October 8, 1840 - In Hawaii
First Constitution enacted by Kauikeauoli, Kamehameha III
October 8, 1871 - The Great Fire of Chicago erupted. According to legend, it started when Patrick and Mrs. O'Leary's cow kicked over a lantern in her barn on DeKoven Street. Over 300 persons were killed and 90,000-100,000 were left homeless as the fire leveled 3.5 square miles, destroying 17,450 buildings. Financial losses totaled over $200 million (in 1871 dollars; $3 billion in 2007 dollars) in damages.
October 8, 1918 - During World War I in the Argonne Forest in France, U.S. Sergeant Alvin C. York single-handedly took out a German machine-gun battalion, killing over a dozen and capturing 132. He was later awarded the Medal of Honor and the French Croix de Guerre.
October 8, 1993 - The U.N. General Assembly lifted economic sanctions against South Africa following the end of racial apartheid. The sanctions had been imposed since the 1960s.
October 8, 1996 - Palestinian President Yasser Arafat made his first public visit to Israel for talks with Israeli President Ezer Weizman at his private residence.
October 8, 1998 - The U.S. House of Representatives voted 258-176 to approve a resolution launching an impeachment inquiry of President Bill Clinton. It was only the third time in U.S. history the House launched a formal impeachment inquiry of a sitting president. (The other two: Andrew Johnson and Richard Nixon).
October 8, 2005 - a massive 7.6-magnitude earthquake strikes the Kashmir border region between India and Pakistan. An estimated 70,000 people—nearly half of them children—were killed and 70,000 more were injured. More than 3 million were left homeless and without food and basic supplies. The 2005 earthquake, classified as major by the U.S. Geological Survey, may have been the worst to ever hit the region. It caused extensive destruction in Pakistan-administered Kashmir; Pakistan’s Northwest Frontier Province; the western and southern regions of the Kashmir Valley, part of India-administered Kashmir; and northern Pakistan. Damage was also reported in northern India and Afghanistan. More than 140 aftershocks rocked the area in the hours after the quake. In some places, whole sections of towns slid off cliffs and entire families were killed. The provincial capital of Muzaffarabad suffered severe devastation and the town of Balakot was almost completely wiped out. In all, hundreds of thousands of buildings were destroyed. The earthquake occurred just before the onset of the region’s harsh winter, exacerbating the disaster’s effects. Within a week, snow started to fall in some of the affected areas. In addition, landslides wiped out large numbers of the region’s roads, making many of the damaged areas inaccessible to relief workers in the immediate aftermath. Damages from the earthquake were expected to exceed $5 billion. The outpouring of aid was generous, with pledges totaling more than $5.5 billion.
Birthday - American fighter pilot Ace Eddie Rickenbacker (1890-1973) was born in Columbus, Ohio. He commanded the first U.S. aero unit to take part in World War I and was credited with 26 victories, becoming America's leading Ace. He was awarded the Medal of Honor. He later got involved in auto racing and headed Eastern Air Lines from 1934-63.
Birthday - On this day in 1970, Matt Damon, the future star of a long list of hit movies, including Good Will Hunting, Saving Private Ryan and The Bourne Identity, is born in Cambridge, Massachusetts.
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