October 1 in Pop Culture History

October 1st History, Trivia, and Fun Facts

October 1st History Highlights

  • 1932 – Babe Ruth’s ‘Called Shot” in the 5th inning of game three in the 1932 World Series
  • 1947 – Levittown, Long Island, New York opened.
  • 1961 – Roger Maris broke Babe Ruth’s Home Run Record with HR #61 in a single season.
  • Umbrella Academy (fiction) On October 1, 1989, 43 women around the world give birth simultaneously, despite none of them showing any sign of pregnancy until labor began. Seven of the children are adopted by eccentric billionaire Sir Reginald Hargreeves, and turned into a superhero team that he called “The Umbrella Academy.”
  • October 1, 1986, is Firepup’s Birthday
  • I hope someone remembered to wake up Billie Joe Armstrong today
  • If you were born on October 1st,
    You were likely conceived the week of… January 8th (same year)

Babe Ruth’s Called Shot

It is still debated as to what happened in the third game of the 1932 World Series. The New York Yankees played the Cubs at Chicago’s Wrigley Field and Babe Ruth hit a three-run homer in the first inning. When he came to the plate to face pitcher Charlie Root, a Cubs bench jockey called him and heckled him. During the 5th inning, Ruth pointed to the midfield bleachers and made a pointing gesture, but no existing film confirms it. The exact nature of Ruth’s gesture is unclear, and the point was later fully confirmed or refuted.

The Yankees won the game 7-5, ending the demoralizing Cubs and completing their World Series victory. Babe Ruth’s call was the first time he and the New York Yankees had hit a home run in a 1932 World Series game, which was played at Yankee Stadium on October 4, 1932.

Levittown, New York

The founder’s son, William Levitt, came home from the Navy with the belief that young veterans returning to the United States would need a home. While William Levitt was in Hawaii, his father took over the management of the company and planned to build low-cost homes on Long Island, the largest island in New York. On July 1, 1947, he brokered a $50 million Levittown development that ultimately included more than 100,000 square feet of residential and commercial space.

The development consisted of more than 17,000 single-family homes built for veterans returning from World War II. Levittown is considered one of the earliest examples of a planning community originally established on Long Island in the United States. It was a mass housing project that produced housing for veterans and other low-income residents. Construction firm Levitt & Sons, led by architects Abraham and Alfred Levittleown, Jr., built four planned, eventually seven communities.

Levittown, New York (built 1947–1951)
Levittown, Pennsylvania (1952–1958)
Willingboro Township, New Jersey (originally known as Levittown, started 1958)
Levittown, Puerto Rico (1963)
Bowie, Maryland (1964)
Crofton, Maryland (1970)
Largo, Maryland (1963)

World Vegetarian Day

October 1st is celebrated as World Vegetarian Day. This very specific holiday was initiated by the North American Vegetarian Society in 1977 and was endorsed by the International Vegetarian Union in 1978.

October 1st is…

Balloons Around the World Day
International Coffee Day
Hair Day
Homemade Cookies Day
Less Than Perfect Day
Music Day
Raccoon Appreciation Day
World Vegetarian Day

October 1st Birthday Quotes

“Wake Me Up When September Ends”
– Billie Joe Armstrong

“LOL has turned into something you type when you have nothing better to add into a conversation.”
– Richard Harris

“I’m not crazy. I play a lot of crazy characters, but I’m an actor.”
– Randy Quaid

“Leave every place you go, everything you touch, a little better for your having been there.”
– Julie Andrews

“You have to be really comfortable with yourself because people are going to tell you that you’re eyes are too brown or you’re this or you’re that. And if you’re not comfortable with yourself, you could get pretty freaked out.”
– Brie Larson

“There’s nothing wrong with me, I mean, I don’t like boys.”
– Bonnie Elizabeth Parker

“Performance-enhancing drugs are an illusion. I wish I had never gotten involved with steroids. It was wrong. It was stupid.”
– Mark McGwire

October 1st Birthdays

1896 – Ted Healy, American comedic actor, 3 Stooges founder(died in 1937)
1910 – Bonnie Parker, American criminal (died in 1934)
1920 – Walter Matthau, American actor (died in 2000)
1924 – Jimmy Carter, American politician, 39th President of the United States, Nobel Prize laureate
1924 – Roger Williams, American pianist (died in 2011)
1924 – William Rehnquist, US Supreme Court Justice (died in 2005)
1927 – Tom Bosley, American actor (died in 2010)
1928 – George Peppard, American actor (died in 1994)
1930 – Richard Harris, Irish actor (died in 2002)
1935 – Julie Andrews, English actress and singer
1938 – Stella Stevens, American actress
1950 – Randy Quaid, American actor
1963 – Mark McGwire, American baseball player
1980 – Sarah Drew, American actress
1984 – Beck Bennett, American comedic actor
1989 – Brie Larson, American actress

October 1st History

331 BC – Alexander the Great defeated Darius III of Persia in the Battle of Gaugamela, bringing about the fall of of the Persian Empire.

1843 – London’s The News of the World began publication.

1868 – Little Women by Louisa May Alcott was published

1880 – John Philip Sousa, the first recorded popular music star, became the United States Marine Band leader.

Yosemite National Park: Established on October 1, 1890, in California and spans 1,169 square miles. Known for its granite cliffs, waterfalls, giant sequoia groves, and diverse plant and animal life.

1908 – For $825 each, Ford’s Model T car was put on the market.

1940 – The Pennsylvania Turnpike opened to traffic. It is considered the first US superhighway.

1948 – Over Fargo, North Dakota, WW II pilot George F. Gorman reported ‘playing chicken” with a blinking orb of light UFO. People visually saw it in the control tower but did not show up on radar.

1950 – Tom Corbett, Space Cadet debuted on television

October 1, 1954, 19** Birthday (fictional) Marge Simpson, The Simpsons, TV

1955 – The Honeymooners premiered on CBS

1957 – First appearance of “In God We Trust” on U.S. paper currency, on one-dollar bills.

1958 – The National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics (NACA) became the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA).

1968 – George Romero’s Night of the Living Dead was released in theaters.

1971 – Walt Disney World opened near Orlando, Florida.

1972The Joy of Sex by Dr. Alex Comfort was published, eventually selling over 12 million copies.

1977 – #1 Hit October 1, 1977 – October 14, 1977: Meco – Star Wars Theme/Cantina Band

1983 – #1 Hit October 1, 1983 – October 28, 1983: Bonnie Tyler – Total Eclipse of the Heart

1984 – The term “cyberspace” was coined in William Gibson’s novel Neuromancer.

1989 – Denmark introduced the world’s first legal modern same-sex civil union, called a “registered partnership”.

1992 – Cartoon Network begins broadcasting. The first cartoon, outside of Droopy Dog’s introduction, was Bugs Bunny in Rhapsody Rabbit.

1992- Cartoon Network was initiated.

1996 – Animal Planet made its debut

1999 – The famous “You Fool” episode of Hollywood Squares aired.

2006 – Dexter premiered on Showtime

2010 – Sony launched Sony Movie Channel

2013 – The United States federal government shutdown of 2013 (October 1-16) affected many operations for the US government

There are 91 days left this year.

Today’s Random Trivia and Shower Thoughts

Birds are dinosaurs- they are considered “avian dinosaurs” and have been around for 100 million years, thus making them among the last living dinosaurs on Earth.

Tom Hanks is the first actor to play Walt Disney in a mainstream feature film. (Saving Mr. Banks)

Every movie John Cazale was in was nominated for a Best Picture Oscar (all three Godfathers, The Conversation, The Deer Hunter and Dog Day Afternoon).

The Capital of Laos is Vientiane

On the day of his death, “Heath Ledger” was understandably the number 1 search on Google. Number 2 was “Keith Ledger”.

The biggest film of 1927: The Jazz Singer earned ~ $3,000,000

A group of Chinchillas is called a Colony.

“Sawyer, you’re going out a youngster, but you’ve got to come back a star!” – Julian Marsh (Warner Baxter) in 42nd Street, 1933

Female gladiators (gladiatrices) existed during the Roman Empire.

A “white elephant gift exchange” takes its name from the legend of the King of Siam gifting rare albino elephants to those who displeased him because the upkeep costs would financially ruin them.

“No matter how knowledgeable you are, respect your parents for their experience and your children for their curiosity.” – Amit Kalantri

Roulette Odds: any one number: Payoff: 35:1 True Odds: 2.63%

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