On this day: October 8
Chicago burns, Don Larsen is perfection in the World Series, Jerry Lee Lewis records his biggest hit, and Martha Stewart reports to prison, all on this day.
1793: American revolutionary John Hancock, who served as president of the Second Continental Congress and was the first and third governor of Massachusetts, dies from at the age of 56. Hancock is also remembered for his large and stylish signature on the Declaration of Independence, so much so that the term "John Hancock" became a synonym for signature.
1793: American revolutionary John Hancock, who served as president of the Second Continental Congress and was the first and third governor of Massachusetts, dies from at the age of 56. Hancock is also remembered for his large and stylish signature on the Declaration of Independence, so much so that the term "John Hancock" became a synonym for signature.
1869: Franklin Pierce, who was the 14th president of the United States, dies in Concord, N.H., at 64 years old from cirrhosis of the liver.
1871: On a hot, dry and windy autumn day, major fires break out on the shores of Lake Michigan in Chicago, Peshtigo, Wis., Holland, Mich., and Manistee, Mich., including the Great Chicago Fire. While the Chicago fire (pictured), which killed hundreds and burned more than 3 square miles of the city, is more well known, the Peshtigo fire was actually more deadly, killing between 1,200 to 2,500 people. That fire remains the deadliest in American history to this day.
1906: German native Karl Ludwig Nessler demonstrates the first "permanent wave" for hair, in his beauty salon in Oxford Street, London, to an invited audience of hair stylists. The hair is soaked with an alkaline solution and rolled on metal rods that are then heated strongly. Nessler, who also invented false eyelashes, would move to the United States with the outbreak of World War I and open salons in New York, Chicago, Detroit, Palm Beach and Philadelphia with a peak of 500 employees.
1918: In the Argonne Forest in France, United States Cpl. Alvin C. York attacks a German machine gun nest, killing 25 German soldiers and capturing 132 during World War I. York is promptly promoted to sergeant and awarded the Distinguished Service Cross for his heroism, and would later be awarded the Medal of Honor.
1920: Author Frank Herbert, best known for "Dune," the best-selling science fiction novel of all time, and its five sequels, is born in Tacoma, Wash.
1939: Germany annexes Western Poland during World War II. Here German soldiers are shown removing the Polish government's insignia in Gdynia, Poland.
1939: Actor Paul Hogan, best known for his portrayal of "Crocodile Dundee" in three movies, is born in Lightning Ridge, New South Wales, Australia.
1941: The Rev. Jesse Jackson, civil rights activist and a candidate for the Democratic presidential nomination in 1984 and 1988, is born in Greenville, N.C.
1943: Actor and comedian Chevy Chase ("Caddyshack," "National Lampoon's Vacation," "Fletch") is born in New York City.
1943: Author R. L. Stine, best known for his "Goosebumps" series of horror-themed children's books, is born in Columbus, Ohio.
1949: Actress Sigourney Weaver ("Alien," "Ghostbusters," "Working Girl," "Gorillas in the Mist," "Avatar") is born under the birth name Susan Alexandra Weaver in Manhattan, N.Y.
1956: Don Larsen pitches the only perfect game in a World Series, leading the New York Yankees over the Brooklyn Dodgers 2-0 in Game 5.
1957: Jerry Lee Lewis records the song "Great Balls Of Fire" at Sun Studio in Memphis, Tenn.
1957: The Brooklyn Dodgers formally announce the team will move to Los Angeles before the start of the 1958 season.
1958: Dr. Ake Senning implants the first internal heart pacemaker at the Karolinska Institute in Solna, Sweden. The prototype device, which used only two transistors and was the size of a hockey puck, fails after three hours and is replaced by a second device that lasts for two days. The patient, Arne Larsson, went on to receive 26 different pacemakers during his lifetime before dying in 2001 at the age of 86.
1970: Actor Matt Damon, best known for his roles in such movies as "Good Will Hunting," "The Departed" and the "Bourne" series, and an Oscar-winner along with Ben Affleck for their script for "Good Will Hunting," is born in Cambridge, Mass.
1976: The suspense thriller "Marathon Man," starring Dustin Hoffman, Laurence Olivier and Roy Scheider, premieres in theaters. Olivier would earn an Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actor for his performance in the film.
1980: Actor and rapper Nick Cannon, who got his start as a teenager on "All That" before going on to host "The Nick Cannon Show," "Wild 'N Out" and "America's Got Talent," is born in San Diego. Mariah Carey's husband, Cannon has also acted in movies such as "Drumline," "Love Don't Cost a Thing" and "Roll Bounce."
1984: Anne Murray wins the Country Music Association's Album of the Year Award for "A Little Good News," making her the first woman to achieve the award. Murray, who co-hosted the awards ceremony at Nashville's Grand Ole Opry House with Kris Kristofferson, also won Single of the Year for the album's title track.
1985: Singer-songwriter and record producer Bruno Mars, whose October 2010 debut album "Doo-Wops & Hooligans" peaked at No. 3 on the Billboard 200, is born under the birth name Peter Gene Hernandez in Honolulu, Hawaii.
1993: A U.S. Department of Justice report is released absolving the FBI of any wrongdoing in its final assault in Waco, Texas, on the Branch Davidian compound. The fire that ended the siege killed 76 people, including the sect leader, David Koresh.
2001: President George W. Bush establishes the Office of Homeland Security and names former Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Ridge as the office's director. The office would become the Department of Homeland Security in November 2002.
2003: The drama "Mystic River," starring Sean Penn, Tim Robbins, Kevin Bacon, Laurence Fishburne, Marcia Gay Harden and Laura Linney, and directed by Clint Eastwood, opens in limited release. The movie would be nominated for six Academy Awards, including Best Picture and Best Director, with Penn winning for Best Actor and Robbins winning Best Supporting Actor.
2004: Lifestyle guru Martha Stewart reports to Federal Prison Camp, Alderson in West Virginia to begin serving a sentence for lying about a stock sale. She would serve nearly five months at the prison before being released to home confinement on March 4, 2005.
2005: A magnitude 7.6 earthquake hits parts of Pakistan, India and Afghanistan, leaving 79,000 dead and 106,000 injured, making it the 17th deadliest earthquake of all time.
2007: Marion Jones surrenders the three gold medals and two bronze medals she won at the 2000 Summer Olympics in Syndey, Australia, three days after pleading guilty in U.S. District Court to lying to federal agents under oath about her use of steroids before the Olympics.
