Updated October 7, 2012, 2:28 pm
On Oct. 8, 1982, all labor organizations in Poland, including Solidarity, were banned.
On Oct. 8, 1890, Edward V. Rickenbacker, the World War I flying ace who went on to lead Eastern Airlines for thirty years, was born. Following his death on July 23, 1973, his obituary appeared in The Times.
Go to obituary » | Other birthdays »
On This Date
By The Associated Press
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. Current Birthdays
By The Associated Press
Actor Matt Damon turns 42 years old today.
AP Photo/Evan Agostini
Actor-TV host Nick Cannon (“America’s Got Talent”) turns 32 years old today.
AP Photo/Peter Kramer
1936 Rona Barrett, Entertainment reporter, turns 76 1938 Fred Stolle, Tennis Hall of Famer, turns 74 1939 Paul Hogan, Actor (“Crocodile Dundee” movies), turns 73 1941 Jesse Jackson, Civil rights leader, turns 71 1943 Chevy Chase, Actor, comedian, turns 69 1943 R.L. Stine, Author, turns 69 1949 Sigourney Weaver, Actress, turns 63 1955 Darrell Hammond, Comedian (“Saturday Night Live”), turns 57 1956 Stephanie Zimbalist, Actress, turns 56 1968 Emily Procter, Actress (“CSI: Miami”), turns 44 1979 Kristanna Loken, Actress, turns 33 1985 Bruno Mars, Singer, songwriter, turns 27 1993 Angus T. Jones, Actor (“Two and a Half Men”), turns 19
Historic Birthdays
Edward V. Rickenbacker 10/8/1890 – 7/23/1973 American World War I fighter pilot and aviation industrialist.Go to obituary »
87 Heinrich Schutz 10/8/1585 – 11/6/1672
German composer74 Edmund Steadman 10/8/1833 – 1/18/1908
American poet and banker66 John Milton Hay 10/8/1838 – 7/1/1905
American politician; U.S. secretary of state (1898-1905)78 Juan D. Peron 10/8/1895 – 7/1/1974
Argentinian president (1946-55, 1973-4)65 Frank Herbert 10/8/1920 – 2/11/1986
American writer
