12 History Lessons + 7 Births & 7 Deaths for October 9, 2025
Today’s History:
- 1446 – Hangul (Hunminjeongeum) is promulgated in Korea by King Sejong.
- 1820 – Guayaquil declares independence from Spain, a key step toward Ecuador’s independence.
- 1874 – Universal Postal Union is established by the Treaty of Bern, standardizing international mail.
- 1888 – Washington Monument opens to the public in Washington, D.C.
- 1934 – King Alexander I of Yugoslavia and French Foreign Minister Louis Barthou are assassinated in Marseille.
- 1962 – Uganda gains independence from the United Kingdom.
- 1967 – Che Guevara is executed in Bolivia after capture by government forces.
- 1981 – France formally abolishes the death penalty.
- 1986 – “The Phantom of the Opera” premieres in London’s West End.
- 2006 – North Korea conducts its first nuclear test.
- 2009 – Barack Obama is awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.
- 2012 – Malala Yousafzai is shot by the Taliban in Pakistan for advocating girls’ education.
Today’s Birthdays:
- 1952 – Sharon Osbourne, TV personality/producer (“The Osbournes,” “The X Factor”) (73)
- 1953 – Tony Shalhoub, Emmy-winning actor (“Monk,” “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel”) (72)
- 1954 – Scott Bakula, actor (“Quantum Leap,” “NCIS: New Orleans”) (71)
- 1964 – Guillermo del Toro, Oscar-winning filmmaker (“The Shape of Water,” “Pan’s Labyrinth”) (61)
- 1966 – David Cameron, former U.K. prime minister (59)
- 1969 – PJ Harvey, singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist (56)
- 1996 – Bella Hadid, fashion model (29)
Today’s Deaths:
- 1934 – Louis Barthou, French foreign minister (62)
- 1958 – Pope Pius XII, head of the Catholic Church (82)
- 1967 – Che Guevara, Argentine-Cuban revolutionary (39)
- 1974 – Oskar Schindler, industrialist who saved Jews during the Holocaust (66)
- 1982 – Anna Freud, psychoanalyst and child development pioneer (86)
- 1995 – Alec Douglas-Home, former U.K. prime minister (92)
- 2004 – Jacques Derrida, philosopher and founder of deconstruction (74)
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