October 8: What Happened on This Day in History (Elementary Level)?

(Page last edited 10/12/2017)

1. 1829 - Rail transport: Stephenson's The Rocket wins The Rainhill Trials.
2. 1860 - Telegraph line between Los Angeles and San Francisco opens.
3. 1956 - New York Yankees's Don Larsen pitched the only perfect game in a World Series; one of only 20 perfect games in MLB history.
4. 1978 - Australia's Ken Warby sets the current world water speed record of 317.60mph at Blowering Dam, Australia.
5. 2001 - U.S. President George W. Bush announces the establishment of the Office of Homeland Security.
6. Famous Birthdays: William John Swainson (English naturalist and artist), Henri Louis le Chatelier (French chemist), Edward Rickenbacker (American fighter pilot and airline executive), R. L. Stine (American author), Matt Damon (American actor)

For famous birthdays and other daily events in history, visit our Daily Dose Activities.

Click Here for Yesterday in History: October 7

Click Here for Tomorrow in History: October 9

For more history resources on Internet 4 Classrooms, visit our Social Studies and History index. For Pre K-8th Grade Level History and Social Studies Resources, visit our Grade Level Index.