What Happened in October 1899

Historical Events

Churchill goes to Africa

Oct 14 Morning Post reporter Winston Churchill departs to South Africa

British Prime Minister Winston Churchill

Oct 15 Cincinnati closes season with 16-1 & 19-3 victories over Cleve Spiders
Oct 17 Sutro railroad sold to Robert F Morrow for $215,000
Oct 20 American yacht Columbia beats the Shamrock challenge from Royal Ulster Yacht Club in 11th America's Cup
Oct 20 Battle at Talana Hill, Natal: British army vs Boers
Oct 21 Battle at Elandslaagte Natal: (Boers vs British army)
Oct 22 British troops flee Dundee, Natal South Africa
Oct 24 Battle at Rietfontein, South Africa: Boers vs British army
Oct 30 Battle of Ladysmith, Natal: Boers defeat the British, leading to the Siege of Ladysmith
Oct 30 British Morning Post reporter Winston Churchill reaches Capetown

Events in 1899

Famous Birthdays

Oct 1 Ernest Haycox, American writer (d. 1950)
Oct 1 Lajos Bárdos, Hungarian conductor, composer, musicologist and professor, born in Budapest, Hungary (d. 1986)
Oct 3 Gertrude Berg, American actress (Molly Goldberg-Goldbergs), born in Harlem, New York (d. 1966)
Oct 5 Bolesław Woytowicz, Polish pianist and composer, born in Dunaivtsi, Ukraine (d. 1980)
Oct 5 George, Duke of Mecklenburg, head of the House of Mecklenburg-Strelitz, born in Oranienbaum, Russia (d. 1962)
Oct 8 Milner Gray, British graphic designer, born in London (d. 1997)
Oct 8 Pandit Rambharos Gangaram Panday, Suriname religious leader, co-founder of the VHP (d. 1991)
Oct 9 Bruce Catton, American historian and writer (Civil War), born in Petoskey, Michigan (d. 1978)
Oct 9 Mary Jarred, British mezzo-soprano and contralto singer (The Rake's Progress), born in Brotton, England (d. 1993)
Oct 10 Brian Norton, South African tennis player (Wimbledon 1921 runner-up), born in Robben Island, South Africa (d. 1956)
Oct 11 Arthur L Ochse, South African cricket fast bowler (3 Tests, 10 wickets, BB 4–79; Eastern Province), born in Graaff-Reinet, South Africa (d. 1949)
Oct 11 Eddie Dyer, American baseball player, born in Morgan City, Louisiana (d. 1964)
Oct 13 Marcelle de Manziarly, French pianist and composer, born in Kharkiv, Russian Empire (d. 1989)
Oct 14 Alan Washbond, American 2-man bobsledder (Olympic gold 1932), born in Essex County, New York (d. 1965)
Oct 14 Red McKenzie, American jazz singer (played comb-with-tissue-paper), born in St. Louis, Missouri (d. 1948)
Oct 19 Hal B. Wallis [Aaron Blum Wolowicz], American movie producer (Casablanca; Maltese Falcon; Martin & Lewis; Elvis movies; Barefoot in the Park), born in Chicago, Illinois (d. 1986)

Miguel Ángel Asturias (1899-1974)

Oct 19 Guatemalan novelist (Hombres de Maiz, Nobel 67), journalist and poet, born in Guatemala City

Oct 20 Evelyn Brent, American actress (Panama Lady, Last Command), born in Tampa, Florida (d. 1975)
Oct 20 Marnix Gijsen [Jan-Albert Goris], Belgian writer (Grote God Pan), born in Antwerp, Belgium (d. 1984)
Oct 23 Lilyan Tashman, American actress (Millie, Bulldog Drummond), born in Brooklyn, New York (d. 1934)
Oct 24 Ferhat Abbas, Algerian politician and President of the National Constituent Assembly of Algeria (1962-63), born in Taher, Algeria (d. 1985)
Oct 26 (William) "Judy" Johnson, American Baseball HOF third baseman (NgL World Series 1925 Hilldale AC; NgL All-Star 1933, 1936 Pittsburgh Crawfords), born in Snow Hill, Maryland (d. 1989)
Oct 29 Akim Tamiroff, Armenian-Russian actor (Touch of Evil, For Whom the Bell Tolls), born in Tiflis, Russian Empire (d. 1972)
Oct 30 Ernst Herman van Rappard, Dutch SS officer and founder (NSNAP), born in Banyumas Regency, Central Java, Dutch East Indies (d. 1953)

Born in 1899

Famous Deaths

Oct 5 Johann Nepomuk Fuchs, Austrian composer, dies at 57
Oct 23 Penn Symons, British Major General during Second Boer War, dies in battle during the Battle Of Talana Hill at 56
Oct 28 Grant Allen, Canadian writer (Woman Who Did), dies at 51
Oct 28 Ottmar Mergenthaler, German-American inventor who invented the linotype machine that revolutionized printing, dies of tuberculosis at 45
Oct 30 William Henry Webb, American industrialist and philanthropist, dies at 83