October 8 Birthday
On October 8, 1871, a fire began in a barn behind 137 DeKoven Street in Chicago. It burned for two days, destroyed 17,500 buildings, left 100,000 homeless, and killed 300. The legend that Mrs. O'Leary's cow kicked over a lantern is almost certainly false — the reporter who invented it admitted it in 1893. The fire spread because Chicago was built of wood, the weather was dry, and the wind was strong. The same night, the Peshtigo fire in Wisconsin killed 1,500-2,500 people — the deadliest wildfire in American history — but was overshadowed by Chicago. Jesse Jackson, born this day in 1941, was with Martin Luther King Jr. in Memphis when King was assassinated. Jackson ran for president in 1984 and 1988, winning millions of votes in the Democratic primaries. He founded Operation PUSH and the Rainbow Coalition. He has negotiated the release of American hostages in Syria, Cuba, and Yugoslavia. People born on October 8 fall under the zodiac sign of Libra. The birthstone is Opal and the birth flower is Marigold. Historical events on October 8 include 1871: Great Chicago Fire begins, burning for two days, killing 300, 1956: Don Larsen pitches only perfect game in World Series history, 2005: Kashmir earthquake (7.6) kills 75,000 in Pakistan. Famous people born on October 8 include Rutherford B. Hayes (1822), Eddie Rickenbacker (1890), Jesse Jackson (1941).