A 7.6 magnitude earthquake struck Kashmir, killing over 79,000 people
MajorThe earthquake devastated northern Pakistan and parts of India, with entire villages buried under rubble. It left 3.5 million people homeless as winte...
October 8 in History
Significant events that happened on this day.
Historical Events
2005
2001
President George W. Bush announced the creation of the Office of Homeland Security in response to 9/11
The new office, headed by former Pennsylvania Governor Tom Ridge, marked the largest reorganization of the federal government in decades. It would lat...
1998
The U.S. House of Representatives voted to begin impeachment proceedings against President Bill Clinton
MajorThe vote authorized a full inquiry into whether Clinton committed perjury and obstruction of justice during the Monica Lewinsky scandal. It marked onl...
1997
The remain of Che Guevara were finally laid to rest in Cuba, 30 years after his execution
His body had been secretly buried in Bolivia in an unmarked grave near a jungle airstrip. After a year-long search, forensic experts identified his sk...
1985
The Soviet Union announced a unilateral moratorium on nuclear testing
Mikhail Gorbachev's bold move was meant to pressure the United States to follow suit during the Cold War arms race. The U.S. initially refused, callin...
1982
Poland banned Solidarity, the trade union that would eventually help topple communism
The communist government outlawed the 10-million-member union and arrested its leaders, including future president Lech Wałęsa. The ban backfired spec...
1970
Soviet author Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn won the Nobel Prize in Literature for exposing Stalin's brutal gulag system
His works like "The Gulag Archipelago" documented the Soviet prison camp system where he'd spent eight years. The Soviet government prevented him from...
1967
Che Guevara was captured by Bolivian forces while trying to incite revolution
MajorThe legendary revolutionary, once Fidel Castro's right-hand man, had been leading a failing guerrilla campaign in Bolivia's remote mountains. He was f...
1956
Don Larsen pitched the only perfect game in World Series history
MajorPlaying for the New York Yankees against the Brooklyn Dodgers in Game 5, Larsen retired all 27 batters he faced without allowing anyone to reach base....
1939
Germany annexed western Poland after the Warsaw garrison surrendered, completing the Nazi conquest in just over a month
MajorThe swift defeat came despite fierce Polish resistance and marked the success of Germany's new "blitzkrieg" strategy. The Soviet Union simultaneously...
1871
The Great Chicago Fire finally burned itself out after destroying over 17,000 buildings
MajorStarting on October 8, 1871, the fire raged for three days, killing approximately 300 people and leaving 100,000 homeless. Legend incorrectly blames M...
