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On This Day 4 mins Read

October 15: Facts & Historical Events On This Day

Did you know that on this day, October 15, 1924, the Statue of Liberty's fingers, which clasp the handle of her torch, were fully installed?

Fact Checked Human Written Verified Sources Regularly Updated

October 15th is known as Global Handwashing Day as well as Grouch Day.

We’ve reached the 288th day of the year. There are 77 days remaining in 2026.

You are going to be surprised by the number of interesting events that all happened on October 15th in history.

Did you know that on this day, October 15, 1924, the Statue of Liberty’s fingers, which clasp the handle of her torch, were fully installed? This was one of the finishing touches, and she was unveiled two weeks later.

Keep reading for more fun & interesting facts about October 15th in history!

Historical Events

What memorable events happened on October 15 in history? Keep reading to find out!

The world’s largest Legoland theme park opened in Winter Haven, Florida.

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NASA’s Galileo spacecraft skimmed by Jupiter’s moon, Lo, at just 112 miles (180 km).

OTD in 2001: NASA's Galileo spacecraft skimmed by Jupiter's moon

The probe was launched on October 18, 1989.

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Saddam Hussein was reelected president of Iraq through a referendum.

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The tennis player Chris Evert won the first WTA Tour Championship in Florida.

Unfortunately, she wasn't awarded the prize money of $25,000 because she was only 17 years old.

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Huey P. Newton and Bobby Seale founded the Black-rights political organization, Black Panther Party.

OTD in 1966: Huey P. Newton and Bobby Seale founded the Black-rights political organization

The party fought against fascism, imperialism, racism, capitalism, and for the rights of Black and ethnic minorities.

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The children’s novel “Charlotte’s Web” was published by E. B. White.

The story tells of a pig on a farm named Wilbur, who is due to be slaughtered, and a spider who leaves a message on her web reading "Some Pig" in a bid to save the pig's life.

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Hitler declared that all of Germany’s Jews must be relocated, and Polish Jews found outside of their ghettos would be shot on sight.

Additionally, anyone who helped Jewish people would be killed too.

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Charlie Chaplin’s satirical movie “The Great Dictator” was released in the US.

OTD in 1940: Charlie Chaplin's satirical movie "The Great Dictator" was released in the US.
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Ernest Hemingway’s “To Have and Have Not” was published in the US.

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The Statue of Liberty’s fingers, which clasp the handle of her torch, was fully installed.

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The German philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche celebrated his 44th birthday by beginning his autobiography “Ecce Homo,” which was published in 1908.

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At 11 years old, Grace Bedell wrote to Abraham Lincoln, saying he should grow a beard.

OTD in 1860: At 11 years old

Later, the former president did grow a beard and met with her in February 1861.

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Aviation pioneers, the Montgolfier brothers, made the first human ascent in a hot air balloon.

Étienne Montgolfier piloted the tethered flight in the Réveillon workshop in the Faubourg Saint-Antoine, a suburb of Paris.

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The first day of the Gregorian calendar began in France, Italy, Portugal, and various other Catholic states.

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Famous Births

Is today your birthday? If so, you share this special day with Cameron Fuller! Check out more famous people born on this day below.

1999

Bailee Madison

American Actress

Age

26 years old

Born IN

Florida, USA

1996

Grace Van Dien

American Actress

Age

29 years old

Born IN

California, USA

1995

Cameron Fuller

American Actor

Age

30 years old

Born IN

USA

1992

Vincent Martella

American Actor

Age

33 years old

Born IN

New York, USA

Birthday & Zodiac

People who were born on October 15 share the Libra star sign.

Libra is the seventh sign in the modern zodiac and belongs to the Air element of the zodiac, along with Gemini and Aquarius. People born between September 23 and October 22 fall into this astrological sign.

People born in October all have the Pink Tourmaline birthstone. Tourmaline comes in almost every color of the rainbow. At one point in time, every color of tourmaline had different names; however, these days, the color is added as a prefix, such as “pink tourmaline” or “green tourmaline.”

If you were born on Oct 15, your estimated date of conception would be January 22 in the same year.

The due date for a baby conceived on this day is around July 8th, 2027.

Quotes

Who said what today throughout history? Here are the most famous things people have said on this day.

1914

“When one is frightened of the truth then it is never the whole truth that one has an inkling of.”

Ludwig Wittgenstein

(Austrian-British Philosopher)

1897

“Being entirely honest with oneself is a good exercise.”

Sigmund Freud

(Austrian Neurologist)

Special Holidays

If you're looking for something to do today, maybe these special holidays might just help to cure your boredom!

World

Global Handwashing Day

The cheapest and single most effective way to prevent the spread of germs is to wash your hands thoroughly and regularly. Seeing as today is Global Handwashing Day, why not watch some videos online on how to properly clean your hands, as most of us are doing it all wrong!

United States

National Grouch Day

Sometimes you just want to ignore the bright side of life and wallow in misery while complaining about everything. The good news is that today is dedicated to just that - so embrace your inner Oscar or Grumpy Cat today and grump to your heart’s content!

Fact Of The Day

Eminem's mother, Debbie Mathers, sits on a couch holding a signed poster of Eminem

In 2000, Debbie Mathers, Eminem’s mother, released the CD “Set the Record Straight,” featuring two tracks addressing Eminem’s negative lyrics about her.

Days Until

Your countdown to 2026's upcoming special days!

  • Halloween

    16 days

  • Veterans Day

    27 days

  • Christmas Day

    71 days

  • New Year's Day

    78 days

Oct 14 Oct 16

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References

MLA

Ward, Luke. "October 15: Facts & Historical Events On This Day." FactstoryHub, 1 Jan. 2020, www.factstoryhub.com/day/october-15/. Accessed 8 Jan. 2026.

APA

Ward, L. (2025, October 31). October 15: Facts & Historical Events On This Day. FactstoryHub. https://factstoryhub.com/day/october-15/

Chicago

Ward, Luke. "October 15: Facts & Historical Events On This Day." FactstoryHub, October 31, 2025. https://factstoryhub.com/day/october-15/.

About The Author

Luke Ward
Owner

Luke Ward is the owner of FactstoryHub. He has over 14 years of experience in researching, informative writing, fact-checking, SEO & web design. In his spare time, he loves to explore the world, drink coffee & attend trivia nights.

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