On This Day October 9

The Great Hurricane of 1780 was the deadliest Atlantic hurricane in recorded history. Coming during a very active hurricane season, the storm formed on October 9, 1780 and struck Barbados the next day with winds possibly exceeding 200 mph. It then passed over several other islands between October 10–16, leaving mass destruction in its wake. Thousands of deaths were reported on each island, and between 22,000–27,501 people had died by the time the storm dissipated.

HMS Egmont, when dismasted on 11 October near the Island of St Lucia

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On This Day October 8

Pyotr Tchaikovsky conducted the first performance of his Symphony No. 6 in B minor (Pathétique symphony), which was dedicated to his nephew, in St Petersburg, on October 8, 1893. The symphony was written in Tchaikovsky's summer house in Klin, 50 miles northwest of Moscow. Writing to his nephew the composer said, "I consider the Symphony the best thing I've ever done."

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On This Day October 7

Goalkeeper Brad Friedel is the current holder of the Premier League record for most consecutive appearances with 310, a feat he achieved during spells at Blackburn Rovers, Aston Villa, and Tottenham Hotspur. Until the American footballer was left out of the Tottenham team on October 7, 2012, the previous Premier League game Friedel missed was Blackburn's last fixtures of the 2003–04 season against Birmingham City, on May 15, 2004.

Friedel playing for Aston Villa. By Dagur Brynjólfsson

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On This Day October 6

The Jazz Singer, the first prominent talking movie, opened on October 6, 1927. There were only two talking sequences, during which 354 words were spoken. The film’s star, Al Jolson, said 340 of them. One of his lines was the famous: "You ain’t heard nothing yet." Its release heralded the commercial ascendance of sound films and ended the silent film era. 

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On This Day October 5

Abraham Lincoln's mother, Nancy Hanks Lincoln, died of milk sickness on October 5, 1818, age 34. after her family dairy cow ate poisonous mushrooms and she drank the milk. The  9-year-old Abraham assisted his father in the making of her coffin by whittling the wooden pegs that held the planks together. His 11-year-old sister Sarah cared for him until their father remarried the next year.

Nancy Hanks Lincoln depiction

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On This Day October 4

The first US Open Men's Golf Championship was played at the Newport Country Club in Newport, Rhode Island on October 4, 1895. It was a one-day event played over 36 holes immediately after the three-day U.S. Amateur, which received much more attention at the time. The Championship was won by 21-year-old English golfer Horace Thomas Rawlins who worked as an assistant at the club. His prize was $150 plus a $50 golf medal and the silver Open Championship Cup.

Horace Rawlins, winner of the inaugural U.S. Open in 1895.

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On This Day October 3

Between 58-51 BC, the Romans under Julius Caesar subdued Gaul selling thousands of Belgic tribes into slavery by a process of total annihilation of Gaelic forces. At the Battle of Alesia, Caesar's 100,000 troops were outnumbered 4:1 but they still won when on October 3, 52BC Vercingetorix, leader of the Gauls, surrendered to the Romans. Ancient historians are notorious for exaggerating numbers of this kind, but Caesar's conquest of Gaul was certainly the greatest military triumph since the campaigns of Alexander the Great.

Vercingetorix throws down his arms at the feet of Julius Caesar. Painting by Lionel Royer.

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