On this day: October 5

/on/october-5

2007 • neutral • 5 views

Midges Interrupt Game as Swarm Descends on Yankees' Joba Chamberlain

Pitcher on a baseball mound with small dark specks visible in the air around the pitching area and players brushing at their faces during an outdoor afternoon game.

During the October 5, 2007 AL Division Series, a cloud of midges swarmed the mound and briefly disrupted New York Yankees pitcher Joba Chamberlain’s warmup and inning, drawing attention amid the postseason game.

Read

1982 • neutral • 2 views

Chicago Tylenol Murders Shock Nation After Deadly Product Tampering

1980s grocery store pharmacy aisle with shelves of over-the-counter medicine bottles and boxed medications, empty spot where product recall notices might be placed; shoppers and store signage in period-appropriate clothing and style.

In early October 1982, seven people in the Chicago area died after taking cyanide-laced Tylenol capsules, triggering a nationwide panic, a massive criminal investigation, and major changes in product packaging and consumer safety practices.

Read

1936 • neutral • 2 views

French Government Falls as Nationwide Strikes Paralyze the Country

Crowd of French factory workers and union banners gathered outside an industrial complex in 1930s clothing during mass strikes and factory occupations.

On 5 October 1936, the French government collapsed amid a wave of mass strikes and factory occupations that began in late June, forcing political reshuffling and accelerating social reforms initiated after the Popular Front's electoral victory.

Read

1972 • neutral • 2 views

Supreme Court Hears Landmark Abortion Case

Crowd and reporters gathered outside the U.S. Supreme Court building in the early 1970s, with the Court’s facade visible and people in period-appropriate clothing.

On Oct. 5, 1972, the U.S. Supreme Court heard arguments in a pivotal case challenging state restrictions on abortion, a legal battle that would shape national debate on reproductive rights for years to come.

Read

1952 • neutral • 2 views

The Great Smog of London, October 1952

Dense, yellow-brown smog over mid-20th-century London streets with reduced visibility, vintage vehicles and people in period clothing using umbrellas and coats; signage and architecture consistent with 1950s London; no identifiable faces.

A severe air-pollution event beginning on October 5, 1952, blanketed London in a dense, coal smoke–laden fog that caused widespread respiratory illness and is estimated to have caused thousands of deaths and many more illnesses over subsequent weeks.

Read