Once Upon A Time – October 1 – 1960 – Nigeria Gains Independence From British Rule

331 BC Alexander the Great defeats Darius III of Persia in the Battle of Gaugamela

1688 Prince William of Orange accepts invitation of take up the British crown

1814 Opening of the Congress of Vienna, redraws Europe’s political map after the defeat of Napoléon Bonaparte

1867 Karl Marx publishes “Das Kapital” in Berlin, a description of the capitalist system, its instability and tendency to self-destruction

1908 Henry Ford introduces the Model T car (costs $825)

1918 World War I: Combined Arab and British force under the Lawrence of Arabia, T. E. Lawrence captures Damascus from the Turks

1960 Independence Day is an official national holiday in Nigeria, celebrated on the 1st of October. It marks Nigeria’s proclamation of independence from British rule.

1988 Mikhail Gorbachev becomes Chairman of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet, effectively head of state of the Soviet Union

Historical Events Today Events in 2023
Today in Film & TV
1968 Cult zombie film “Night of the Living Dead” directed by George A. Romero, starring Duane Jones and Judith O’Dea premieres in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

Today in Music
1982 Marvin Gaye releases his last studio album “Midnight Love” featuring single “Sexual Healing”

Today in Sport
1975 “The Thrilla in Manila”; Muhammad Ali stops Joe Frazier in 14 rounds in Quezon City, the Philippines to retain his WBC/WBA heavyweight title

1888 National Geographic magazine publishes for the 1st time

1939 Winston Churchill calls Russia a “riddle wrapped in a mystery inside an enigma”

Famous Weddings
1791 Prince William Frederick (later William V, King of Netherlands) marries his cousin Princess Wilhelmina of Prussia

1884 American politician William Jennings Bryan (24) weds writer and future suffragette Mary Elizabeth Baird (23)

1913 Writer and poet Vita Sackville-West (21) marries diplomat Harold Nicolson (26)

Henry Ford’s Model T rolled off the assembly line on this day in automotive history, bringing affordable motoring to millions – October 1, 1908