On This Day for October 8 - Great Chicago Fire, Jesse Jackson is featured, and more

This message contains graphics. If you do not see the graphics, click here to view. October 08 FEATURED BIOGRAPHY Jesse Jackson READ MORE   FEATURED EVENT 1871 Great Chicago Fire READ MORE   Advertisement Advertisement   MORE EVENTS ON THIS DAY 2005: Killing at least 79,000 people, an earthquake struck the Pakistan-administered portion of the Kashmir region and the North-West Frontier Province of Pakistan. [Take our natural disasters quiz.] 2004: American domestic lifestyle innovator Martha Stewart reported to a federal prison in West Virginia to begin her five-month sentence for insider trading . 2001: In Italy's worst civilian air disaster in nearly 30 years, a Cessna took a wrong turn on a taxiway at Linate Airport in Milan and crashed into an SAS airliner about to take off, which exploded, killing 118 people, including 4 airport workers. [ Sort fact from fiction in our quiz about aircraft and air travel.] 1982: The Polish legislature dissolved the trade union Solidarity, which subsequently became an underground organization and played a key role in ending communist rule in Poland , with its various leaders, notably Lech Wałęsa , later holding important government posts. 1967: British politician Clement Attlee—who, while serving as prime minister of the United Kingdom (1945–51), presided over the establishment of a welfare state in his country and the granting of independence to India—died at age 84. [Take our quiz about notable prime ministers.] 1895: Argentine politician Juan Perón, who served as president of Argentina (1946–52, 1952–55, and 1973–74) and founded and led the Peronist movement, was born. [ Take our quiz about South America.] SEE ALL EVENTS ON THIS DAY ALSO BORN ON THIS DAY 1970 Matt Damon American actor, screenwriter, and producer 1943 R.L. Stine American author 1960 Reed Hastings American entrepreneur 1941 Jesse Jackson American minister and activist 1895 Juan Perón president of Argentina 1920 Frank Herbert American author SEE ALL BIOS ON THIS DAY   Advertisement   FOLLOW: To unsubscribe from Britannica e-mails, click here. Encyclopædia Britannica 325 N. LaSalle Street, Suite 200 Chicago, Illinois 60654 United States © 2020 Encyclopaedia Britannica, Inc. Privacy Policy • Help