Historical Events
Edward Gibbon's Inspiration
Oct 15 Edward Gibbon observes a group of friars singing in the ruined Temple of Jupiter in Rome, which inspires him to begin work on The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire
Famous Birthdays
- Oct 14 Charles-Henri Plantade, French composer, born in Pontoise, France (d. 1839)
Claude Niépce (259 years old)
Oct 28 French inventor (Pyréolophore combustion engine), born in Chalon-sur-Saône, France (d. 1828)
Famous Weddings
John Adams & Abigail Adams
Oct 25 Future 2nd American President John Adams (28) weds Abigail Smith (19) in Weymouth, Massachusetts (marriage lasts 54 years)
Famous Deaths
- Oct 2 William Cavendish, 4th Duke of Devonshire, 5th Prime Minister of the United Kingdom (1756-57), dies at 44
- Oct 22 Jean-Marie Leclair l'aîné (the elder), French violinist and Baroque composer, dies at 67
- Oct 23 Emmanuel-Auguste de Cahideuc, Comte Dubois de la Motte, French naval officer (b. 1683)
- Oct 26 William Hogarth, English satiric painter and engraver (Rake's Progress), dies at 66
Assassination
Car Crash
Hanging
Killed in Action
Plane Crash
Poisoning