On This Day in History

Explore This Day in History

Learn what happened on this day in history. Browse historical events, famous birthdays and notable deaths for any date, all sourced from Wikipedia.

Today in numbers

52events
261born
131died

What Happened On This Day in History

Find out what happened on this day in history through today's featured event, latest article, famous birthday, notable death, holidays and observances, your birthday in history, and this month in history. Each card opens the complete history page.

Daily History Challenge

Put Today's Events in Order

Four events that happened on this day, in four different years. Tap them from the oldest to the newest, you have three tries, then share your result. A new puzzle every day.

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Holidays and Observances Today

International days, national holidays and religious feast days that fall on today's date. Each card opens the holiday in the full holidays calendar. See all 26 holidays today.

International day

World Day Against the Death Penalty

Internationally observed day on 10 October

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International day

World Mental Health Day

International observance, 10 October

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International day

World Porridge Day

Children's charity

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National or local holiday

Aleksis Kivi Day, also known as the Finnish Literature Day (Finland)

Flag flying days in Finland are days of the year when the national flag is flown nationwide, either by law or by custom. The flag of Finland is generally…

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National or local holiday

Arbor Day (Poland)

Secular holiday celebrating trees

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National or local holiday

Army Day (Sri Lanka)

National holidays honoring military forces

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National or local holiday

Capital Liberation Day (Vietnam)

National or local holiday on October 10.

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National or local holiday

Constitution Day (Sint Maarten)

National or local holiday on October 10.

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National or local holiday

Curaçao Day, anniversary of autonomy

National or local holiday on October 10.

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National or local holiday

Double Ten Day (The National Day of Republic of China), celebrates outbreak of the Wuchang Uprising in 1911 that led to founding of the Republic of China in 1912

National holiday in Taiwan

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National or local holiday

Fiji Day (Fiji)

Week of festivities celebrating Fiji's independence

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National or local holiday

Independence Day (Cuba)

Instigating event of the Ten Years' War

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National or local holiday

Party Foundation Day (North Korea)

Public holiday in North Korea

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Religious feast day

Blessed Angela Truszkowska

Polish religious sister

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Religious feast day

Cerbonius

Bishop of Populonia

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Religious feast day

Daniele Comboni

Italian Catholic bishop (1831–1881)

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Religious feast day

Blessed Edward Detkens

Polish Roman Catholic priest and martyr

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Religious feast day

Eulampius and Eulampia

Saints Eulampius and Eulampia are venerated as 3rd century Christian martyrs. According to tradition, they were brother and sister and natives of Nicomedia…

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Religious feast day

Gereon and companions

Soldier and martyr

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Religious feast day

Blessed María Catalina Irigoyen Echegaray (Maria Desposorios)

Spanish Dominican nun

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Religious feast day

Paulinus of York (in England)

Christian missionary and saint, first bishop of York (died 644)

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Religious feast day

Pinytus

Saint Pinytus, a Greek by birth, was Bishop of Knossos in Crete in the late 2nd century.

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Religious feast day

Tanca

French Roman Catholic saint

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Religious feast day

Vida Dutton Scudder (Episcopal Church)

American educator, writer, and welfare activist (1861–1954)

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Religious feast day

Viktor of Xanten

Viktor of Xanten was a 4th century martyr and saint recognized by the Roman Catholic Church and the Eastern Orthodox Church. Since the 12th century, his…

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Religious feast day

October 10 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)

Day in the Eastern Orthodox liturgical calendar

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What Happened This Month

October in History

See what happened in October in history, from the battles, treaties and discoveries that shaped the world to the famous October birthdays and holidays, with a page for every day of the month.

See October in History

On This Day in History Articles

A new history article is published every day covering one significant event from the past. Each post explores the causes, key figures, immediate impact, and the legacy that still resonates in the world today.

How did the 1963 treaty ban atmospheric nuclear tests?
October 10, 2026

How did the 1963 treaty ban atmospheric nuclear tests?

The Partial Nuclear Test Ban Treaty formally entered into force, prohibiting nuclear detonations in the atmosphere, outer space, and under water.

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What Happened at the Battle of Angamos in 1879?
October 8, 2026

What Happened at the Battle of Angamos in 1879?

On 8 October 1879 the Chilean Navy, under Riveros and Latorre, crushed the Peruvian monitor Huáscar at Punta Angamos, securing naval dominance for Chile…

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How was asteroid 2008 TC3 detected before it hit Earth?
October 7, 2026

How was asteroid 2008 TC3 detected before it hit Earth?

On October 7, 2008, the 4.1‑meter asteroid 2008 TC3 entered Earth’s atmosphere over Sudan, exploding 37 km above the desert after being spotted a day…

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How did Annie Ernaux become the first French Nobel laureate?
October 6, 2026

How did Annie Ernaux become the first French Nobel laureate?

The Swedish Academy announced Annie Ernaux as the 2022 Nobel Prize in Literature laureate, citing her clinical acuity in uncovering personal memory.

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How did drug gangs kill 13 Chinese sailors on the Mekong?
October 5, 2026

How did drug gangs kill 13 Chinese sailors on the Mekong?

Two Chinese cargo ships were hijacked on the Mekong River in the Golden Triangle.

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How did Yeltsin's army end the 1993 Russian crisis?
October 4, 2026

How did Yeltsin's army end the 1993 Russian crisis?

On October 4, 1993, the Russian army shelled the White House with tanks and stormed the building to arrest lawmakers resisting President Yeltsin.

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How did Wab Kinew become the first First Nations premier of a Canadian province?
October 3, 2026

How did Wab Kinew become the first First Nations premier of a Canadian province?

Wab Kinew led the NDP to a majority government in the 2023 Manitoba election, becoming the first First Nations premier of a Canadian province.

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How did Mexico suppress students before the 1968 Olympics?
October 2, 2026

How did Mexico suppress students before the 1968 Olympics?

Mexican President Gustavo Díaz Ordaz ordered soldiers to suppress unarmed student demonstrators ten days before the 1968 Summer Olympics began in Mexico…

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October

On This Day, October 10

  • 2022: Ben S. Bernanke, Douglas W. Diamond and Philip H. Dybvig are jointly awarded the Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences.
  • 2018: Hurricane Michael makes landfall in the Florida Panhandle as a catastrophic Category 5 hurricane. It kills 57 people in the United States, 45 in Florida, and causes an estimated $25.1 billion in damage.
  • 2018: The National Fire and Rescue Administration is founded, replacing the China Fire Services [zh] and the People's Armed Police Forestry Corps [zh] as China's primary firefighting agency.
  • 2015: Twin bomb blasts in the Turkish capital Ankara kill 109 and injure 500+.
  • 2010: The Netherlands Antilles are dissolved as a country.

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