October in History
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birthdays and history:
About the Month of October
October is the 10th month of the year and has 31 days.
Season (Northern Hemisphere): Autumn
Holidays
Yom Kippur
Columbus Day
Child Health Day
Halloween
National Hispanic Heritage Month (Sep 15 through Oct 15)
Italian American Heritage Month
Polish American Heritage Month
National Breast Cancer Month
National Pizza Month
National Dessert Month
Country Music Month
National Book Fair Month
Symbols of October
- Birthstone: Opal and pink tourmaline
- Flower: Calendula
- Zodiac signs: Libra and Scorpio
History:
October was originally the eighth month of the Roman calendar. It comes from the Latin word "octo" meaning eight. Later, it became the 10th month when January and February were added to the Calendar.
The Saxons called the month Wintirfyllith because it had the first full moon of the winter season.
October in Other Languages
- Chinese (Mandarin) - shíyuè
- Danish - oktober
- French - octobre
- Italian - ottobre
- Latin - October
- Spanish - octubre
Historical Names:
- Roman: October
- Saxon: Wintirfyllith
- Germanic: Wein-mond (Wine month)
Interesting Facts about October
- It is the second Autumn month.
- National Fire Prevention Week falls during the week of October 9 each year. It commemorates the Great Chicago Fire of 1871.
- October in the Northern Hemisphere is similar to April in the Southern Hemisphere.
- The leaves of trees often begin to change their colors during this month.
- The World Series for Major League Baseball generally takes place during October.
- The NBA, National Basketball League, and the NHL, National Hockey League, both begin their seasons in October.
- There are many health observances that have October as their national month. These include Healthy Lungs, Breast Cancer, Lupus, Spina Bifida, Blindness, and Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS).
- The United Kingdom celebrates the 21st as Apple Day.
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