On This Day

What Happened in October 1866

Historical Events

  • Oct 1 Dutch Eindhoven-Venlo railway opens
  • Oct 2 J Osterhoudt patents tin can with key opener
  • Oct 6 1st train robbery in US (Reno Brothers take $13,000)
  • Oct 15 Great fire in Quebec destroys 2,500 houses

Event of interestEvent of Interest

Oct 30 Jesse James' gang robs bank in Lexington, Missouri ($2000)

Outlaw Jesse James
Outlaw
Jesse James

Famous Birthdays

  • Oct 2 Charles Ricketts, British artist and illustrator, born in Geneva, Switzerland (d. 1931)
  • Oct 3 Learmont Drysdale, Scottish composer, born in Edinburgh, Scotland (d. 1909)
  • Oct 6 Reginald Aubrey Fessenden, broadcast 1st program of voice & music
  • Oct 7 Martha McChesney Berry, American educator who founded Berry School for Children, born near Rome, Georgia (d. 1942)
  • Oct 7 Wlodimir Ledochowski, Polish-Austrian director of the Society of Jesus (d. 1942)

Person of interestRamsay MacDonald

Oct 12 Ramsay MacDonald, British Prime Minister (Labour: 1924, 1929-35), born in Lossiemouth, Morayshire, Scotland (d. 1937)

British Prime Minister Ramsay MacDonald
British Prime Minister
Ramsay MacDonald
  • Oct 16 Pieter J Kromsigt, theologist/publicist (Troffel & Sword)
  • Oct 19 Clarence Lucas, composer
  • Oct 25 Georg Alfred Schumann, German composer, born in Königstein, Saxony, Germany (d. 1952)

Famous Deaths

  • Oct 26 John Kinder Labatt, Irish-Canadian brewer (Labatt Brewing Company) (b. 1803)

What Happened in 1866

Search the world's largest, most accurate site for today in history.