On 30th September…

1888 - Jack the Ripper murdered two more women, Elizabeth Stride and Catherine Eddowes. It is believed that he was interrupted during the murder of Elizabeth Stride, so he went in search of another victim that evening.

On 1st October…

On 2nd October…

1869 - Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi (Mahatma Gandhi) was born in India. He was a lawyer, politician, social activist and writer who became the leader of the nationalist movement against the British rule of India. He sought peaceful ways to bring about Indian independence.

On 3rd October…

1283 Dafydd ap Gruffyd, Prince of Gwynedd, the last independent ruler of Wales was executed by King Edward I of England for treason. Dafydd had led a revolt against the English king and for that, he was punished. He became the first noblemen to be hanged, drawn and quartered. He was dragged through the streets of Shrewsbury attached to a horse, then hanged alive; revived; then sliced open, before being beheaded and cut into four quarters. Each piece of his body was then displayed in different parts of the country as a deterrent to other would-be traitors.

On 4th October…

1821 - John Rennie (the elder), the Scottish engineer died. He designed many canals. aqueducts, bridges and dockyards; amongst his works are Waterloo Bridge, Southwark Bridge and the Kennet and Avon Canal. He is buried in St Paul’s Cathedral.

On 5th October…

1936 - The Jarrow March set off for London. The march was organised by the unemployed men of Jarrow to draw attention of their plight to the British government; their town had been prosperous and busy before and during World War I when there was a huge demand for ships to be built but since the end of the war and the Depression of the 1930’s the shipbuilding industry in the town had all closed down.

About 200 fit and unemployed men walked 300 miles from the town of Jarrow in north-east England to London in order to let Parliament know that since the shipbuilding company had closed there was no other source of work for them or their families; the little money they received from the government did not help much; and the living standards of the town had dropped to very low levels.

Unfortunately, the march only succeeded in getting attention and sympathy for Jarrow, the Government still did not do much to help. Their lives only changed with the onset of World War II and the new demand for naval ships which once again opened their shipyards for business.

On 6th October…

1854 - The Great Fire of Newcastle and Gateshead started in a factory on the riverfront side of the River Tyne in Gateshead. The factory produced worsted; a smooth yarn made from wool. Next door to the factory was a warehouse filled with explosive chemicals such as brimstone and manganese which was also in danger of catching fire.

People had begun to gather on the opposite bank of the river in Newcastle to watch the fire thinking that they were at a safe distance because the river was between them. Firemen and soldiers were battling the blaze trying to stop it spreading to the warehouse but eventually the warehouse packed with the chemicals caught fire.

The explosive chemicals heated up and exploded causing fireballs to shoot in all directions, including across the river to the crowds of people and buildings in Newcastle. The explosion was so big that folk living in Hartlepool, 30 miles away even heard it and thought it was an earthquake.

Firemen were called from towns up to 20 miles away to help fight the blaze which by now was on both sides of the river burning down homes and businesses, including pubs whose stocks of alcohol only added more fuel to the flames. Fifty-three people died and hundreds more were injured as a result of the fire and many buildings and businesses were destroyed.

1927 - The Jazz Singer was released. It was the first film to made with sound; all films before then had been silent and in black and white; music was only added when the film was shown in the cinemas by a musician playing an organ as the film displayed. The film starred the actor Al Jolson who played a man going against his father’s wishes and becoming a jazz singer.