Important Days In October...

Here are some very important days to remember in October, brought to you right from the pages of The Farmers Almanac. I think you'll find them interesting.

October 9 — Leif Eriksson Day

When the Vikings, a group of seafarers from what is now Norway, Denmark, and Sweden, ventured far out into the Atlantic Ocean under the leadership of the Norwegian Erik the Red, they found a new land and named it Greenland. When Erik’s son, Leif, sailed west from Greenland shortly thereafter, he landed somewhere in the vicinity of what is now Newfoundland. Although Eriksson is not officially credited with discovering America, Congress has declared October 9 Leif Eriksson Day.


October 16 — Noah Webster’s Birthday

Noah Webster, America’s first lexicographer, was born on October 16, 1758. We remember Webster as the author of the first American dictionary, but he was also the first authority to advocate American English. His American Spelling Book, published in 1783 (and later known as Webster’s Elementary Spelling Book), was the first to Americanize the spelling of English words such as colour and labour by dropping the u.


October 18 — St. Luke’s Little Summer

St. Luke’s Little Summer is a period of summerlike days that occurs around October 18, named to honor the saint’s feast day. In olden days, St. Luke’s Day did not receive as much attention in the secular world as St. John’s Day (June 24) and Michaelmas (September 29), so to keep from being forgotten, St. Luke presented us with some golden days to cherish before the coming of winter — or so the story goes. Some folks call this Indian summer, but that officially occurs between November 11 and November 20.

October 18 — Alaska Day

Alaska Day marks the anniversary of the formal transfer of the Alaska Territory from Russia and the raising of the U.S. flag at Sitka in 1867. For pictures of modern-day Sitka, located in southeastern Alaska on Baranof Island, visit Sitka Pictures.

Don't you just love it when the Hermit brings you all these wondrous little bits of trivia? I only do it so that you'll have something to read while we share a nice cup of coffee...want a fresh cup?