October 1 in History

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. It seems appropriate for World Vegetarian Day to be on October 1st as we celebrate the harvest in so many ways in October and November. Fresh produce, fruits, vegetables, and whole grains are abundant at this time of the year.

There are two main points to this holiday the first is that it kicks off a month of celebrating vegetarians. The second is to encourage people to try a meatless diet. There are many degrees of being a vegetarian. Some go totally animal product free. Others allow milk products and eggs. A quick Google search can bring up a good quantity of information about vegetarianism. If you want to try this, today is your day.

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.

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

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. It was visually seen by people in the control tower but did not appear on the radar.

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).

1971 – Walt Disney World opened near Orlando, Florida.

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

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

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 Droopy Dog’s introduction was Bugs Bunny in Rhapsody Rabbit.

1996 – Animal Planet made its debut

1999 – The infamous “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