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Historical events on October 9

OCTOBER 9, 1780
The deadliest Atlantic hurricane on record began to impact the Caribbean, killing at least 20,000 people across the Antilles over the subsequent days.
The Great Hurricane of 1780 was the deadliest tropical cyclone in the Western Hemisphere. An estimated 22,000 people died throughout the Lesser Read More
OCTOBER 9, 1813
Late in the Napoleonic Wars, Empress Marie Louise (pictured) issued decrees conscripting tens of thousands of French teenagers, who became known as Marie-Louises.
The Napoleonic Wars (1803–1815) were a global series of conflicts fought between the French First Republic (1803–1804)/First French Empire (1804–1815) under the Read More
OCTOBER 9, 1676
Antonie van Leeuwenhoek wrote a letter to the Royal Society describing "animalcules" – the first known description of protozoa (pictured).
Antonie Philips van Leeuwenhoek was a Dutch microbiologist and microscopist in the Golden Age of Dutch art, science and technology. A largely Read More
OCTOBER 9, 1912
Following a reduction in pay, textile workers in Little Falls, New York, walked out of their mill, starting a three-month strike.
Little Falls is a city in Herkimer County, New York, United States. The population was 4,605 at the time of the 2020 Read More
OCTOBER 9, 1888
The Washington Monument in Washington, D.C., at the time the world's tallest building, officially opened to the general public.
The Washington Monument is an obelisk on the National Mall in Washington, D.C., built to commemorate George Washington, a Founding Father of Read More
OCTOBER 9, 1793
French Revolution: After a month-long siege, the leaders of Lyon surrendered, ending their revolt against the National Convention.
The French Revolution was a period of political and societal change in France which began with the Estates General of 1789 and Read More
OCTOBER 9, 1952
A footman shot and killed two colleagues and wounded the lady of the house at Knowsley Hall, England.
The Knowsley Hall shootings occurred on the evening of 9 October 1952 in Knowsley Hall, Merseyside, England. Harold Winstanley, a 19-year-old trainee Read More
OCTOBER 9, 1913
Carrying a cargo hold full of highly flammable chemicals, the ocean liner SS Volturno caught fire in the north Atlantic and sank, resulting in 136 deaths.
SS Volturno was an ocean liner that caught fire and was eventually scuttled in the North Atlantic in October 1913. She was Read More
OCTOBER 9, 2012
Pakistani activist Malala Yousafzai (pictured) was severely injured by a Taliban gunman in a failed assassination attempt.
Malala Yousafzai is a Pakistani female education activist, film and television producer, and the 2014 Nobel Peace Prize laureate at the age Read More
OCTOBER 9, 1740
European soldiers and Javanese collaborators massacred Chinese Indonesians in the port city of Batavia, modern-day Jakarta.
The 1740 Batavia massacre was a massacre and pogrom of ethnic Chinese residents of the port city of Batavia, Dutch East Indies, Read More
OCTOBER 9, 1914
World War I: The civilian authorities of Antwerp surrendered and allowed the German army to capture the city.
World War I or the First World War, also known as the Great War, was a global conflict between two coalitions: the Read More
OCTOBER 9, 1962
Nick Holonyak, an engineer for General Electric, gave the first public demonstration of a light-emitting diode.
Nick Holonyak Jr. was an American engineer and educator. He is noted particularly for his 1962 invention and first demonstration of a Read More
OCTOBER 9, 1942
World War II: American forces defeated the Japanese at the Third Battle of the Matanikau in Guadalcanal, Solomon Islands, reversing the Japanese victory a couple of weeks earlier.
World War II or the Second World War was a global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies and the Axis powers. Nearly all Read More
OCTOBER 9, 1708
Great Northern War: Russia defeated Sweden at the Battle of Lesnaya on the Russian–Polish border, in present-day Belarus.
In the Great Northern War (1700–1721) a coalition led by the Tsardom of Russia successfully contested the supremacy of the Swedish Empire Read More
OCTOBER 9, 2019
Syrian civil war: Turkish forces began an offensive into north-eastern Syria following the withdrawal of U.S. troops from the region.
The Syrian civil war is an ongoing conflict in Syria that began with the Syrian Revolution in March 2011 when popular discontent Read More

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