In 1727 on October 29th, there was apparently a severe earthquake in New England.  Over two hundred and fifty years later on the same date in 1990, thirty people died in a magnitude 5.7 earthquake in Algeria. 

I also found reference to an earthquake right here in Victoria around this same date written by Martha Cheney in her Journal in 1853. She wrote: “We felt a shock of an earthquake, which shook the whole house, and which nearly took us off our feet.  It was about 5 o’clock!”  Martha Cheney was the niece of the Blinkhorns, early settlers in Victoria who had arrived here in 1852.

These three references are all over a hundred years apart and in different parts of the world, and there have of course been numerous other earthquakes on different dates in between.  However, it seemed an interesting co-incidence that October 29 seemed to be a popular day for earthquakes!

In addition, October 29^th was the birth date of some rather interesting folk.  James Boswell, the biographer of Samuel Johnson, was born on this date in 1740; horror film star actor Bela Lugosi of Dracula fame was born on this date in 1884; the famous Ziegfeld Follies singer, Fanny Brice, was born on this date in 1891; and in 1947 and 1948 respectively, actor Richard Dreyfuss and actress, Kate Jackson (one of Charlie’s Angels,) were both born on this date. The most recent person of interest I found who shares the October 29^th birthday is Winona Ryder who was born in 1971.

Poor Sir Walter Raleigh lost his head, literally, on this same date in 1618 in the Tower of London.  There were also other important events that occurred on October 29^th apart from the earthquakes.  For instance, Stanley Park was dedicated in 1889 on October 29^th; Turkey was proclaimed a republic in 1923, and on October 29^th in 1929 on a Tuesday known as “Black Tuesday” disaster occurred in the Stock Market in New York, and this triggered the Depression of the 1930s.

On October 29^th, 1942, the Alaska highway was completed and in 1945 on this date the first ball point pen went on sale, some years after it was first patented.  In 1960 on this date Muhammad Ali (then known as Cassius Clay) fought his first professional fight, beating Tunney Hunsaker in six rounds.

And let’s not forget that we are now heading into days of witches, werewolves and goblins, a time when anything could happen.

Although it is true that many events throughout history have a habit of occurring at the same time on the same date, I’m hoping that the earthquake connection is not one of them!

HAPPY AND SAFE HALLOWEEN EVERYONE!