On This Day in History – October 10

Major Events

• 732 – Battle of Tours: Charles Martel defeated Umayyad forces in France.
• 1471 – Battle of Brunkeberg in Stockholm secured Swedish independence.
• 1845 – The U.S. Naval Academy opened in Annapolis, Maryland.
• 1911 – The Xinhai Revolution began in China, leading to the fall of the Qing dynasty.
• 1913 – The Panama Canal was officially opened to ships.
• 1933 – United Airlines Flight 23 exploded midair, the first proven case of sabotage in aviation.
• 1964 – The Tokyo Summer Olympics opened, the first held in Asia.
• 1970 – Fiji gained independence from the United Kingdom.
• 1980 – Earthquake in Algeria killed thousands.
• 2010 – The Netherlands Antilles was dissolved.

Famous Birthdays

• Giuseppe Verdi (1813–1901) – Italian composer.
• Thelonious Monk (1917–1982) – American jazz pianist.
• James Clavell (1924–1994) – Australian-born writer and filmmaker.
• Harold Pinter (1930–2008) – English playwright and Nobel laureate.
• Peter Coyote (born 1941) – American actor.
• Charles Dance (born 1946) – English actor.
• David Lee Roth (born 1954) – American rock musician.
• Ben Vereen (born 1946) – American actor and dancer.
• Mario Lopez (born 1973) – American television host and actor.

Notable Deaths

• Wilfred Owen (1893–1918) – English war poet.
• Fridtjof Nansen (1861–1930) – Norwegian explorer and Nobel laureate.
• Yul Brynner (1920–1985) – Russian-American actor.
• Orson Welles (1915–1985) – American actor and director.
• Edith Piaf (1915–1963) – French singer.

Holidays

• World Mental Health Day (International)
• Independence Day (Fiji) – Commemorates independence from the United Kingdom in 1970.
• Double Ten Day (Taiwan) – Marks the anniversary of the Wuchang Uprising and founding of the Republic of China.

Fun Facts

• Both Orson Welles and Yul Brynner died on this day in 1985.
• Double Ten Day is Taiwan’s most important national holiday.
• Thelonious Monk and Giuseppe Verdi, born on this day, reshaped music centuries apart.