October 8

A quick look at Today in History, check out some Celebrity Birthdays, and find out what Days of the Year to celebrate.

TODAY IN HISTORY:

1871 – Four major fires broke out on the shores of Lake Michigan in Chicago, IL; Peshtigo, WI; Holland, MI; and Manistee, MI including the Great Chicago Fire, and the much deadlier Peshtigo Fire. A fire destroyed most of the city of Holland, MI. Hope College and the First Reformed Church survived. It was estimated that 90% of the homes in Holland were destroyed.

1938 – The cover of “The Saturday Evening Post” portrayed Norman Rockwell.

1945 – A patent was filed for a cooking process using microwaves. The first commercial unit that was available was almost 6 feet tall and weighed 750 lbs. It was called the “Radarange” and cost about $5,000.

1945 – President Truman announced that only Britain and Canada would be given the secret to the atomic bomb.

1952 – “The Complete Book of Etiquette” was published for the first time.

1956 – New York Yankees’ Don Larsen pitched the only perfect game in a World Series.

1957 – The Brooklyn Baseball Club announced that it had accepted a deal to move the Dodgers to Los Angeles.

1966 – The U.S. Government officially declared that LSD was dangerous and an illegal substance.

1982 – “Cats” opened on Broadway in New York, NY, and ran for nearly 18 years before closing on September 10, 2000.

1987 – Chuck Berry was given a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

1992 – The U.S. Postal Service announced the commemorative stamp booklet that would include Bill Haley, Elvis Presley, Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens, Clyde McPhatter, Dinah Washington, and Otis Redding.

1993 – The U.S. government issued a report absolving the FBI of any wrongdoing in its final assault on the Branch Davidian compound in Waco, TX. The fire that ended the siege killed 85 people.

1996 – Pope John Paul II underwent surgery to remove his appendix.

2001 – President George W. Bush announced the establishment of the Office of Homeland Security to combat terrorism. Former Pennsylvania Governor Tom Ridge takes the helm of the new office.

2001 – Rush Limbaugh announced to his listeners that he was totally deaf in his left ear and had only partial hearing in his right ear. The condition had appeared in a three month period.

2001 – Two Russian cosmonauts made the first spacewalk to be conducted outside of the International Space Station without a shuttle present.

2003 – Vietnam and the United States reached a tentative agreement that would allow the first commercial flights between the two countries since the end of the Vietnam War.

2003 – It was announced that Vivendi Universal and General Electric Co. had reached an agreement to merge. The name for the combined company is NBC Universal.

2003 – Siegfried Fischbacher and his manager announced that the “Siegfried and Roy” show at the Mirage Hotel in Las Vegas, NV was canceled permanently.

2004 – Three years after selling off a some of her ImClone stock, Martha Stewart checked into a minimum security federal women’s prison in Alderson, WV.

2007 – After admitting that she used steroids, Olympic sprinter Marion Jones returned the three gold and two bronze medals she won at the 2000 games in Sydney, Australia.

2020 – Six men were charged for plotting to kidnap Governor Gretchen Whitmer from her vacation home.

BIRTHDAYS:

Rona Barrett – 89 years old (1936) – Journalist and businesswoman

Fred Cash – 85 years old (1940) – Singer

Jesse Jackson – 84 years old (1941) – Minister and activist

Chevy Chase – 82 years old (1943) – Comedian, actor, and screenwriter

R. L. Stine – 82 years old (1943) – Author, screenwriter, and producer

Susan Raye – 81 years old (1944) – Singer

Dennis Kucinich – 79 years old (1946) – Journalist and politician, 53rd Mayor of Cleveland

Stephen Shore – 78 years old (1947) – Photographer and educator

Benjamin Cheever – 77 years old (1948) – Journalist and author

Sigourney Weaver – 76 years old (1949) – Actress and producer

Robert "Kool" Bell – 75 years old (1950) – Singer-songwriter and bass player

Jack O'Connell – 74 years old (1951) – Educator and politician

Shannon C. Stimson – 74 years old (1951) – Philosopher, historian, and theorist

Edward Zwick – 73 years old (1952) – Director, producer, and screenwriter

Michael Dudikoff – 71 years old (1954) – Actor

Bill Elliott – 70 years old (1955) – Race car driver

Darrell Hammond – 70 years old (1955) – Comedian and actor

Jeff Lahti – 69 years old (1956) – Baseball player

Stephanie Zimbalist – 69 years old (1956) – Actress

Steve Coll – 67 years old (1958) – Journalist and author

Bret Lott – 67 years old (1958) – Journalist, author, and academic

Ruffin McNeill – 67 years old (1958) – Football player and coach

Tommy Armour III – 66 years old (1959) – Golfer

Nick Bakay – 66 years old (1959) – Actor, producer, and screenwriter

Mike Morgan – 66 years old (1959) – Baseball player and coach

Carlos I. Noriega – 66 years old (1959) – Peruvian-American colonel and astronaut

Reed Hastings – 65 years old (1960) – Businessman, co-founded Netflix

Steven Bernstein – 64 years old (1961) – Trumpet player and composer

Ted Kooshian – 64 years old (1961) – Pianist and composer

Kim Wayans – 64 years old (1961) – Actress and comedian

Steve Perry – 62 years old (1963) – Singer-songwriter and guitarist

CeCe Winans – 61 years old (1964) – Singer-songwriter

Matt Biondi – 60 years old (1965) – Swimmer and coach

C. J. Ramone – 60 years old (1965) – Singer-songwriter and bass player

Karyn Parsons – 59 years old (1966) – Actress and producer

Teddy Riley – 58 years old (1967) – Singer-songwriter and producer

Emily Procter – 57 years old (1968) – Actress

CL Smooth – 57 years old (1968) – Rapper and producer

Dylan Neal – 56 years old (1969) – Canadian-American actor, producer, and screenwriter

Matt Damon – 55 years old (1970) – Actor, producer, and screenwriter

Sisaundra Lewis – 55 years old (1970) – Singer-songwriter and producer

Monty Williams – 54 years old (1971) – Basketball player and coach

Terry Balsamo – 53 years old (1972) – Guitarist and songwriter

Jim Fairchild – 52 years old (1973) – Singer-songwriter and guitarist

Kevyn Adams – 51 years old (1974) – Ice hockey player and coach

Jamie Marchi – 48 years old (1977) – Voice actress, director, and screenwriter

Kristanna Loken – 46 years old (1979) – Actress

Gregori Chad Petree – 46 years old (1979) – Singer-songwriter and guitarist

Nick Cannon – 45 years old (1980) – Actor, rapper, and producer

The Miz – 45 years old (1980) – Wrestler, actor, and television personality

J. R. Ramirez – 45 years old (1980) – Cuban-American actor

Travis Pastrana – 42 years old (1983) – Motorcycle racer

Domenik Hixon – 41 years old (1984) – Football player

Bruno Mars – 40 years old (1985) – Singer-songwriter, producer, and actor

Taylor Price – 38 years old (1987) – Football player

Chelsea Gray – 33 years old (1992) – Basketball player

Terran Petteway – 33 years old (1992) – Basketball player

Angus T. Jones – 32 years old (1993) – Actor

Molly Quinn – 32 years old (1993) – Actress and producer

Saucy Santana – 32 years old (1993) – Rapper

Bubba Wallace – 32 years old (1993) – Race car driver

Grayson Allen – 30 years old (1995) – Basketball player

G Herbo – 30 years old (1995) – Rapper

Devontae Cacok – 29 years old (1996) – Basketball player

Bella Thorne – 28 years old (1997) – Actress

Huh Yunjin – 24 years old (2001) – Singer based in South Korea

Brian Thomas Jr. – 23 years old (2002) – Football player

Ángela Aguilar – 22 years old (2003) – Mexican-American singer

TODAY IS:

For additional information check out websites like: www.on-this-day.com, www.born-today.com, www.famousbirthdays.com, www.daysoftheyear.com, and www.nationaldaycalendar.com.