The month of October has been home to many historical events over the years. Here’s a look at some that helped to shape the world in October 1925.
The Lerma River in Guanajuato, Mexico, floods on October 1, leaving thousands of people homeless as a result.
Three workers are burned alive when the Church Hill Tunnel in Richmond, Virginia, collapses on October 2. The tragedy is partly responsible for the emergence of an urban legend known as the “Richmond Vampire” more than 80 years after the tunnel’s collapse.
The Soviet Union removes all restrictions on the alcohol content of beverages on October 4. Alcohol had been prohibited on a limited basis for 11 years prior to the removal of the limitation.
Legendary baseball pitcher Christy Mathewson dies of tuberculosis on October 7. Mathewson, who notched 373 wins and five National League ERA titles during his career, developed tuberculosis after being exposed to chemical weapons during World War One.
On October 9, the Italian state prosecutor absolves 24 officials of any responsibility for the June 1924 murder of Giacomo Matteotti. Matteotti was an Italian socialist politician who accused the fascists of fraud shortly before he was kidnapped and killed by police affiliated with fascist leader Benito Mussolini.
The Palace Museum is opened to the public in Beijing on October 10. More than 1.1 million pieces of artwork were housed at the museum when it first opened.
Federal Bureau of Investigation agent Edwin C. Shanahan is killed on October 11. Shanahan is the first FBI agent to be killed in the line of duty.
Six hundred American troops enter Panama on October 12. The troops enter at the request of Panamanian President Rodolfo Chiari, who was hoping to put down a renter’s strike.
Margaret Hilda Roberts is born in Grantham, Lincolnshire, England on October 13. Roberts would come to be known as Margaret Thatcher and serve as the Prime Minister of England from 1979 to 1990.
The Pittsburgh Pirates win the World Series on October 15. The Pirates defeat the Washington Senators 9-7 in the decisive seventh game of the series. The Senators had opened the series winning three of the first four games.
Rebels invade Damascus during the Great Syrian Revolt on October 17. The rebels set several colonial French buildings on fire and take control of Azm Palace during the revolt.
Hungarian-American explorer and amateur archaeologist Bryon Khun de Prorok begins excavating the Tin Hinan Tomb in the Sahara Desert in French Algeria on October 18. Prorok begins the excavation despite objections from the local Tuareg Berber community.
“The War of the Stray Dog” between Bulgaria and Greece begins on October 19. The killing of a Greek captain and a sentry by Bulgarian soldiers was one reason given for the start of the conflict.
John William Carson is born in Corning, Iowa, on October 23. Carson would grow up and host “The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson” for three decades, ultimately earning the nickname “The King of Late Night.”
Seven of 23 U.S. Navy Curtiss CS-1 seaplanes are destroyed by wind gusts on October 25. The planes had been brought to Maryland to compete in the Schneider Cup.
American inventor Fred Waller receives a patent for the water ski on October 27.
The remains of Egyptian pharaoh Tutankhamun are found on October 28. English Egyptologist Howard Carter had discovered Tutankhamun’s tomb nearly three years before discovering the remains, which had been covered by a death mask made of gold.
An armored truck is hijacked and robbed of $93,000 in cash in Buffalo, New York, on October 29. The money is never recovered and Richard Reese Whitemore, who was indicted for the holdup, was never convicted of the crime after a jury could not agree that he was guilty.
The Persian Parliament formally deposes the exiled Shah of Persia on October 31. The deposition officially ends the Qajar dynasty, which began in 1789.