Associated Press
On Oct. 8, 1871, the Great Chicago Fire erupted. The blaze destroyed four square miles of the city, killing about 250 people and leaving some 90,000 homeless.
1869- Franklin Pierce, the 14th president of the United States, died in Concord, N.H., at age 64.
1918- American Army Sgt. Alvin York almost single-handedly killed 25 German soldiers and captured 132 in the Argonne Forest in France.
1944- “The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet” debuted on CBS Radio.
1945- President Harry S. Truman announced that the secret of the atomic bomb would be shared only with Britain and Canada.
1956- Don Larsen pitched the only perfect game in a World Series as the New York Yankees beat the Brooklyn Dodgers 2-0 in Game 5.
1959- Margaret Thatcher was first elected to the British Parliament as a Conservative representing the north London suburb of Finchley.
1970- Soviet author Alexander Solzhenitsyn was named winner of the Nobel Prize for literature.
1982- Poland banned all labor organizations, including Solidarity.
1985- The hijackers of the Italian cruise ship Achille Lauro killed American passenger Leon Klinghoffer and dumped his body and wheelchair overboard.
2001- Former Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Ridge was sworn in as director of the new Office of Homeland Security.
2004- Lifestyle guru Martha Stewart reported to prison to begin serving a sentence for lying about a stock sale.
2005- A major earthquake flattened villages on the Pakistan-India border, killing an estimated 86,000 people.
2011- Al Davis, the Hall of Fame owner of the Oakland Raiders, died at age 82.
Today’s Birthdays:
Actor Matt Damon turns 45 years old today.
Rona Barrett, Entertainment reporter, 79
Fred Stolle, Tennis Hall of Famer, 77
Paul Hogan, Actor (“Crocodile Dundee” movies), 76
Jesse Jackson, Civil rights leader, 74
Chevy Chase, Actor, comedian, 72
R.L. Stine, Author, 72
Sigourney Weaver, Actress, 66
Darrell Hammond, Comedian (“Saturday Night Live”), 60
Stephanie Zimbalist, Actress, 59
Emily Procter, Actress (“CSI: Miami”), 47
Kristanna Loken, Actress, 36
Bruno Mars, Singer, songwriter, 30
Angus T. Jones, Actor (“Two and a Half Men”), 22
Actor-TV host Nick Cannon (“America’s Got Talent”) turns 35 years old today.