OCTOBER

Some October facts, trivia and information . . .

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The ancient Roman calendar was based on the lunar cycles, whereas our current calendar is based on the solar cycles. This meant that there were originally 10 months in the Roman calendar, October being the eighth month and the name “Octo” meaning “eight” in both Latin and Greek. In 451 BC the two months of Ianurarius and Februarius were added to the beginning of the calendar, making October the 10th month. The name, however, stayed.

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The Anglo-Saxons’ name for October was Winterfylleth, the name containing the words for winter and full moon respectively. It was named this because winter was said to begin from the first full moon of the month.

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The Saxons called October Wyn Monath, which translated into “wine month” because it was the time of the year for making wine.

By the way, the word “month” comes from “monath”, which in turn comes from “mona”, meaning moon.

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Spring began on 1 September in the Southern Hemisphere, autumn on that date in the Northern Hemisphere, so days are getting warmer or colder in October depending on where you are.

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October’s birthstone is the opal, which was valued by the Ancient Romans as the most priceless of all. It is said to be a symbol of faithfulness, purity, and hope.

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Those born in October can be born under one of two different star signs. Persons born before October 23 have the sign of Libra. Those born on October 23rd or later have the sign of Scorpio. Libras are said to value harmony and diplomacy and are said to be both intelligent and kind. Scorpios are quite different, valuing trust and honesty above other things, as well as being quite intense yet imaginative people.

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In 1975, a Soviet naval officer led a mutiny onboard a frigate with the aim of toppling the government of Brezhnev. It failed after a standoff with half of the Soviet Baltic fleet, but an article about it inspired an insurance salesman named Tom Clancy to write his book, The Hunt for Red October.

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On 24th October 1975, 90% of women in Iceland went on strike and took to the streets, refusing to work, cook, and look after children. The strike was called "Women's Day Off", and helped put Iceland at the forefront of the fight for gender equality. Men came to know it as "The Long Friday".

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Jehovah's Witnesses believe that the end times started on October 1, 1914 and that Satan is controlling the world's governments.

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In October 1994, Pulp Fiction, Forrest Gump, The Shawshank Redemption, The Lion King and Jurassic Park were all in theatres at the same time.

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In 1977, Aerosmith's flight crew inspected a Convair CV-240 for possible use and rejected it because they felt the plane and crew were not up to their standards. That plane crashed on October 20, 1977 from fuel exhaustion due to poor maintenance, killing three members of Lynyrd Skynyrd.

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Labour Day (Labor Day in the United States) is an annual holiday to celebrate the achievements of workers. Labour Day has its origins in the labour union movement, specifically the eight-hour day movement, which advocated eight hours for work, eight hours for recreation, and eight hours for rest.

For most countries, Labour Day is synonymous with, or linked with, International Workers' Day, which occurs on 1 May. Labour Day in Australia is a public holiday on dates which vary between states and territories. It is the first Monday in October in New South Wales so this coming Monday is a public holiday. I called it a BS holiday but my son disagrees with me. In the United States, Labor Day is a federal holiday observed on the first Monday of September.

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The beer-swilling Bavarian festival Oktoberfest takes place every year in Munich, Germany. The festival usually runs for 16 days from mid-September until the Sunday of the first weekend in October. The event has been held since 1810 when Prince Ludwig of Bavaria held a festival to celebrate his marriage with Therese, the princess of Saxony-Hildburghausen.

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In October of 1981, a soviet Whiskey class submarine ran aground on the south coast of Sweden. This incident became known as "Whiskey on the rocks".

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When the First World War began, it was compulsory for all British officers to have a moustache. That edict was revoked in October 1916, because the new recruits were so young that some could not rustle up more than a thin, mousey streak.

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The Pony Express only lasted from April 3, 1860 to October 1861, before the telegraph made it obsolete.

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Anna Politkovskaya, author of the anti-Putin book "Putin's Russia", was assassinated on October 7th (Putin's birthday).

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Halloween is celebrated on October 31st. The celebration’s origins go back to the Gaelic people of modern-day England, Scotland, and Ireland, who celebrated the festival of Samhain. Among other activities, the original celebrants of Samhain would dress in costumes or disguises and go door-to-door receiving gifts of food, much like how today’s children dress up and receive treats.

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