October 15 in Pop Culture History

October 15th History, Trivia, and Fun Facts

October 15th History Highlights

  • 1582 – Pope Gregory XIII implemented the Gregorian calendar.
  • 1753 – Jean Francois Pilatre de Rozier and Francois Laurent were the first to ascend in a hot air balloon, the first witnessed manned flight demonstration.
  • 1793 – Queen Marie Antoinette of France was tried and convicted, and condemned to death the following day.
  • If you were born on October 15th,
    You were likely conceived the week of… January 22nd (same year)

White Cane Safety Day

On October 15, 1964, Congress resolved that October 15 would be proclaimed White Cane Safety Day (aka Blind Americans Equality Day). President Lyndon Johnson immediately made a proclamation sealing this as an official day to recognize the advancements and achievements of blind individuals. It was called White Cane Safety Day because the white cane is a recognizable symbol of a blind person’s independence.

October 15th is…

Chicken Cacciatore Day
Blind Americans Equality Day
Global Handwashing Day
Grouch Day
I Love Lucy Day
Mushroom Day
Pregnancy and Infant Loss Awareness Day
Roast Pheasant Day

October 15th Birthday Quotes

“Come what may, all bad fortune is to be conquered by endurance.”
– Virgil

“I feel like I put it together better than anybody else. I don’t feel like I’m the best dancer. I don’t feel like I’m the best singer. I don’t feel like I’m the best looking. I feel like I’m the best at putting it all together.”
– Ginuwine

“I have a strange combination of fearlessness and massive insecurity.”
– Penny Marshall

“Whenever I meet people for the first time, I assume that they have a great story to tell and that it’s my job to find it.”
– Sarah Ferguson

“In a completely rational society, the best of us would aspire to be teachers and the rest of us would have to settle for something less, because passing civilization along from one generation to the next ought to be the highest honor and the highest responsibility anyone could have.”
– Lee Iacocca

“What is past is past. never go back. Not for excuses. Not for justification, not for happiness. You are what you are, the world is what it is.”
– Mario Puzo

October 15th Birthdays

70 BC – Virgil, Roman poet (died in 19 BC)
1844 – Friedrich Nietzche, German philosopher (died in 1900)
1858 – John L. Sullivan, American boxer (died in 1918)
1917 – Arthur Schlesinger, American historian (died in 2007)
1920 – Mario Puzo, American author, and screenwriter (died in 1999)
1924 – Lee Iacocca, American businessman (died in 2019)
1935 – Barry McGuire, American singer-songwriter
1937 – Linda Lavin, American actress
1943 – Penny Marshall, American actress, director, and producer (died in 2018)
1944 – Haim Saban, Israeli-American businessman, co-founded Saban Entertainment
1959 – Sarah, Duchess of York
1970 – Ginuwine, American singer-songwriter
1981 – Keyshia Cole, American singer-songwriter

October 15th History

1582 – Pope Gregory XIII implemented the Gregorian calendar. In several countries, October 4 of that year was followed directly by October 15.

1878 – The Edison Electric Light Company began operations.

1888 – The “From Hell” letter sent by Jack the Ripper was received by the London authorities (Whitechapel Vigilance Committee).

1917 – German Spy Mata Hari was executed.

1951I Love Lucy premiered on CBS. It was filmed on three cameras, a TV first.

1953 – Broadway Show – The Teahouse of the August Moon (Play) October 15, 1953

1955 – #1 Hit October 15, 1955 – October 28, 1955: The Four Aces – Love Is A Many Splendored Thing

1956 – FORTRAN, the first modern computer language, was first shared with the coding community.

1966 – #1 Hit October 15, 1966 – October 28, 1966: Four Tops – Reach Out, I’ll Be There

1966 – The Black Panther Party was created by Huey P. Newton and Bobby Seale.

October 15, 1973Dr. Seuss on the Loose aired live on CBS.

1977 – #1 Hit October 15, 1977 – December 23, 1977: Debby Boone – You Light Up My Life

1987 – Bob Barker, host of The Price Is Right, stopped dying his hair. The audience gave him a standing ovation when he came onstage, white-haired.

1988 – #1 Hit October 15, 1988 – October 21, 1988: UB40 – Red Red Wine

2000Curb Your Enthusiasm premiered on HBO

2001Smallville premiered on The WB

Today’s Random Trivia and Shower Thoughts

The Capital of Kazakhstan is Astana

“What is it you want, Mary? What do you want? You want the moon? Just say the word and I’ll throw a lasso around it and pull it down.” – George Bailey in It’s a Wonderful Life #moviequotes

There is an area in the mid-Pacific ocean called White Shark Cafe where sharks travel to and loiter for no identified reason despite there being little food there and it being a sharks’ equivalent of a desert.

The smallest bone in the human body is the stapes or stirrup bone located in the middle ear.

TV Quotes… “Elizabeth, I’m coming!” (Fred Sanford) on Sanford and Son.

100 years from now, our great-grandchildren will be watching period dramas set in our era.”Oh no! My cellphone fell into the well!”

The biggest film of 2005: Star Wars Ep. III: Revenge of the Sith (Sci-Fi) earned ~ $380,000,000

In Animaniacs, Dot’s full name is Princess Angelina Contessa Louisa Francesca Banana Fanna Bo Besca, the Third.

US President #21 Chester Arthur (1881-1885) Arthur took the oath of office twice. Once right after Garfield died in New York, the second time was upon his arrival to Washington D.C.

11 million 911 calls are made in New York City each year or approximately 20 per minute.

Han Chinese are the largest ethnic group in the world, representing 92% of China’s population and 19% of the entire human population. (~1.3 Billion people)

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