de Guevara, Spanish nun executed by the Spanish inquisition (b. 1517),
• 1594 – Ishikawa Goemon, ninja and thief of Japan (b. 1558)

1601–1900

• 1621 – Antoine de Montchrestien, French soldier, playwright, and economist (b. 1575)
• 1647 – Christen Sørensen Longomontanus, Danish astronomer and mathematician (b. 1562)
• 1652 – John Greaves, English mathematician and astronomer (b. 1602)
• 1656 – John George I, Elector of Saxony (b. 1585)
• 1659 – Jean de Quen, French missionary, priest, and historian (b. 1603)
• 1735 – Yongzheng Emperor of China (b. 1678)
• 1754 – Henry Fielding, English novelist and playwright (b. 1707)
• 1772 – Jean-Joseph de Mondonville, French violinist and composer (b. 1711)
• 1793 – John Hancock, American merchant and politician, 1st Governor of Massachusetts (b. 1737)
• 1795 – Andrew Kippis, English minister and author (b. 1725)
• 1802 – Emmanuele Vitale, Maltese general and politician (b. 1758)
• 1804 – Thomas Cochran, Canadian lawyer and judge (b. 1777)
• 1809 – James Elphinston, Scottish orthographer, phonologist, and linguist (b. 1721)
• 1821 – Juan O'Donojú, last Spanish ruler of Mexico (b. 1762)
• 1834 – François-Adrien Boieldieu, French composer (b. 1775)
• 1869 – Franklin Pierce, American general, lawyer, and politician, 14th President of the United States (b. 1804)
• 1879 – Miguel Grau Seminario, Peruvian admiral (b. 1834)
• 1886 – Austin F. Pike, American lawyer and politician (b. 1819)
• 1897 – Alexei Savrasov, Russian painter and academic (b. 1830)

1901–present

• 1928 – Larry Semon, American actor, director, producer, and screenwriter (b. 1889)
• 1931 – John Monash, Australian general and engineer (b. 1865)
• 1936 – Premchand, Indian author and screenwriter (b. 1880)
• 1936 – Red Ames, American baseball player and manager (b. 1882)
• 1936 – Ahmet Tevfik Pasha, Ottoman politician, 292nd Grand Vizier of the Ottoman Empire (b. 1845)
• 1936 – William Henry Stark, American businessman (b. 1851)
• 1942 – Sergey Chaplygin, Russian physicist, mathematician, and engineer (b. 1869)
• 1944 – Wendell Willkie, American captain, lawyer, and politician (b. 1892)
• 1945 – Felix Salten, Austrian author and critic (b. 1869)
• 1952 – Joe Adams, American baseball player and manager (b. 1877)
• 1953 – Nigel Bruce, British actor (b. 1895)
• 1953 – Kathleen Ferrier, English soprano (b. 1912)
• 1955 – Iry LeJeune, American accordion player (b. 1928)
• 1958 – Ran Bosilek, Bulgarian author and translator (b. 1886)
• 1963 – Remedios Varo, Spanish-Mexican painter (b. 1908)
• 1967 – Clement Attlee, English soldier, lawyer, and politician, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom (b. 1883)
• 1970 – Jean Giono, French author and poet (b. 1895)
• 1973 – Gabriel Marcel, French philosopher, playwright, and critic (b. 1889)
• 1977 – Giorgos Papasideris, Greek singer-songwriter (b. 1902)
• 1978 – Bertha Parker Pallan, American archaeologist (b. 1907)
• 1979 – Brian Edmund Baker, English air marshal (b. 1896)
• 1979 – Jayaprakash Narayan, Indian politician (b. 1902)
• 1982 – Fernando Lamas, Argentinian-American actor and director (b. 1916)
• 1982 – Philip Noel-Baker, Baron Noel-Baker, English runner and politician, Secretary of State for Commonwealth Relations, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1889)
• 1983 – Joan Hackett, American actress (b. 1934)
• 1985 – Malcolm Ross, American captain, physicist, and balloonist (b. 1919)
• 1985 – Gordon Welchman, English-American mathematician and scholar (b. 1906)
• 1987 – Konstantinos Tsatsos, Greek scholar and politician, 2nd President of Greece (b. 1899)
• 1992 – Willy Brandt, German lawyer and politician, 4th Chancellor of Germany, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1913)
• 1992 – Robert Berdella, American serial killer, torturer, and rapist (b. 1949)
• 1994 – Oscar M. Ruebhausen, American lawyer (b. 1912)
• 1995 – Christopher Keene, American conductor and educator (b. 1946)
• 1997 – Bertrand Goldberg, American architect, designed the Marina City Building (b. 1913)
• 1999 – John McLendon, American basketball player and coach (b. 1915)
• 2000 – Charlotte Lamb, English author (b. 1937)
• 2001 – Dmitry Polyansky, First Deputy Premier of the Soviet Union (b. 1917)
• 2002 – Phyllis Calvert, English actress (b. 1915)
• 2002 – Jacques Richard, Canadian ice hockey player (b. 1952)
• 2004 – James Chace, American historian and author (b. 1931)
• 2006 – Mark Porter, New Zealand race car driver (b. 1974)
• 2007 – Constantine Andreou, Greek painter and sculptor (b. 1917)
• 2008 – Ângelo Carvalho, Portuguese footballer (b. 1925)
• 2008 – Bob Friend, English journalist (b. 1938)
• 2008 – Eileen Herlie, Scottish-American actress (b. 1918)
• 2008 – George Emil Palade, Romanian-American biologist and physician, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1912)
• 2010 – Frank Bourgholtzer, American journalist (b. 1919)
• 2010 – Eileen Crofton, British physician and author (b. 1919)
• 2011 – Al Davis, American football player, coach, and manager (b. 1929)
• 2011 – Mikey Welsh, American guitarist and painter (b. 1971)
• 2011 – Roger Williams, American pianist (b. 1924)
• 2012 – Varsha Bhosle, Indian singer and journalist (b. 1956)
• 2012 – Marilou Diaz-Abaya, Filipino director, producer, and screenwriter (b. 1955)
• 2012 – Eric Lomax, Scottish captain and author (b. 1919)
• 2012 – Nawal Kishore Sharma, Indian politician, 20th Governor of Gujarat (b. 1925)
• 2013 – Philip Chevron, Irish singer-songwriter and guitarist (b. 1957)
• 2013 – Paul Desmarais, Canadian businessman and philanthropist (b. 1927)
• 2013 – Rod Grams, American journalist and politician (b. 1948)
• 2013 – Rodolphe Kasser, Swiss archaeologist and philologist (b. 1927)
• 2013 – Andy Pafko, American baseball player and manager (b. 1921)
• 2013 – Akong Rinpoche, Tibetan-Chinese spiritual leader (b. 1939)
• 2014 – Morris Lurie, Australian author and playwright (b. 1938)
• 2014 – Alden E. Matthews, American missionary (b. 1921)
• 2014 – Harden M. McConnell, American chemist and academic (b. 1927)
• 2014 – Zilpha Keatley Snyder, American author (b. 1927)
• 2014 – Jeen van den Berg, Dutch speed skater (b. 1928)
• 2015 – Richard Davies, Welsh-English actor (b. 1926)
• 2015 – Jim Diamond, Scottish singer-songwriter (b. 1951)
• 2015 – Dennis Eichhorn, American author and illustrator (b. 1945)
• 2015 – Lindy Infante, American football player and coach (b. 1940)
• 2015 – Paul Prudhomme, American chef and author (b. 1940)
• 2020 – Whitey Ford, American professional baseball pitcher (b. 1928)
• 2024 – Pat Fischer, American football player (b. 1940)
• 2024 – Tim Johnson, American lawyer and politician (b. 1946)
• 2024 – Luis Tiant, Cuban baseball player (b. 1940)

Holidays and observances

• Christian feast day:
  • Evodus (or Yves)
  • Palatias and Laurentia
  • Pelagia (Eastern Orthodox and Roman Catholic Churches)
  • Reparata
  • San Ernesto, Che Guevara as a folk saint. (Bolivian campesinos)
  • Simeon (Gospel of Luke)
  • Thaïs
  • William Dwight Porter Bliss and Richard T. Ely (Episcopal Church)
  • October 8 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
• World Space Week (October 4–10)
• Air Force Day (India)
• Arbor Day (Namibia)
• Children's Day (Iran)
• Navy Day (Peru)
• International Lesbian Day
• National Fluffernutter Day

External links

• "On This Day". BBC.
• The New York Times: On This Day
• "Historical Events on October 8". OnThisDay.com.