On This Day in History – October 9

Major Events

• 768 – Charlemagne and his brother Carloman I became Kings of the Franks.
• 1000 – Leif Erikson landed in North America, believed to be in Newfoundland.
• 1446 – The Hangul alphabet was created by King Sejong the Great of Korea.
• 1701 – Yale University was founded in Connecticut.
• 1874 – The Universal Postal Union was established.
• 1940 – St. Paul was heavily bombed during the Blitz in World War II.
• 1967 – Che Guevara was executed in Bolivia.
• 1986 – The Phantom of the Opera premiered in London.
• 2006 – North Korea conducted its first nuclear test.

Famous Birthdays

• Guillaume Apollinaire (1880–1918) – French poet.
• Bruce Catton (1899–1978) – American historian and journalist.
• Brian Blessed (born 1936) – English actor.
• John Lennon (1940–1980) – English singer-songwriter, The Beatles.
• Jackson Browne (born 1948) – American singer-songwriter.
• Scott Bakula (born 1954) – American actor.
• Tony Shalhoub (born 1953) – American actor.
• Sharon Osbourne (born 1952) – English television personality.
• Guillermo del Toro (born 1964) – Mexican filmmaker.
• PJ Harvey (born 1969) – English singer-songwriter.

Notable Deaths

• Pius XII (1876–1958) – Pope of the Catholic Church.
• Jacques Derrida (1930–2004) – French philosopher.
• Alec Douglas-Home (1903–1995) – British prime minister.
• Che Guevara (1928–1967) – Argentine revolutionary leader.

Holidays

• Hangul Day (South Korea) – Celebrates the creation of the Korean alphabet.
• Leif Erikson Day (United States) – Honors the Norse explorer’s arrival in North America.
• Independence Day (Uganda) – Marks independence from the United Kingdom in 1962.

Fun Facts

• Hangul Day honors Korea’s unique alphabet, designed for literacy.
• John Lennon shares a birthday with the inventor of the Korean alphabet.
• Leif Erikson Day is celebrated in the U.S. due to Scandinavian-American heritage.